SLCD Controller Board

 

Low cost LCD Controller for embedded systems using QVGA
with no special OS or Library needed on the host processor.
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Flat panel technology is constantly changing. Use the SLCD to "write once, deploy on any panel" now and in the future.

Features include:

  • Drives both passive (STN) and active (TFT) displays
  • Controls either color or monochrome LCDs
  • Software contrast control
  • Ideal for constrained size applications: 3”x 4.5”, 0.3” thick
  • Supports both 3.3V and 5V displays (using only 40mA)
  • RS232 or CMOS level interface up to 115Kbaud
  • User downloadable bitmaps with compression (512KB of flash memory)
  • Backlight power control
  • Landscape or portrait mode
  • Can be modified for specific OEM requirements

The SLCD controller allows an LCD graphics display to be accessed as an intelligent serial device. Text can be written to the display and graphic images shown by using high level commands. An optional touch interface enables buttons to be defined on screen which return a serial string when pushed. A beeper is included for audible touch feedback and for alarms.

Containing a powerful 16 bit microprocessor, the Reach SLCD also has flash memory, an LCD controller chip, beeper, and optional touch screen / button interface. The on-board microprocessor code includes a graphics library, text fonts, predefined bitmaps, and a command interpreter. The microprocessor serial port is used to interface to the host system via digital or RS232 levels. User-defined bitmaps can be stored in the flash memory via the serial port.

The board has connectors for different types of LCD displays. Passive or active, monochrome or color displays up to 320x240 are supported at 8 bits color/pixel. Adapter boards are used when the display connector is different from the board connector.

Bitmaps to use for the display can be easily created on a PC in .BMP format using any off-the-shelf graphics program, including Adobe Photoshop or even Microsoft Paint. The images are then compressed and can be downloaded into the SLCD flash memory using a supplied software utility. Once downloaded to the flash memory, they can be displayed anywhere on the screen using a simple high level command. These bitmaps can provide a modern looking interface, including tabbed information pages and many different types of controls including radio buttons, check boxes, and more.