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Another LCD/TV option for use with the Propeller TV Driver — Parallax Forums

Another LCD/TV option for use with the Propeller TV Driver

Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
edited 2009-06-12 17:38 in Propeller 1
Alright all you TV/Propeller project fans I have a potential product that I am looking at providing through Brilldea and would like your feedback.

Attached are pictures of an LCD and TV driver board that are hooked to my Propeller Demo Board and running the graphics demo. This LCD/Driver board is a product that I have seen from several companies in Hong Kong and China and I got a couple samples to test. In the pictures I am testing a 3.0" screen with a digital driver board. I believe this particular product is available in higher volume, but there are a couple similar products from the same company I am considering that I think I can get in smaller quantities. The notes I have on the driver is that the board runs off of 3.3V but after testing it I believe it looks like is should be a little higher like 3.8V DC and also runs fine at 5V DC.

This particular product is compact and comes with all the bare elements and it runs a voltage that is probably already in your Propeller System (5V DC). The minimum connections are shown in the picture of power and the video signal. I believe the other connector on the driver board is for adjustments to the display picture.

So, I have a couple questions:

Does this particular product interest you? It does for me because I can incorporate a nice LCD display in my projects without ripping apart an expensive TV unit. Not to mention the code is there to easily create nice interfaces.
What size screens are best? The one in the picture is 3.0". I was thinking that the product I would offer may be a 3.5" or maybe smaller like 2.5" or 2.0". I think there was even a 1.5" but man that would be small!
What price point would you want? Of course the lower the better, but I need to see what prices I can get and if I can buy in a lower quantity. I am hoping for sub $50.00 and more likely between US$35 to US$45. I need to investigate more and of course this is also based on screen size.

With this kind of product one might create some really nice projects all incorporated into one box instead of spread across a bench with cables and power supplies. One idea I had was a portable Hydra system!!

What do you think?

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Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
www.tdswieter.com
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Comments

  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,833
    edited 2008-11-23 11:39
    I was looking all over for something like that a few weeks ago for a front panel display...

    I think 3.5 to 5" would be the best size for me..

    It'd be nice to have a way of mounting it.· But, it looks like the display can be glued to a board with mounting holes...
  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2008-11-23 14:16
    Looks like a winner. I think the 3" model would be perfect for a portable Hydra. I own a Gameboy Micro and while it's a good machine - the 2" screen is just a little too small for my eyes. I'd buy the 3" model at $35 to $45.
  • BaggersBaggers Posts: 3,019
    edited 2008-11-23 15:15
    I'm with Rayman, 3.5 to 5"

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    http://www.propgfx.co.uk/forum/·home of the PropGFX Lite

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  • Ed ParsonsEd Parsons Posts: 31
    edited 2008-11-23 15:55
    I think the 3 - 3.5" would be a good size, but would lean to bigger rather than smaller.
  • Cole LoganCole Logan Posts: 196
    edited 2008-11-23 15:56
    I would also agree that 3 to 5 inch display would be perfect
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2008-11-23 23:43
    Thank you for the feedback so far. I will continue to investigate the 3.0" to 3.5"+ sizes and let you know what I find in a couple days.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2008-11-23 23:51
    3.5 to 5 perfect.. If you can hit a US$35-$50 price even better.

    OBC

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  • JT CookJT Cook Posts: 487
    edited 2008-11-24 14:59
    I would love to get a small LCD/TV board, esp if you can get it in the $50 or less range. I also agree that 3.5-5 will be a good size.
  • Ken PetersonKen Peterson Posts: 806
    edited 2008-11-24 21:54
    Would be even better if you can get touch panels too. I have in mind several projects that could use a display + touch panel. Just the bare panel - I have written my own driver to use a 4-wire resistive panel.

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  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2008-11-24 23:35
    Thanks for the continuous feedback.

    I considered the touch panel. The displays and the company I am reviewing do not have touch panels built-in, but that doesn't mean you can't buy a resistive touch panel and place it on top of the display. It won't be a fully integrated solution but close to it.

    The digital display I show in the pictures above has a resolution of around 320x240. The picture was very nice and clear. As I said though I don't think I can get that production unless I place orders of 100s. Another product that I believe I can buy is of 234x160 - I think. Since the Propeller doesn't do high-res I think this would still be OK. What do you think?

    I suppose it is best to get a sample and try it out before going through with a larger purchase.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com
  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2008-11-24 23:47
    I'd want a 320 x 240 screen.

    Not interested in a display with a lower resolution.
  • RinksCustomsRinksCustoms Posts: 531
    edited 2008-11-25 00:39
    Right on man - subscribed! this with an add-on touch screen module would be a good fit with my pocket tube amp/line out sidetrack...

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  • AleAle Posts: 2,363
    edited 2008-11-25 21:22
    Timothy,

    The 234x160 are really bad :-(. I got a couple and they have.. problems: Bulky, need three voltages, too big for the amount of pixels, and so on. (There was a thread here about some similar displays here). If they are the same displays of course.

    A 320x240 that can be driven with a NTSC or PAL signal will be ok. They need few pins and support some limited color schemes (due to memory). I'll take one now if you have at those price points smile.gif.
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2008-11-25 23:33
    Thanks Ale. I don't have anything in stock and I am still discussing it with my vendors.

    Eitehr display has a control board that comes with it. The control board takes one voltage which is around 3.3V to 5V DC. The Display also takes in NTSC or PAL. I am looking at the analog display because that is the part I think I can get in low quantities, but this is still under discussion. From my reading of data sheets it looks like the Analog control board has multiple composite video inputs. I could see some applications having a display of Propeller data and then switching to a display from a remote camera.

    I will let you know more when I get this figured out. I personally wish I could get the digital display too.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2009-01-06 12:14
    Quick Update: Well to say the least December was a whirlwind. I have been talking with the vendor of the display and it sounds like they are going to be getting stock in the next 6 to 8 weeks for this device I first pictured above. (320x240, 3.0" display) So, perhaps by the end of February or the first part of March I can receive stock and place the item for sale through Brilldea. I have set a final price yet, but it is still looking like the price will be south of US$50 per display and controller board and connection cable.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com
  • mikedivmikediv Posts: 825
    edited 2009-01-06 17:34
    Hey Tim very nice I would like one 3 is a little on the small size 3.5 or 5 would be great , but I have a question I am a bit confused
    it looks like you are driving the device with the composite out from the prop board is that correct?.. can you get this display in a serial or par configuration, does that driver board except other types of input and out put example ,, serial/par input to driver board.. composite/vga output this is the driver board I am talking about. thanks. and what type of input does the actual display device ..
    ·
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2009-01-06 23:48
    Mike -

    I have looked around for other similar type screen in a larger size but I have not found any yet that meet my requirements. The product I am trying to offer here is an LCD and driver board combination. The LCD is parallel input LCD that has 320x240 resolution. The driver board is designed to take a composite signal (NTSC or PAL) and convert it the display. There are no other input options on this board though I have also searched for boards with a VGA input. In time I will find them, the problem at the moment is price. I found a couple, but the price was around US$150 which I though was too much.

    If you are interested in just driving an LCD display, then this is not your product. A stand alone LCD with serial or parallel input can be found from many, many, many, many vendors. The problem has always been the lack of propeller memory to do any decent resolution graphics with decent color depth. This is still the problem with the VGA and TV/Composite drivers too but this product I am considering is more for those that are fine with the standard Parallax TV driver or the various Hydra drivers and want a simple solution for integrating into their project.

    So, in review, the product is basically a LCD TV monitor that accepts PAL or NTSC and also 3.3V to 5V power. It is provided in a basic format as shown in the pictures so that it can be integrated into a project in place of using the fully complete LCD monitors. No case, no additional 12V power supply. Simple connections and using the standard TV driver.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,833
    edited 2009-01-07 00:41
    South of $50 sounds really good to me!
  • mikedivmikediv Posts: 825
    edited 2009-01-07 00:51
    Thanks Tim I just wanted to make sure I understood, A small Composite LCD color screen would be a nice thing for a self contained project, I can think of several things I could do with it, yes put me down for one as well.
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  • Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL)Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL) Posts: 1,720
    edited 2009-01-07 01:17
    Excellent Tim. Sounds great to me. I'm in for 3" or >

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    Aka: CosmicBob
  • Jim FouchJim Fouch Posts: 395
    edited 2009-01-07 11:25
    I'd also be interested in several of these. 3.5"

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    Jim Fouch

    FOUCH SOFTWARE
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2009-01-07 12:21
    Thank you for the feedback guys and the encouragement. I am excited that my vendor has come through and will be able to sell me displays like the ones in the picture above. I will also continue to keep my eyes open for similar products with a suitable price point. As I mentioned, it sounds like it will be a few weeks before I can submit for the product, pay and receive it. I think it will be a few weeks mostly because of Chinese New Year happening happening soon.

    I will keep this thread posted with the latest and greatest. I will probably not offer a presale as I like to have the product in stock before I receive money from anyone.

    Stay tuned.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com
  • Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL)Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL) Posts: 1,720
    edited 2009-01-07 15:02
    tim said...
    Chinese New Year happening happening soon

    The first day of the Chinese new year is January 26, 2009. Maybe my Asian friends will invite me to a party jumpin.gif

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    Aka: CosmicBob
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2009-01-07 15:34
    Timothy,
    I think the 3" or 3.5" would be great at sub $50.

    I've been wanting to create a replacement for the Lego NXT controller which sells for $135, and you cannot really program with. You need to program on a PC and download it to the controller.

    I want to make a stand-alone controller with the propeller that has a color display, and keyboard connection that will allow you to write programs directly without a PC.

    Let us know when these are available.

    Bean.

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    ·The next time you need a hero don't look up in the sky...Look in the mirror.


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  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2009-02-25 05:58
    Good news! I have finally received stock of the 3.0" LCD display with a driver board that has composite input. I got a handful of units in to sell through Brilldea. The display is the same as the one pictured in my first post. One catch at the moment is I didn't receive the composite/DC cable connector in the picture. I am investigating if that was missed in the shipment or if I need to source it else where.

    Anyway, later tonight I will get to posting a site on www.brilldea.com with more pictures and information. The 3.0" LCD and Driver Board will sell for US$44.95/each (includes 3.0" TFT LCD and driver board that accepts 3.3V to 5.0V DC for power and a composite (NTSC or PAL) signal and connection cable), but since I don't have cables at the moment, I am thinking of offering the display and driver board without the cable for a slight discount. Another option would be to hold orders for a couple days until I get the part if my vendor forgot to include them in my order.

    I will post back once I get the page up.

    Also, I have a sample coming of a 3.5" LCD with a driver board that has both composite and VGA inputs. I don't have a time line on that sample yet, but it is bought and paid for, so maybe another week or so. I will post pics of that once I get it and test it. This product will be slightly more expensive at around US$54.95 if my understanding of the pricing is right from my vendor. I don't have a time line on production availability either since my order would have to be grouped with other orders to get the volume.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com
  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,706
    edited 2009-02-25 08:21
    Timothy,

    This is exciting. I'm really interested in that 3.5" with VGA input because I can drive it with either prop or embedded PC depending on application. And that indicated price of $55 is excellent.

    The specs I'm interested in are resolution (expecting QVGA 320x240), outline size, and backlighting requirements (LED/CCFL)

    I'll keep one eye on your site

    tubular
  • Mike HuseltonMike Huselton Posts: 746
    edited 2009-02-25 11:25
    Yes! Yes! Yes!

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    JMH
  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2009-02-25 13:29
    Alright, here it is - a web page with further pictures and ordering details for the 3.0" LCD and composite video driver board. www.brilldea.com/product_30LCDanddriver.html Also, here is a video of the display in action: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPI8n_5iM1Q

    The products can start shipping on March 2nd, maybe sooner. I have yet to receive the cable that goes with the display, but I hope that comes in the next day or two. If they arrive on Thursday, then we can start shipping on Friday February 27.

    I am starting to cook up my ideas on how to use this display for not only my Propeller projects but maybe a home web cam or CCTV display of some sorts.

    Small disclaimer - the details I have for the driver board claims to do both NTSC and PAL. I have only tested NTSC and haven't ventured into how to change the Propeller video demo code for PAL just yet.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com

    Post Edited (Timothy D. Swieter) : 2/25/2009 2:02:24 PM GMT
  • BaggersBaggers Posts: 3,019
    edited 2009-02-25 13:59
    Hi Tim,
    Video link isn't available, I'm guessing/hoping it's only just gone up and is still converting [noparse]:D[/noparse]
    also, Friday is 27th, not 25th [noparse]:D[/noparse] today is 25th.
    As for converting the graphics demo, just change the 0 ( usually tvparam to 1 from 0 )
    PS, put me down for one. ps, do you take pre-orders? or should I wait til you have everything ready?

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    http://www.propgfx.co.uk/forum/·home of the PropGFX Lite

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  • Timothy D. SwieterTimothy D. Swieter Posts: 1,613
    edited 2009-02-25 14:01
    Thanks Baggers - I edited my post with the right date. The video is still processing, I uploaded it and added the description, but boy this processing seems to take longer than videos in the past that I uploaded.

    As far as preorders, yes our site is open, the product is listed and you can place your order now. We will keep you notified on when the items will ship out.

    Oh - and I will try PAL tomorrow, time for bed now.

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    Timothy D. Swieter, E.I.
    www.brilldea.com - Prop Blade, LED Painter, RGB LEDs, uOLED-IOC, eProto for SunSPOT, BitScope
    www.tdswieter.com
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