Graphical LCD Display

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8BIT
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Graphical LCD Display

Post by 8BIT »

I just finished my prototype for displaying text on a 320x240 LCD display.

I used the same ATMega8 controller that I used for my composite text display. I am only using 320x200 as thats all the ATMega8's RAM can support but I still get a 40x25 character display. It uses the same 8 bit port with strobe & busy handshaking. An RS-232 interface could also be implemented if desired.

I bought the Optrex display from a local surplus store (they still have some left) and the power supply from jameco.com I don't think jameco sell it anymore but I did see it on a couple of other surplus sites.

If anyone is interested in building one, contact me and I can help find the necessary parts.

Here is a link to more details on my website:

http://www.softcom.net/users/darylr/io/vid4.html

Next, I'm working on a compact flash interface for mass storage.

Daryl
leeeeee
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Post by leeeeee »

Very nice.

I've always chickened out and used the displays with the built in controllers, much easier than what you've done. 8^)=

Cheers,

Lee.
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8BIT
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Post by 8BIT »

It may have been easier but those displays are much more costly. I spent $35 on the display and $9 on the power supply. And actually, the timing diagrams for the display were straight forward and easy to duplicate in software.

However, if you can find a reasonably cheap display with the built-in controller, all the better!!!

Daryl
Nightmaretony
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Post by Nightmaretony »

VERY nice. Personally, I would have done a dedidcated 65c02 all its own with a massive graphics toolset and commands, but thats me. I still am not hep on Atmels or microcontrollers because of availability 2 decades from now.
"My biggest dream in life? Building black plywood Habitrails"
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8BIT
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Post by 8BIT »

It would be easy to do such. A 320x240 display only needs 9600 bytes to store the bit image. If you used phase 1 for the refresh, the 65c02 could spend all its time doing the graphics commands.

Daryl
leeeeee
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Post by leeeeee »

I've been lucky, I found a source of 320 x 240 mono LCD displays with built in windowing graphics controller for a fiver each (about $10) and bought three. The hardest thing to do was source the -25v bias and 200vAC backlight supply before ploughing my way through the 148 page datasheet. The controller supports a background screen in either text or bitmapped graphics and up to three windows that can be any size up to a full screen size.

Just wish they were colour. 8^)=

Lee.
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8BIT
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Post by 8BIT »

$10 huh? Wish my surplus store was that cheap!

Cheers!

Daryl
asm_2750
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Re: Graphical LCD Display

Post by asm_2750 »

8BIT wrote:
I just finished my prototype for displaying text on a 320x240 LCD display.


I bought the Optrex display from a local surplus store (they still have some left) and the power supply from jameco.com I don't think jameco sell it anymore but I did see it on a couple of other surplus sites.



Daryl
Manuf link to the screen used: for about 67 bucks new that isnt bad for a screen.

http://www.optrex.com/Products/PartDeta ... -FW-ABE-AU

Nice job as always Daryl. I still need to build my sbc 2 here. Any ideas to make a color graphical interface in the future?
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8BIT
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Re: Graphical LCD Display

Post by 8BIT »

asm_2750 wrote:
... Any ideas to make a color graphical interface in the future?
I will probably do something using VGA 640x480 or purhaps 800x600.

But first, my compact flash firmware is waiting to be written.

Thanks!

Daryl
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8BIT
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Re: Graphical LCD Display

Post by 8BIT »

asm_2750 wrote:
... Any ideas to make a color graphical interface in the future?
I will probably do something using VGA 640x480 or purhaps 800x600.

But first, my compact flash firmware is waiting to be written.

Thanks!

Daryl
wirehead
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Post by wirehead »

Hrmm.. The ATMega32 has 2k instead of just 1k of memory. Might be a quick upscale of the design to add those last 40 pixels.
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Post by Brian_Lyons »

Once again I'm impressed.

Daryl keeps coming up with such really neat ideas.

Cheers,

Brian
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8BIT
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Post by 8BIT »

Thanks! It is fun to create a new design from scratch, and rewarding to see it running. I won't tell you all about the hours I spent scratching my head because it wasn't working!!!

Yes, the ATMega32 would be a good candidate for using the last 40 rows. I had considered trying to write code to support a clock or something using that space, but then got busy and it never happened.

I hope some of these designs will find a use in other's projects.

Daryl
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Post by wirehead »

Yeah.... hopefully I'll be able to spend some time on it sometime soon, if you don't beat me to it...

The way I see it, stuff like that is cool and useful in ways that far exceed the bounds of the 6502 community. Swap the interface from an 8 bit parallel interface to a SPI or USART one, and the AVR and PIC folks can use it, for example.

Now I just gotta try and scare up some surplus LCDs of the proper specifications.. :)
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