Graphic LCD (128x64) with Serial Interface

[rmteo]

Is there any interest in a graphic LCD display with serial interface for your projects? Here are some details:
8 rows of 32 characters (total 256) in small font mode.
8 rows of 21 characters (total 168) in large font mode.
Easy to use - 10 single-byte commands for DX256T.
Only 5 graphic commands are needed.
Only 3 lines used - 5V power, ground and signal input.
Compact size - 3.0in. wide by 2.1in. tall.
Software selectable baud rates - 4800, 2400 and 1200. Standard RS-232 - baud rate stored in memory.
Software controlled LED backlight.
Optional Graphics Capability with DX256G.

Please excuse the fuzzy photo - LCD's are difficult to photograph well.
http://home.earthlink.net/~rmteo/glcd/

[MatC]

How much?
The ones I've looked at are seemingly very expensive... half the cost of a 15" 1024x768 full colour PC display seems to get you a monochrome 64x32 LCD module. I know the volumes are very different, but I'd think it would be possible to produce these smaller modules at sensible prices - the ones on the back of digital cameras won't cost the manufacturers very much.

[Richard Ingram]

I am playing around with a 120X32 serial that I've had for a long time but never used much. It does does some nice graphics. The one you describe would be even better. Depends a lot on pricing. Easy to use with only one data line even on a low I/O device.

Richard

[rmteo]

This display will be available in 2 versions:
1. Text only DX256T - $69.95
2. Text and graphics DX256G - $89.95

The text only version is great for when you need to display more data than a character LCD (up to 256 characters in small font mode). See picture below.

The text/graphics version has all of the features of the text version but adds graphics capabilities as in the first post.

Note that this display is TINY (75mm x 53mm) - smaller than most character LCDs and is ideal for handheld and/or portable applications. Current draw is low, 45mA with the backlight on and less than 5mA with backlight off.

[Mr DIY]

Hmm … photo looks somewhat confusing.

Graphics displays are typically a display unit with minimal driver logic. Unlike dot-matrix displays that have built in character information, a graphics displays requires the user to store all character/font detail in the microcontroller that talks to the display unit.

Post number 4 shows a photo that has all the connections shown on the bottom of the display unit that would be connected to a microcontoller. So the question is … is this a homebrew controller and display module combination?

I bought some 128 x 64 display units a few years back. They cost me around $20 each. But they were pure displays… so it is looking like an additional $69 just for the controller.

Brian

[rmteo]

It is a combination of a graphic LCD display with a controller board on its reverse side that will be produced commercially.

The main purpose of this combo is that it is very quick and easy to develop your application. A single data line is all that is needed between your controller/MCU to talk to the display eg. to display text, you just send the text string to the unit.

To display graphics, you send just 8 bytes of data to the unit (you can draw lines, boxes, circles, pixels etc.)

Here are links to some other similar displays:
1. 120x32 pixels - $99.00
http://www.seetron.com/sgx120_1.htm

2. 122x32 pixels - $74.95
http://www.matrixorbital.com/product_info.php?pName=glk1223225smwb&cName=lcd-graphic-lcds

3. 120x32 pixels - $109.95
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=27936

All of the above have less than half the pixel resolution and are much larger in physical size.

[xorcise]

Hey rmteo,

Looks good.... :cool:

xor

[xorcise]

Hmm … photo looks somewhat confusing.

Graphics displays are typically a display unit with minimal driver logic. Unlike dot-matrix displays that have built in character information, a graphics displays requires the user to store all character/font detail in the microcontroller that talks to the display unit.

Post number 4 shows a photo that has all the connections shown on the bottom of the display unit that would be connected to a microcontoller. So the question is … is this a homebrew controller and display module combination?

I bought some 128 x 64 display units a few years back. They cost me around $20 each. But they were pure displays… so it is looking like an additional $69 just for the controller.

Brian

I have 128x64 Blue/White (KS0108) with a 20-pin SIP female connector for $18.00 USD. 74HC595's would be perfect to create a 3-wrire SPI interface. You would need 2 cascaded, but inexpensive....about another $1.50 USD. The rest is software....and a microcontroller....or PC parallel port.

[MatC]

rmteo: I'm not trying to knock what you're doing... but that is the same price that I can pay for a new digital camera with a 5cm Colour TFT display on the back. It's not you, all the modules I've seen are similarly priced, I'm just frustrated I can't get hold of a sensibly priced colour TFT display I can interface to, when a 3mp camera with such a display costs $90 new.

[Mr DIY]

It is a combination of a graphic LCD display with a controller board on its reverse side that will be produced commercially.

Your project rmteo?

Just out of interest, here is a pic of my board. Lots of IOs. Additional Flash and memory can be added if CPU onboard flash and ram not enough. Fun project ... although creating all the characters is a bit of a bore.

Brian

[rmteo]

Looks like your board is designed to do much more. Interesting project. Let us know how it works out.

[rmteo]

If you would like more info, including user instructions, I have created a quickie web page at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rmteo/glcd/