Help selecting correct character LCD to purchase

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linuxdude
LCD?
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 1:53 pm

Help selecting correct character LCD to purchase

Post by linuxdude »

I'm looking to purchase an LCD to test, and eventially add to my line of embedded server products.

Our requirements are as follows:
----------------------------------------------
- Character LCD
- 16(or 20) x 4
- White background with Blue lettering
(or white lettering with blue background)
- Backlighted
- Cost < $50 (US dollars)
- Software: Linux (can write ourself, but would rather not)
- Parallel interface or serial interface.

We are currently leaning toward the parallel interface type because it seems to cost about half as much as the serial type.

Does anybody have any advice on models, software, and connection schematics.

Thanks in advance for any help you can lend,
---Dean.

Jon
Matrix Orbital
Matrix Orbital
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2005 10:38 am
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada
Contact:

Post by Jon »

Our MOS display's might be exactly what your looking for in that price range. They use the serial interface so installing them under the linux OS should be a snap.

Although you may also want to consider the LK162-12 it is a fully featured 16x2 alphanumeric display that would allow you much more flexibility in a similar price range and is also compatible with a linux OS. You may check out the manuals on our Support Site.

Serial displays offer many benifits over parallel displays. A parallel display is basically a bare bones display that requires complex communication libraries. The serial displays however provide an intuitve command structure that will allow you to simply send ASCII text to the display, as well you will be able to create bar graphs and custom characters by sending a command numbers followed by the applicable parameters.

linuxdude
LCD?
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 1:53 pm

Post by linuxdude »

Thank you for the quick response and help.

These displays do look great...serial sounds like the best way to go.

However, I don't see any of your MOS displays in a 4 line model.
Basically the "MOP-AL204A-BBTW" model looks great, however in a serial model.
Am I missing them? Or maybe it's just a character set thing and I'm not understanding how that works? I would greatly appreciate it if you could explain just a bit more to me as I'm really a linux software guy and just learning about the hardware side of things.

Also, do you supply the software? Is it open source, closed source?
Is it OK if I use it in a commercial project that I'm going to sell?

Also, what is "LCDC" that I keep seeing mentioned on this site?

Thanks again for you help,
---Dean.

Jon
Matrix Orbital
Matrix Orbital
Posts: 231
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2005 10:38 am
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada
Contact:

Post by Jon »

For a four line serial LCD display we have the options of the LCD2041, or the LK204-25. Both of them come in either yellow/green, Grey/white, inverse yellow, inverse red and white/blue.

The LCD2041 can be considered the base model. It uses the same command structure as the LK204-25, however it has no keypad interface and three general purpose outputs compared to six. A general purpose output is what is commonly refered to as a GPO. GPOs supply 5V 20mA of current and are commonly used to power LEDs, such as our LED indicator bus. These GPO's are software controlled by the display module. For example if you take a look at the LK204-25 manual you will find the commands to turn an individual GPO on or off beginning on page 33.

In order to send a command to any of our serial display modules you may simply connect them to the com port of your computer and then write a message to the port. The commands are listed in the manual of the particular display that you choose to use. If you simply wish for your display to show text you may send straight text such as "HELLO WORLD".

We supply testing software for all of our serial displays which will run under the windows operating system. This software, uProject for alphanumeric and MOGD# for Graphic displays, is designed to allow you to test the functions and features of your display. Such as changing the contrast and brightness.

LCDC is shipped with our MX package display's. It contains plugins for many popular programs on the windows platform (such as winamp) that will allow you to display real time updated data on your display such as the current song that is playing, the current time or RSS feeds. MX display's are the USB models which feature a 1-wire interface which will allow you to connect temperature probes to the display, and then monitor your computer temp through LCDC. MX display's also feature advanced GPO's that allow connnecting devices such as fans, and controlling them either with commands or through LCDC.

Also you are more than welcome to use our display's in commercial applications. Our display's are used in OEM applications world wide (and in outer space for that matter).

Sorry for the lengthy post, if you need me to distill any of it down let me know.

--
Jon

Nick
Matrix Orbital
Matrix Orbital
Posts: 198
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 7:46 am
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Contact:

Re: Help selecting correct character LCD to purchase

Post by Nick »

linuxdude wrote:I'm looking to purchase an LCD to test, and eventially add to my line of embedded server products.

Our requirements are as follows:
----------------------------------------------
- Character LCD
- 16(or 20) x 4
- White background with Blue lettering
(or white lettering with blue background)
- Backlighted
- Cost < $50 (US dollars)
- Software: Linux (can write ourself, but would rather not)
- Parallel interface or serial interface.

We are currently leaning toward the parallel interface type because it seems to cost about half as much as the serial type.

Does anybody have any advice on models, software, and connection schematics.

Thanks in advance for any help you can lend,
---Dean.
Jon has seemed to answered everything here. I would recommend spending the extra costs to get one of our intelligent series displays. Incredible value for what you pay.

If you have more questions please don't hesitate to shoot me an email. nhesson@matrixorbital.ca

Regards,
Nick Hesson
Sales Rep.
Matrix Orbital

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