How to use a PHCC to output to a LCD. (Thinking DED...)

[jrsteensen]

Hey there! I was curious if and how you could output to an LCD screen for the DED? Right now Im just getting started and my minimum starting point is getting the MFDs with Bezels and Buttons, ICP, and DED going. Next would be the RWR, and after that...its panel/instrument time! (Though Im still considering a glass screen with bezels overlaid for the instruments...or gutting a few HMMWV gauges from a couple spare HMMWV Dashboards for the right console gauges and the ASI and ALT gauges.) (Why do I always try to spell gauge as gauge?)

John

[AiRdAncE]

(Why do I always try to spell gauge as gauge?)

I seem to have that same problem

[Crease-Guard]

Dude, I do this ALL the time.  AD, you should implement an auto changer that will correct gauge to gauge...or is it the other way around 

Jay

[AiRdAncE]

Dude, I do this ALL the time.  AD, you should implement an auto changer that will correct gauge to gauge...or is it the other way around 

Jay

Damn Jay, you're a brilliant genius ! Autochanger implemented

[jrsteensen]

Guage "G U A G E"

Sorry, had to try it.

Anyways, back on topic, What do I need to make this work?

[Ghost]

There is a duaghterboard design and firmware to connenct a Alphanumeric LCD to the motherboard. However for a DED you would require a graphic LCD which require more TTL level outputs. You can drive a graphic LCD from the Alphanumeric LCD hardware design but you can connect less LCDs then.
Also a firmware change would be neccessary, but I'm willing to take a look at that.

Next to that the designer of the PHCC system, Manuel Bessler, has designed USB hardware called UPHCC which will alow you to control graphical LCDs directly. However this is still in a test and development state. I have one at home and it is not working yet.
http://uphcc.varxec.net/wiki/Main_Page

[Nikolas_A]

There's another way: Since the displays we've found that are right for the DED and PFL are graphic displays but they only display text, we could make an intermediate board which will conect to the text lcd daughterboard and have the font hardcoded. It would accept a text input and output the graphic content to the display. Any of you electronics wizzards want to take this up?

[mbessler]

There's another way: Since the displays we've found that are right for the DED and PFL are graphic displays but they only display text, we could make an intermediate board which will conect to the text lcd daughterboard and have the font hardcoded. It would accept a text input and output the graphic content to the display. Any of you electronics wizzards want to take this up?

I'm not raising my hand, but... there's no need for hardware. Makes it much more complicated, expensive, and take too long to develop. The firmware could do that instead. Not really a big deal. Just code a character generator and have the display pixels mapped to bits in a RAM memory region. Then only send updates where changes happened.
Of course, the character generator needs some RAM or better ROM(Flash/EEPROM). Depending on the type of PIC microcontroller, there's probably enough space for that.

Manuel

[Ghost]

The firmware could do that instead.

I'll do it!  just need the hardware schematics and layouts.

[mbessler]

The firmware could do that instead.

I'll do it!  just need the hardware schematics and layouts.

If you are talking about the DOA-bus based LCD daughterboard, that one was designed with character LCDs in mind (aka. PHCC_DOA_char_lcd). The graphical LCDs need more pins, thus don't just fit there. While you could reduce the board to drive 4 graphical dot matrix LCDs instead of 8 character dot matrix LCDs, you'd still have to deal with the many different ways Vee LCD drive voltages work on different modules.

If you are talking about the UPHCC-lcd, then the designs are online (but you most likely know this already). Here I've tried to be as flexible as possible with different Vee drive voltage handling, and I have included facilities for LED backlight driving.

[idekkers]

Eyal and me have these boards too (UPHCC), and if eyal managed before his vacation he ordered the LCD's, so i imagine when he gets back, eyal will probably work on this and i will help him test.

Ido