Datasheet

9
Microchip Human Interface Solutions
www.microchip.com/graphics
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
Application Notes & Documentation for
Graphical Displays
■ Fonts in the Microchip Graphics Library, AN1182
■ How to Use Widgets in Microchip Graphics Library, AN1136
■ How to Create Widgets in
Microchip Graphics Library , AN1246
■ Using a Keyboard with the
Microchip Graphics Library, AN1227
■ Developing Graphics Applications using an
MCU with Integrated Controller, AN1368
■ Using PIC32 MCUs to Develop Low-Cost
Controllerless (LCC) Graphics Solutions, AN1387
■ Graphics Quick Reference Guide, DS01394
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.
Graphical Display Configurations
PIC32 Low Cost Controllerless Graphics:
32-bit Performance, Flexibility, Integration
Microchip’s PIC32 line of 32-bit microcontrollers offers
80MIPS 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 RAM for frame buffering
• Supports QVGA 8 bpp with internal memory
• Supports WQVGA 16 bpp with external SRAM
using PMP (Parallel Master Port)
■ Works with any PIC32 80 MIPS 32-bit microcontroller
With devices offering up to 512 KB Flash and 128
KBRAM, 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.
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. Many external graphics
controllers are supported by the graphics library; a few that
we support with development tools are highlighted below.
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 64Mb serial Flash
and interfaces to either Explorer 16 or PIC32 Starter Kits.
DMA
128 KB RAM
Frame Buffer