Re: Micro to drive a TFT LCD

> I am looking to drive a 3.5" tft display similar to the one used in the
> following protoboard.
>
> LPC2478 DEVELOPMENT PROTOTYPE BOARD USB, CAN, RS232, ETHERNET, SD/MMC CARD
>
> We were considering using the lpc2478 for awhile with its dedicated lcd
> controller. But I was looking at the stm32 chips (107/8) and i am curious
> about how feasible it would be to drive the onboard HX8238 of the tft with
> the FSMC of the ST chip and some timing outputs for the HSYNC and VSYNC.
> Is a 24-bit (RGB) interface the best way (only way) to go for this? *Would
> prefer to use a 8 or even 16-bit interface if possible, it seems to be from
> the datasheet, but I am a bit fuzzy on the details. *We are not doing any
> sort of video, just data displaying some data with some minor graphics.
>
> I really like the flexibility of this line with the pin compatibility
> within the family, as well as the much lower price compared to the lpc
> chip. *I have very little experience with tft displays and don't want to
> waste all my time setting up the display if most of the work can be done
> with a dedicated peripheral.

The fastest path, and least expensive, is to you the Renesas Direct
Drive LCD reference design. It uses a Flash MCU, DMA, timers, and
external frame buffer to directy drive a TFT panel (3.5 to 10.4) The
panel doesn't require a controller, so you aren't locked into a
specific vendor and COG.

Check out the info posted here: Renesas Technology America - H8S/H8SX LCD Direct Drive Technology

--CG

-vinnie- wrote:

>
> The fastest path, and least expensive, is to you the Renesas Direct
> Drive LCD reference design. It uses a Flash MCU, DMA, timers, and
> external frame buffer to directy drive a TFT panel (3.5 to 10.4) The
> panel doesn't require a controller, so you aren't locked into a
> specific vendor and COG.
>
> Check out the info posted here: http://america.renesas.com/h8lcd
>

That's the coolest idea for an lcd driver i've seen for some time,
though with the price of some micros being what they are, you could
dedicate a separate micro for the lcd controller, perhaps using internal
ram, and still be in pocket compared to stuff like the epson
controllers. More programmability as well...

Interesting times indeed...

Regards,

Chris