GLCD recommendation

[stan cartwright]

I had a look for Macgman2000 but could not find a plug and play solution.

[Anobium]

Looking at the Great Cow BASIC now.

My assumption is that this is an UNO Shield as per GLCD discovery Controller : @reg(0xD3) ILI9486

---

1. In the Help page for the ILI9846 shows support for the UNO_8bit_Shield with this controller with the CONSTANT UNO_8bit_Shield

2. A quick search within the IDE for UNO_8bit_Shield. provides two demos:

..GreatCowBasic\demos\glcd_solutions\glcd_simple_demonstration_solutions\glcd_simple_demonstation_unoshield_mega328p_for_ili9486@16.gcb (7)
..\GreatCowBasic\demos\glcd_solutions\glcd_simple_demonstration_solutions\ili9486l_specific_coniguration_demonstrations\uno_8bit_shield.gcb (1)

---

I would recommend trying these demos to get the GLCD going.

Then, the TOUCH.... I am not convinced your GLCD has touch. The chips in the photo are both LED drivers and I do not see the SPI connection on the PIN OUT (see the bottom photo) to expose the TOUCH. Also, for TOUCH you would need a ADS7843 or the XPT2046 chips which I cannot see. They could be exposting the ADS7843 or the XPT2046 via a few of the 8-bit bus connections but we would need some of documentation, or, a two really good photos of the top and bottom.

[Anobium]

Also, regarding TOUCH.

The Touch GLCD are typically SPI not 8-bus in the UNO shield configuration.

So, a good GLCD is the SPI ILI9486 with SPI XPT2046. See https://sourceforge.net/p/gcbasic/discussion/629990/thread/bb41a278ad/ and the YouTube video at https://youtu.be/wN35LwRgOAQ?t=79 Look at the video it shows an UNO with GLCD. The GLCD has a single row of connections into an UNO shield, the video also show the SPI TOUCH sensor connections at the top of the GLCD.

Hope this helps.

[Macgman2000]

Hi @Anobium, Thanks for the info. I was able to use the Arduino IDE C Adafruit libraries for touch and 9486 driver. I have the display generating two buttons that are touch activated. So the wiring and display is working with resistive touch. I had to run a calibration program to first identify the input for the touch and the range. Once I got the map, I added it to the demo C code and it worked. I went into the code and centered everything, it was a crude demo. Now that it checks out, I will see what I can do with GCB. I might leave that display for dev work using Arduino IDE and get your suggested GLCD for GCB. I will be back I am sure, as I dive deeper into GCB, I just don't know when, in 2months I will be busy for the next 18 yrs hahahaha.

Thanks!
Nick

[Anobium]

Excellent stuff

So, take the XPT library. Set the GCB ports to the same as the UNO pins (using port addresses) and it should work.

[stan cartwright]

Peace and love Nick. Get your priorities right. I'm 66 with 5 grand kids and got the time to play with gadgets...
and I find it groovy when they work. all my own work and all that :)
Glad you proved the display touch works on arduino. It is an easy way of testing I guess.
There are many different souce arduino solutions for things like your display but your display only works on a uno cos of the pin outs. I mean plugs into a uno. No lots of wires.

if anobium had your display he would probably get it sorted for pic and avr.
I never got ILI9341 touch working as I said but it was needing 3.3V logic so the wiring got untidy just for the display let alone the touch pins which are also spi...I think.
I searched the forum and found a thread and seems I used a pic in the end cos it ran off 3.3V supply
but still no touch.

2 years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RnrodF9-LI

[Macgman2000]

Hi Stan,

The video is cool. I like it! Let me put some color on what I am doing. I appreciate the help, I should tell you more. I have a 4runner off roader that I bought last year (before Covid and before the baby) and had planned on setting it up for Amateur radio. I finally bought a cargo basket for the roof. I am building a rod with two end bearings that is trapped inside the rear of the basket horizontally. It is will be connected to a linear actuator that will rotate the rod 90degree from inside the vehicle. VHF and UHF ntennas will be mounted on this rod, using the basket as a giant groundplane. I am doing all this because my wife likes my SUV which is roomier than her Rav4. She goes places with underground garages and height limited shops and stuff. So I needed to make something easy to fold down antenna for her. So that is in a nutshell what i am doing with the touch display. I would eventually want to have a spinning icon or animated folding down graphic that is in sync with the rod position. Out door 9" stroke 150lbs static actuators are quite cheap ($60.00) with locking position. I will post pics as I finish stages. Thanks again!

Best Regards,
Nick

[stan cartwright]

er.. what's your 20 come back? 10-4.... that's radio for me...and you need a license...like everything in the UK. what the front door does super hetrodyne mean? just joking.
I got a mobile phone.... and the touch screen works :) live long and prosper etc. stan

ps ground plane...cars have rubber tyres but totally ignorant about the subject.

[stan cartwright]

Nick-Hope you get the time to try gcb again.... doubt it :)
Ok. thanks to Anobiums time to reply, I am going to retry touch on my ILI9341 displays.
been looking at the XPT2046.h. seems simple, the pins are there and a chip that seems connected...
and it was sold as a touch screen...BUT did not mention they were 3.3V logic.
So check the photo.
on the left is an ili9341 connected to logic converter...just display and wires to uno.
on the right is a 18f25k22 running at 3.3V ...and the "same" display.
If I use another logic converter for the touch on a uno then it will look like a birds nest :)
so maybe the pic option.... or use a 5V logic display like yours..that would be easier
but ebay don't mention tech details like that so what do I expect for a fiver

[Macgman2000]

Have you seen this serial display?
https://usa.banggood.com/Nextion-Enhanced-NX4832K035-3_5-Inch-HMI-Intelligent-Smart-USART-UART-Serial-Touch-Screen-TFT-LCD-Module-p-1188732.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

I think this may work better for my application. Less wires and bulk attaching it to the dash of my SUV. Have you played with this display?

[Anobium]

Looks like a clone. May work. May not.

There is a very good library for the Nextion that integrates very well with the Nextion IDE. Do a search on YouTube on my channel for 'Nextion'.

[stan cartwright]

The gcb nextion support works ok with my overpriced nextion display.
They are really weird to work with.
It would have to be a permanent project to justify price but nice to play with
and touch works ok.

I retried ILI9341 touch on uno and "get x,y changes" sometimes but something wrong.
Silly values on 320x240.
using a 3,3V logic display is messy... unless I use a pic at 3.3V supply but I hate using pics
and a uno at 3.3V is a new regulator and then running it at tolerence extremes.

ps As Anobium said "Looks like a clone. May work. May not."
this applies to all displays. I guess Anobium writes drivers for hardware he has to test with
and the display he used might not be the same as a user has.

[stan cartwright]

lots of your displays with different pinout for less than £10. might get one like yours.
some say colour when it means touch screen or not. touch is 90p more.
understanding the tech sheets for implementation with gcb is avove my abilities and thankfully anobium has done a great deal of work on what is genuine if it exists.
I hope you do not give up on gcb as it is good for me to program a uno easy.

if I could use c could be different but my 80's "computers"always ran basic as the os.
It's a fast basic compiler. the generated code is as fast as you prgrammed it to be

if I wanted to use arduino ide then code would need many includes often by different people
and making thing work is easier for me using gcb than c
I ored one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5-inch-TFT-LCD-Display-Arduino-Touch-Screen-Module-UNO-R3-Board-Plug-and-Play/174251475927?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200520130048%26meid%3Df94a7cd6d5594b399acadd202b30e1c3%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dlo%26sd%3D363019718312%26itm%3D174251475927%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV2bDemotion%26brand%3DUnbranded&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

[Macgman2000]

I am back. I bought a Nextion 7" touch display (basic model). This thing is very nice!
I noticed that this company has a Nextion Editor that allows you to create states, graphics and function blocks within the GLCD MCU/memory. Have you been able to communicate LCD MCU serial (bi-directionally) to an arduino UNO running GCB ? I guess I just want to know if anyone succeded with that. LOL. I am about to give it a try, are there any gotcha's I should watch for.

Nick

[Macgman2000]

Never mind LOL. I found Anobium's you tube video.

[stan cartwright]

I do not think you have used a nextion yet. LOL.
You got to figure how to use the nextion ide...lots of fun.
then program the display with a sd card or usb to ttl converter.
Good news is gcb seems to work with a setup on the nextion ide.
If you can learn the ide from youtube then should be ok for you
as it will be nice display for me when I get more experience of using the ide.
please let us know how you got on with nextion and gcb.
I have been reading old gcb forum posts about nextion for info.

[stan cartwright]

Before I used gcb,I used picaxe and some nextion NX3224T024_011 displays
but did not like the nextion gui.
The commands were like print "draw x,y". or serprint "command"...strange.
I can't think why I did not use them...apart from the cost.
I tried writing simple games in gcb using glcds and maybe found nextion to be too slow
compared to cheap spi glcd.
I have 2 nextions to play with so think I may revisit them.
Until the display you originally used arrives I gave up on touch with ili9341.

[Anobium]

And, look in the Help and the demos online/within your install.

I recommend that you install the latest release candidate as this has improved support for Nextion.

[stan cartwright]

Nick..I remembered why I didn't use nextions...they are complicated.
I would find a touch screen that I can check x,y press position easier to use.
I could design my own display and check touch positions.
I must admit I can not do guages graphics as good as nextion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axHTYdH9WW8&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_CZIEapRk4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riaFvlKl1kE

[stan cartwright]

Searching for your nextion demo saw the simple glcd demo and found it on git hub
and it works without using the nextion ide. cool.

Why do I need to remove nextion tx/rx to flash uno?

[Anobium]

Clever stuff. :-)

[stan cartwright]

All your work. Had to search a bit though to find the demo.

[stan cartwright]

I have to unplug the nextion tx/rx to program a uno and added a few lines to the glcd basic demo
and reconected tx/rx with uno powered.
here's the code. It did not GLCDCLS TFT_BLACK
it did when reset pressed.
just testing glcd with nextion. would using the ide be faster graphics like moving shapes and erasing or line drawing?

    GLCDCLS TFT_BLACK

    dim count as Byte
    do
      for count=1 to 119
        Circle( GLCD_WIDTH/2, GLCD_HEIGHT/2, count, TFT_WHITE )
      next
      for count=1 to 119
        Circle( GLCD_WIDTH/2, GLCD_HEIGHT/2, count, TFT_black )
      next
    loop
    GLCDLocateString_Nextion 1,1
    GLCDPrintDefaultFont_Nextion ( NextionFont0 )
    GLCDPrintString_Nextion ( "Great Cow BASIC " )
    GLCDLocateString_Nextion 130,1
    GLCDPrintStringLn_Nextion ( "v0.98.02" )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc5E2ndjptM

[stan cartwright]

from nextion data-how to save project to display
"Selecting Upload will launch an Open dialog to select a *.TFT file before the Upload to Nextion Device dialog. Ensure the Nextion is connected via serial (typically via USB to TTL adapter) before upload or the Port may not be available to select. Auto search feature will look for your Nextion’s reply to the connect instruction, but realize that data is being sent on all serial ports that are searched (and may interfere with the other connected serial devices). A better choice is to select the correct Port and Baud Rate. Proper configuration of Serial adapters, Windows drivers, device conflicts, etc is beyond the scope of Nextion support and remains the domain of user responsibility to know their used Operating System and devices.

Once Nextion has responded to the connect instruction, the upload process will begin. Do not interrupt this process until completed. If the process has been interrupted, resetting the serial port may be required. When a partial *.TFT file has been uploaded and uploading over serial is no longer an option, then the user will need to upload via the microSD method. Refer to Section 5 of this guide."

elseware it says use an sd card.

is this covered in the gcb youtube videos or in github?

the sd card option would be my favourite but does nextion boot from sd card?

nextion was covered in the forum over a year ago. I didn't get far with my displays then and only
searched and found them recently.
edit- found
4.1 Uploading using a microSD card
To upload via microSD card, first use the TFT file output under the File menu to generate your TFT file to your microSD card. You need to ensure that your microSD card is Windows formatted as FAT32, that there is only 1 *.tft file on the microSD card in the root folder, that the microSD card is less than 32GB in size (32GB microSD cards generally are), that the power to Nextion device is off when inserting and removing the microSD card, and that you allow time for any firmware updates to occur after powering your Nextion device back on. Note: not all microSD cards are designed for embedded use. example: Ultra High Speed microSD cards for use with high speed digital cameras. Not all manufacturers adhere to the same standards. It is a matter of finding microSD cards that work for you in a reliable manner. As an example, We have had good successes with Kingston 32GB class 10 HC microSD cards … there are many many others that work well.

It would seem silly to buy a nextion and only use gcb glcd so I suppose using the nextion ide
is needed fo a pretty display. Supposed to do graphs,dunno about a scope.
It's supposed to do stuff on it's own from a pic command.
I'll see if I can read raw x/y touch with gcb

[stan cartwright]

please,how can I get raw x,y...out of interest in gcb without using nextion gui?
https://github.com/Anobium/Great-Cow-BASIC-Demonstration-Sources/blob/master/GLCD_Solutions/GLCD_Nextion_Solutions/Nextion_GCB_Touch_Demo_Mega328p.gcb