Microchip Technology Graphics Quick Reference Guide
Quick Reference Guide
Graphics Quick Reference Guide
September 2011
www.microchip.com/graphics
Display Controller Solutions
−
Graphical Displays
Microchip offers varying levels of solutions to drive everything
from simple monochrome LCDs to full color WVGA user
interfaces.
Graphics support includes the following approaches:
■
PIC24F DA integrated graphics controller
■
PIC32 controllerless graphics
■
Support for PIC MCU with external graphics controllers
The silicon offering is complemented with powerful, free
and easy to use graphics library, display designer GUI and
hardware development kits with flexible interface to various
glass sizes.
Supported Screen Sizes and Colors
Microchip graphics solutions support various screen sizes
and colors ranging from small monochrome OLED displays up
to WVGA displays with vivid color. The table below shows the
bits per pixel required to represent color.
Display
Representation
Mono Black and White 1
Grayscale
Color
Color Examples
4 shades
16 shades
256 colors
65K colors
16 million colors
As the color depth and display resolution increase, the frame
buffer grows. Depending on the size, the frame buffer can
be stored in the microcontroller RAM, in external SRAM or
integrated into an external graphics controller.
Color Depth
(bits per pixel)
2
4
8
16
24
The table below shows examples of the frame buffer sizes
required for some popular resolution and color depths.
■
PIC24 DA family supports up to 96 KB on chip
■
PIC32 MCUs support up to 128 KB on chip
■
External SRAM can be used for larger frame buffers
■
For advanced graphics, external graphics controllers have
additional frame buffer storage
Display Resolution
Typical Sizes
WVGA 800x480 7˝ 48,000 96,000 384,000 768,000
VGA 640x480 5.7˝ 38,400 76,800 307,200 614,400
WQVGA 480x272 4.3˝ 16,320 32,640 130,560 261,120
QVGA 320x240 3.2˝ 9,600 19,200 76,800 153,600
Common
for
OLED
Internal SRAM on PIC24DA or PIC32 MCU External SRAM
128x64 1˝-2.7˝ 1,024 2,048 8,192 16,384
Memory Requirement in (bytes)
1 bpp
(Mono)
Color Depth/
2 bpp
(4 shades)
8 bpp
(256 colors)
16 bpp
(65K colors)
Target Applications
Applications that benefit from attractive and easy to use
graphical displays include:
Consumer: Thermostats, Cordless Phones, Remote Controls
Home Appliance: Coffee Makers, Washing Machines, Ovens
Industrial: Digital Instrument Gauges, Storage Controls,
Remote Terminals
Portable Medical: Glucometers, Blood-Pressure Monitors,
Portable ECGs
PIC24 DA Integrated
Graphics Controller
Display* WQVGA 480x272 WQVGA 480x272 WQVGA 480x272 WVGA 800x480
Graphics
Frame Buffer
Core MIPS 16 80 – –
Power Better Good Good Good
Cost $ $ $$ $$$
*Max size at 16 bpp, 60 Hz
HW Acceleration: Rectangles,
Characters, Images
Color Lookup Table +
96 KB on MCU + Ext SRAM
Controllerless Graphics
DMA on PIC32 + <5 MIPS
PIC32
128 KB on MCU +
Ext SRAM
External Solomon Systech
Graphics Controller SSD1926
HW Acceleration, SD card, I/F,
JPEG engine
256 KB on Solomon Systech
Controller
Graphics Controller S1D13517
External Epson
SDRAM, I/F, Alpha-blending,
Picture-in-picture
Ext SDRAM
2 Graphics Quick Reference Guide
Graphical Display Configurations
PIC24F with Integrated Graphics Controller:
Low Cost, Easy to Use
The PIC24F DA family makes it easy and cost-effective to
add advanced graphics to your application by eliminating the
need for external frame buffers or display controllers.
■
Dedicated graphics clock for a continuous, clean display
■
On-chip display controller provides direct interface to TFT,
STN and OLED displays
■
Easy to use Graphics Processing Units for hardware
acceleration
– Move and copy rectangles with smooth, fast memory
transfers
– Decompress images without CPU intervention
– Render text without CPU intervention
■
Color look-up table and 96 KB frame buffer to support
multiple colors
– Supports QVGA 8 bpp with internal frame buffer
– Supports WQVGA 16 bpp with external frame buffer
using PMP (Parallel Master Port)
With the hardware acceleration, this family is able to process
and render graphics without using any MCU MIPS. The
dedicated graphics engine is able to continuously drive a
display without being shared with any other function.
PIC32 Low Cost Controllerless Graphics:
32-bit Performance, Flexibility, Integration
Core
128 KB RAM
Frame Buffer
Microchip’s PIC32 line of 32-bit microcontrollers offers
80MIPS and high performance DMA to render graphics
directly to displays. This enables PIC32 devices to drive a
display without an external graphics controller.
■
Uses <5 MIPS and DMA to render graphics
– Direct interface to STN, TFT displays
■
Integrated 128 KB frame buffer
– Supports QVGA 8 bpp with internal frame buffer
– Supports WQVGA 16 bpp with external frame buffer
using PMP (Parallel Master Port)
■
Works with any PIC32 80 MIPS 32-bit microcontroller
With devices offering up to 512 KB Flash and 128 KBRAM,
developers have plenty of space for application code,
communications stacks and data buffering. In addition to
the graphics capabilities, PIC32 MCUs also have integrated
peripherals for USB, CAN, Ethernet and capacitive touch
sensing.
DMA
External Graphics Controller: PIC24 or PIC32
with Parallel Master Port (PMP)
PIC24 and PIC32 MCUs can also work with an external
graphics controller to support larger screen sizes or more
advanced graphical features.
The Solomon Systech SSD1926 Graphics Controller has
hardware graphics acceleration to free up the MIPS of the
PIC MCU. This controller includes a SD Card interface and
JPEG decode engine as well as 256 KB RAM. The Graphics
PICtail™ Plus SSD1926 Board (AC164127-5) includes serial
Flash for data storage and interfaces to either Explorer 16 or
PIC32 Starter Kits.
The Epson S1D13517 Graphics Controller includes alpha
blending, picture-in-picture and supports up to WVGA
(800x480) at 24 bpp. This controller has an SDRAM interface
for connection to low cost external memory. The Graphics
Controller PICtail Plus Epson S1D13517 Board (AC164127-7)
includes 128 Mb SDRAM frame buffer and 16Mb serial Flash
and interfaces to either Explorer 16 or PIC32 Starter Kits.
Graphics Quick Reference Guide 3
Graphics Librar y, Designer and App Notes
FREE Microchip Graphics Library
The Microchip Graphics Library is highly modular and is
optimized for Microchip’s 16- and 32-bit microcontrollers. It
is easy to use and has an open documented interface for
driver or controller support. The library supports the following
features:
■
Pre-made graphics objects
■
Multiple fonts and languages
■
User interface for mTouch™ sensing
■
Includes buttons, charts, check boxes, scroll bars, list
boxes, images and basic animation
FREE Microchip Graphics Display Designer
The Microchip
Graphics Display
Designer (GDD)
is a visual design
tool that provides
customers with a
quick and easy way
of creating Graphical
User Interface (GUI)
screens for graphical
interface applications
on Microchip MCUs.
It provides the following advantages to the developers:
■
Simplifies coding for the GUI screens with an ability to
draw, resize and delete screen objects
■
Eliminates the need to manually calculate the X/Y
coordinates for on-screen object placements
■
Generates output source files
■
Ability to import various graphical resources, including
custom fonts and bitmap images
Application Notes for Graphical Displays
■
How to Use Widgets in Microchip Graphics Library, AN1136
■
Fonts in the Microchip Graphics Library, AN1182
■
How to Create Widgets in Microchip Graphics Library, AN1246
■
Using a Keyboard with the Microchip Graphics Library,
AN1227
■
Developing Graphics Applications using MCU with
Integrated Controller, AN1368
■
Using PIC32 MCUs to Develop Low-Cost Controllers (LCC)
Graphics Solutions, AN1387
Development Tools for Graphical Display Controllers
Display Boards Supported
Family
PIC24 DA Family PIC24FJ256DA210 Board (DM240312) + Display Board 8 bpp or 30 Hz Yes
PIC32 LCC Graphics
PIC24 + Solomon Systech
SSD1926
PIC32 + Solomon Systech
SSD1926
PIC32 + Solomon Systech
SSD1926
PIC24 + Epson S1D13517 Explorer 16 (DM240001) + Epson GFX Board (AC164127-7) + Display Board Yes
PIC32 + Epson S1D13517
Note: Recommendations based on 16 bpp, 60 Hz performance on PIC MCU LCD Controller.
QVGA 3.2″ Graphics
Display Truly 240x320
Board (AC164127-4)
PIC32 Starter Kit (DM320001 or DM320003-2) +
LCC Graphics Board (AC164144) + Display Board
Explorer 16 (DM240001) + Solomon Systech GF X Board
(AC164127-5) + Display Board
PIC32 Starter Kit (DM320001
or DM320003-2) + Multimedia
Expansion Board (DM320005)
with Integrated Display
PIC32 Starter Kit (DM320001 or DM320003-2) +
Solomon Systech GFX Board (AC164127-5) + Display
Board
PIC32 Starter Kit (DM320001 or DM320003-2 or DM320004) + Epson GFX Board (AC164127-7) +
Display Board
WQVGA 4.3″ Graphics
Display Powertip 480x272
Board (AC164127-6)
VGA 5.7″ Graphics
Display Truly 640x480
Board (AC164127-8)
8 bpp or 30 Hz Yes
WVGA 7″ Graphics
Display Truly 800x480
Board (AC164127-9)
Prototype Boards
Connect Your Glass
(AC164139)
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
4 Graphics Quick Reference Guide
Tools for Designing Graphical Displays
Microchip Graphics Solutions
This table shows the out-of-the-box support for the following development boards and kits. With proper software and hardware
configuration compatibility of certain hardware combinations and other PIC devices can be achieved.
PIC32
Ethernet
Starter Kit
(DM320004)
–
PIC32 Starter Kit Based
Graphics LCD Controller PICtail™ Plus
SSD1926 Board (AC164127-5)
Graphics Controller PICtail™ Plus Epson
S1D13517 Board (AC164127-7)
Low-Cost Controllerless (LCC) Graphics
PICtail™ Plus Daughter Board
(AC164144)
Multi Media Expansion Board
(DM320005)
Development Boards
PIC24FJ256DA210 Development Board
(DM240312)
Graphics LCD Controller PICtail™ Plus
SSD1926 Board (AC164127-5)
Graphics Controller PICtail™ Plus Epson
S1D13517 Board (AC164127-7)
Low-Cost Controllerless (LCC) Graphics
PICtail™ Plus Daughter Board
(AC164144)
Stand Alone Development Boards
MPLAB® Star ter Kit for PIC24H MCUs
(DM240021)
MPLAB® Star ter Kit for PIC24F MCUs
(DM240011)
PIC24F PIMs
PIC32MX PIMs
PIC24EP & dsPIC33EP PIMs
PIC24H & dsPIC33F PIMs
PIC32
Starter Kit
(DM320001)
PIC32 USB
Starter Kit II
(DM320003-2)
+ +
+ +
Explorer 16 Development
Board (DM240001) +
Plug-In Modules (PIMs)
PIC24F PIMs
PIC32MX PIMs
PIC24EP & dsPIC33EP PIMs
PIC24H & dsPIC33F PIMs
PIC24F PIMs
PIC32MX PIMs
PIC24EP & dsPIC33EP PIMs
PIC24H & dsPIC33F PIMs
PIC24F PIMs
PIC32MX PIMs
PIC24EP & dsPIC33EP PIMs
PIC24H & dsPIC33F PIMs
Stand Alone Development Board with a built-in display.
Stand Alone Development Board with a built-in display.
PIC24FJ128GA010 PIM (MA240011)
PIC24FJ256GA110 PIM (MA240015)
PIC24FJ256GB110 PIM (MA240014)
PIC24FJ256GB210 PIM (MA240021)
PIC32MX360F512L PIM (MA320001)
PIC32MX460F512L PIM (MA320002)
PIC32MX795F512L PIM (MA320003)
dsPIC33EP512MU810 PIM (MA330025-1)
PIC24EP512GU810 (MA240025-1)
PIC24HJ128GP504 PIM (MA240016-2)
dsPIC33FJ128GP804 PIM (MA330019-2)
= Compatible (out of the box)
+ = Compatible (will need firmware modification)
– = Incompatible
Notes:
1. SSD1926 suppor ts up to WQVGA (480x272) displays.
2. Manually assemble chosen display panel to the protoyping board.
3. Run at 8 bpp with external memory.
4. 8 bpp or less using internal memory, 8 bpp or 16 bpp using external memory.
5. 8 bpp or 16 bpp with external memory.
PIC24E USB
Starter Kit
(DM240012)
dsPIC33E
USB
Starter Kit
(DM330012)
Graphics
Display Truly
″ 240x320
3.2
Board
(AC164127-4)
+ +
– – – – –
Graphics
Display Truly
3.2″ 240x320
Board
(AC164127-4)
(4)
+
+
+ + + + +
– – – – –
– –
+ + +
– – –
Graphics
Display
Powertip 4.3
480x272
Board
(AC164127-6)
Graphics
Display
Powertip 4.3
480x272
Board
(AC164127-6)
(5)
Graphics
Display Truly
″
″ 640x480
5.7
Board
(AC164127-8)
–
Graphics
Display Truly
″
″ 640x480
5.7
Board
(AC164127-8)
– –
– –
– –
– –
+
–
(1)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(3)
Graphics
Display Truly
″ 800x480
7
Board
(AC164127-9)
(1)
–
–
Graphics
Display Truly
″ 800x480
7
Board
(AC164127-9)
–
–
–
–
–
Graphics
Display
Prototype
Board
(AC164139)
(2)
(2)
(2)
Graphics
Display
Prototype
Board
(AC164139)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(2)
–
(2)
(2)
+
–
Graphics Quick Reference Guide 5
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