We were kicking around some ideas today for low-performance embedded systems for quick and dirty solutions to simple tasks. We often throw a BasicX controller (http://www.basicx.com/) at such problems, which is fine until we need to communicate with the user; adding keypads, LCD displays, etc. is a bit of a PITA. So we started talking USB microcontrollers. Once you have a USB port, using USB keyboards, mice, 10-key keypads, etc. for input is a no brainer, but what of the display? A quick web search didn't turn up any obvious candidates. Then someone came up with the idea of using a USB electronic picture frame. Before I go out and buy a few models, has anyone worked with them before? Is this a stupid idea, or does it have potential? Thanks!
All USB & only USB
Started by ●October 9, 2007
Reply by ●October 9, 20072007-10-09
Anonymous Coward wrote:> We often throw a BasicX controller (http://www.basicx.com/) at > such problems, which is fine until we need to communicate with > the user; adding keypads, LCD displays, etc. is a PITA.Since that company shows a bunch of LCD products it doesn't seem like it should be such a PITA!> A quick web search didn't turn up any obvious candidates.I know, you can search forever and sometimes can't find what you want. How about this? http://www.crystalfontz.com/ USB and RS-232. Gary Peek, Industrologic, Inc.
Reply by ●October 9, 20072007-10-09
"Anonymous Coward" <uce@ftc.gov> skrev i meddelandet news:BcidnQGsgsBgGJba4p2dnAA@giganews.com...> > > > We were kicking around some ideas today for low-performance embedded > systems > for quick and dirty solutions to simple tasks. We often throw a BasicX > controller (http://www.basicx.com/) at such problems, which is fine until > we need to communicate with the user; adding keypads, LCD displays, etc. > is > a bit of a PITA. > > So we started talking USB microcontrollers. Once you have a USB port, > using > USB keyboards, mice, 10-key keypads, etc. for input is a no brainer, but > what > of the display? A quick web search didn't turn up any obvious candidates. > Then someone came up with the idea of using a USB electronic picture > frame. > Before I go out and buy a few models, has anyone worked with them before? > Is this a stupid idea, or does it have potential? > > Thanks! > >One thing to beware of, is that most "USB microcontroller" implement a USB device, and you can not connect two USB devices. You will need one of them to be a USB host. In some small micros you will find a USB OTG Minihost, which will allow you to connect to exactly one device. There are USB display processors coming. The AT91SAM9RL64 is designed to work as a dumb display, with the display frame beeing calculated in one device, then transmitted over high speed USB to an RL64 device which will do the display refresh. It can also handle HID, touchscreen and other protocols in parallel. I expect there will be people building USB (Q)VGA displays based on this circuit. -- Best Regards, Ulf Samuelsson This is intended to be my personal opinion which may, or may not be shared by my employer Atmel Nordic AB
Reply by ●October 9, 20072007-10-09
Anonymous Coward wrote:> So we started talking USB microcontrollers. Once you have a USB port, using > USB keyboards, mice, 10-key keypads, etc. for input is a no brainer, but what > of the display? A quick web search didn't turn up any obvious candidates. > Then someone came up with the idea of using a USB electronic picture frame. > Before I go out and buy a few models, has anyone worked with them before? > Is this a stupid idea, or does it have potential?these may help USB to LCD: http://www.dontronics-shop.com/Micro-LCD-p-1-c-263.html USB to VGA http://www.dontronics-shop.com/Micro-VGA-p-1-c-262.html USB to OLED: http://www.dontronics-shop.com/Micro-OLED-p-1-c-371.html -- Don McKenzie Affiliate Program: http://www.dontronics.com/affiliate Site Map: http://www.dontronics.com/sitemap E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.dontronics.com/email No More Damn Spam: http://www.wizard-of-oz.com Serial OLED uses standard micro-SD memory cards. http://www.dontronics-shop.com/product.php?productid=16659
Reply by ●October 10, 20072007-10-10
In article <BcidnQGsgsBgGJba4p2dnAA@giganews.com>, Anonymous Coward <uce@ftc.gov> wrote:> We were kicking around some ideas today for low-performance embedded systems > for quick and dirty solutions to simple tasks. We often throw a BasicX > controller (http://www.basicx.com/) at such problems, which is fine until > we need to communicate with the user; adding keypads, LCD displays, etc. is > a bit of a PITA. > > So we started talking USB microcontrollers. Once you have a USB port, using > USB keyboards, mice, 10-key keypads, etc. for input is a no brainer, but what > of the display? A quick web search didn't turn up any obvious candidates. > Then someone came up with the idea of using a USB electronic picture frame. > Before I go out and buy a few models, has anyone worked with them before? > Is this a stupid idea, or does it have potential?This may not be what you want for a 'low performance embedded system', but a 1280x1024 19" LCD monitor driven by USB for $379: http://arstechnica.com/journals/hardware.ars/2007/10/05/get-your-usb-on-with-samsungs-940ux-lcd-monitor -- David M. Palmer dmpalmer@email.com (formerly @clark.net, @ematic.com)
Reply by ●October 10, 20072007-10-10
Anonymous Coward wrote:> We were kicking around some ideas today for low-performance embedded systems > for quick and dirty solutions to simple tasks. We often throw a BasicX > controller (http://www.basicx.com/) at such problems, which is fine until > we need to communicate with the user; adding keypads, LCD displays, etc. is > a bit of a PITA. > > So we started talking USB microcontrollers. Once you have a USB port, using > USB keyboards, mice, 10-key keypads, etc. for input is a no brainer, but what > of the display? A quick web search didn't turn up any obvious candidates. > Then someone came up with the idea of using a USB electronic picture frame. > Before I go out and buy a few models, has anyone worked with them before? > Is this a stupid idea, or does it have potential?On the plus side, the volumes would mean small and cheap, on the minus side, they are designed as flash slide players, so the link from USB to LCD is not likely to be fast. If you want Text based readout, and easy-scale large character displays, then you could look at our Vga-232 http://www.designtools.co.nz/vga_232.htm With this, you would use something like FTDI's US232R-10 USB to RS232 Converter, 10cm (google that line, for a link) It acts like a terminal, so one byte Char, maps to 128 pixel font at x1 size, and more pixels at higher Scale values. That gives good bandwidth usage over the serial link. -jg
Reply by ●October 10, 20072007-10-10
David M. Palmer <dmpalmer@email.com> wrote:> In article <BcidnQGsgsBgGJba4p2dnAA@giganews.com>, Anonymous Coward <uce@ftc.gov> wrote: > >> We were kicking around some ideas today for low-performance embedded systems >> for quick and dirty solutions to simple tasks. We often throw a BasicX >> controller (http://www.basicx.com/) at such problems, which is fine until >> we need to communicate with the user; adding keypads, LCD displays, etc. is >> a bit of a PITA. >> >> So we started talking USB microcontrollers. Once you have a USB port, using >> USB keyboards, mice, 10-key keypads, etc. for input is a no brainer, but what >> of the display? A quick web search didn't turn up any obvious candidates. >> Then someone came up with the idea of using a USB electronic picture frame. >> Before I go out and buy a few models, has anyone worked with them before? >> Is this a stupid idea, or does it have potential? > > This may not be what you want for a 'low performance embedded system', > but a 1280x1024 19" LCD monitor driven by USB for $379: > http://arstechnica.com/journals/hardware.ars/2007/10/05/get-your-usb-on-with-samsungs-940ux-lcd-monitorRequires Windows drivers, unfortunately. It doesn't appear that Samsung or any of the consumer USB-to-VGA adapters are very interested in being driven by anything other than Windows or provide any programming information. If you're leaning towards that, though, outdated PII laptops are about free and a lot more programmable. Install Linux, write a daemon to monitor the USB device, and draw whatever you like on the screen. -- Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA
