Some GLCD's allow the overlaying of a touch screen system. So there should be a menue displayed on the GLCD. Is it necessary to "draw" this menue with the GCB instructions, or is there a way to use a predefined bitmap of the same size as the display ?
Last edit: Bertrand BAROTH 2022-07-06
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Nextion. Does have its own software to design and then you use the Great Cow BASIC library to communicate to the Nextion. It has the best menu options as these are controlled by the Next ion. I did videos on this a few years ago.
The GLCD calculator shows how you can use Gteat Cow BASIC primitive methods to paint buttons on screen.
Both GLCD methods work. What outcome are you looking for?
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Do not have the Nextion experience. From a bare hardware standpoint all a bit tedious but rewarding to go from bmp to glcd. I have a project in the demo section for an SD card, take what you will from that. Lots of extra uneeded steps though, because it goes from an interpreting 565 bmp csv file on the SD to buffer to GLCD print. A loooong slow process for a large full screen!
Perhaps a standard, yet custom, bmp button table could be created for 1/8, 1/16 (or?) of the screen size with the appropriate locate to print . Then GLCD print the alpha chars afterwards for the full menu effect? Not thinking clearly right now, SRAM could be an issue.
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GLCD support automatic conversation of BMP to table data, which can be loaded into SRAM (SRAM is supported). There are many demos on BMP and partial BMP are in the demo folders.
I have also written and published compression converter to store BMP in a compressed form.
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Thanks, good to know. about bmp to table. If there is enough SRAM to cover the table size plus extra for program, then that would work really well. I do not have a good feel for how fast multiple large sets of table reads would go?
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I downloaded and tested their configuration tool ; the only thing I could do was creating a picture object, but was unable to associate a bitmap file ! However I worked several years with Delphi. The only thing I would say is that the software lacks seriously of ergonomics ....
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Nextions are a pain needing their gui/de to set them up before you can use gcb to do glcd drawing.
My latest project is rpi pico running mmbasic and it's ili9341 capability's compared to gcb's for the same display. The ili9341 touch is not good. I can't even get it to work with the rpipico mmbasic.
at least ili9341 has sprites for detail but the rest is boxes.
Don't get a nextion imho and experience and what they cost.
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All the way, I had various crashes ... The first time I succeeded in installing the editor together with the runtime (oh miracle ! ), and it crashed (hanged up) when I clicked on the "+" sign to add a bitmap, I had to leave via the task manager ; then I "ghosted" (a fine thing to get a clean system ! ) via the reinstall function my whole Windows and tried to reinstall Nextion and the runtime ; despite of the fact I installed the runtime it wrote that the runtime was not present. Bye Nextion ...
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So, it is the ILI9341 with the XPT Touch. Is there another choice?
The next choice is the chip. You need RAM and lots of it, and, high frequency. I would recommend the LGT as it is fastest 8bit Great Cow BASIC supports.
Then, there is the choice of GLCD bus. Choose an 8-bit bus as this is the fastest. SPI works well but is a tad slower.
Lots of design choices to be made.
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The ILI9481 only because it is the one I know. Really fast 16bit data bus available, but I don't think they sell the touch screen with that model? Lots of wires :-)
The Mega board with the AVR mega2560 has lots of everything, but no DMA.
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No! buttons take ports :) a glcd with a good touch would be nicer...imho
Anobium has done much work with ili9341 but it seems most have a poor resistive overlay.
Nextions are better but it's using their gui is another thing you got to do before it's usable with gcb and then there's the new commands to learn.
As I said I'm trying a rpipico with mmbasic and it's still considered a micro controller but high spec .
The LGT328 is the fastest gcb micro controller and impressive with ili9341 spi... ie fast.
it's touch has been modified by anobium so you can use hardware spi for graphics and use software spi for the touch. works
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I must add that :
- First : I have enough pin connections available for buttons on my application.
- Second : one must take care of the fact that some displays (DOG's by Electronic Assembly, Reichelt of Germany, overlay touch pads are available for them) use 3.3 V, so level converters are necessary with standard AVR's.
- Third, for comfortable working, a display with at least 3" diagonal is necessary (I need 7 contact pads, one line of 4 and one of 3) and it should be put into a housing where the user looks at it perpendicularly ; and such a housing would best be 3D-printed (at Shapeways).
Now calculate the complete bill ... As I wrote, finally I prefer mechanical switches ! On the other side, the ILI9341 could be interesting and it is rather cheap, but I saw some "3.3 V", too !
:(
Last edit: Bertrand BAROTH 2022-07-08
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But it's a 3.3 V system ... and I don't really understand the display data format ! And I am afraid that the AVR memory would certainly be too small for background image data.
Last edit: Bertrand BAROTH 2022-07-08
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It is a HX8238D IC ... there is no library support.
Looks like SPI but from my scan of the datasheet this not similar to an existing library. We have one other Himax GLCD but that is 8 bit and uses a very different set of registers.
HX8238D looks like a good GLCD ( with no Great Cow BASIC support). Does it come with Touch ?
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Maybe this could be interesting, too. One could use a static, translucent PRINTED background image showing the "buttons" , with some Leds in the rear for feedback ...
Last edit: Bertrand BAROTH 2022-07-08
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Some GLCD's allow the overlaying of a touch screen system. So there should be a menue displayed on the GLCD. Is it necessary to "draw" this menue with the GCB instructions, or is there a way to use a predefined bitmap of the same size as the display ?
Last edit: Bertrand BAROTH 2022-07-06
See the GLCD calculator touch demo. It uses public methods to create buttons. I think there are YouTube videos for this also.
Other menus would need developing. All very easy but doable with the published methods..
Your choice of GLCD. is limited. it is a critical design choice. Use the Nextion solutions for the best results.
Thanks, it seems that there is a dedicated software by Nextion to design the user interface ...
Nextion. Does have its own software to design and then you use the Great Cow BASIC library to communicate to the Nextion. It has the best menu options as these are controlled by the Next ion. I did videos on this a few years ago.
The GLCD calculator shows how you can use Gteat Cow BASIC primitive methods to paint buttons on screen.
Both GLCD methods work. What outcome are you looking for?
Do not have the Nextion experience. From a bare hardware standpoint all a bit tedious but rewarding to go from bmp to glcd. I have a project in the demo section for an SD card, take what you will from that. Lots of extra uneeded steps though, because it goes from an interpreting 565 bmp csv file on the SD to buffer to GLCD print. A loooong slow process for a large full screen!
Perhaps a standard, yet custom, bmp button table could be created for 1/8, 1/16 (or?) of the screen size with the appropriate locate to print . Then GLCD print the alpha chars afterwards for the full menu effect? Not thinking clearly right now, SRAM could be an issue.
GLCD support automatic conversation of BMP to table data, which can be loaded into SRAM (SRAM is supported). There are many demos on BMP and partial BMP are in the demo folders.
I have also written and published compression converter to store BMP in a compressed form.
Thanks, good to know. about bmp to table. If there is enough SRAM to cover the table size plus extra for program, then that would work really well. I do not have a good feel for how fast multiple large sets of table reads would go?
RAM and SRAM with a Q43 would be fast using DMA.
Nextion would be seamless.
Last edit: Anobium 2022-07-06
I need to try some DMA, I know there was a big thread on that a while ago.
Yes do. They demos really do show what can be done.
I downloaded and tested their configuration tool ; the only thing I could do was creating a picture object, but was unable to associate a bitmap file ! However I worked several years with Delphi. The only thing I would say is that the software lacks seriously of ergonomics ....
Yes, no the best interface.
Watch my videos - these will help you. They explain the interface and the Great Cow BASIC methods in the Nextion library.
Nextions are a pain needing their gui/de to set them up before you can use gcb to do glcd drawing.
My latest project is rpi pico running mmbasic and it's ili9341 capability's compared to gcb's for the same display. The ili9341 touch is not good. I can't even get it to work with the rpipico mmbasic.
at least ili9341 has sprites for detail but the rest is boxes.
Don't get a nextion imho and experience and what they cost.
All the way, I had various crashes ... The first time I succeeded in installing the editor together with the runtime (oh miracle ! ), and it crashed (hanged up) when I clicked on the "+" sign to add a bitmap, I had to leave via the task manager ; then I "ghosted" (a fine thing to get a clean system ! ) via the reinstall function my whole Windows and tried to reinstall Nextion and the runtime ; despite of the fact I installed the runtime it wrote that the runtime was not present. Bye Nextion ...
OK. Nextion is out.
So, it is the ILI9341 with the XPT Touch. Is there another choice?
The next choice is the chip. You need RAM and lots of it, and, high frequency. I would recommend the LGT as it is fastest 8bit Great Cow BASIC supports.
Then, there is the choice of GLCD bus. Choose an 8-bit bus as this is the fastest. SPI works well but is a tad slower.
Lots of design choices to be made.
The ILI9481 only because it is the one I know. Really fast 16bit data bus available, but I don't think they sell the touch screen with that model? Lots of wires :-)
The Mega board with the AVR mega2560 has lots of everything, but no DMA.
Pushbuttons and mechanical switches are simpler, easier to use, and finally ... cheaper ! Stop gaseous plants ...
:)
No! buttons take ports :) a glcd with a good touch would be nicer...imho
Anobium has done much work with ili9341 but it seems most have a poor resistive overlay.
Nextions are better but it's using their gui is another thing you got to do before it's usable with gcb and then there's the new commands to learn.
As I said I'm trying a rpipico with mmbasic and it's still considered a micro controller but high spec .
The LGT328 is the fastest gcb micro controller and impressive with ili9341 spi... ie fast.
it's touch has been modified by anobium so you can use hardware spi for graphics and use software spi for the touch. works
I must add that :
- First : I have enough pin connections available for buttons on my application.
- Second : one must take care of the fact that some displays (DOG's by Electronic Assembly, Reichelt of Germany, overlay touch pads are available for them) use 3.3 V, so level converters are necessary with standard AVR's.
- Third, for comfortable working, a display with at least 3" diagonal is necessary (I need 7 contact pads, one line of 4 and one of 3) and it should be put into a housing where the user looks at it perpendicularly ; and such a housing would best be 3D-printed (at Shapeways).
Now calculate the complete bill ... As I wrote, finally I prefer mechanical switches ! On the other side, the ILI9341 could be interesting and it is rather cheap, but I saw some "3.3 V", too !
:(
Last edit: Bertrand BAROTH 2022-07-08
Let me know if you find a 3inch Touch screen. As I am not sure of which part this is.
I wrote : «AT LEAST» 3" ! Look here.
But it's a 3.3 V system ... and I don't really understand the display data format ! And I am afraid that the AVR memory would certainly be too small for background image data.
Last edit: Bertrand BAROTH 2022-07-08
It is a HX8238D IC ... there is no library support.
Looks like SPI but from my scan of the datasheet this not similar to an existing library. We have one other Himax GLCD but that is 8 bit and uses a very different set of registers.
HX8238D looks like a good GLCD ( with no Great Cow BASIC support). Does it come with Touch ?
Maybe this could be interesting, too. One could use a static, translucent PRINTED background image showing the "buttons" , with some Leds in the rear for feedback ...
Last edit: Bertrand BAROTH 2022-07-08
Yes, the PCAP displays are ok, pricing with the controller board my by high. What is the cost?
Check. The low level datasheet is published? I think these interface to a PC via the USB driver interface.
They are resistive, so simply two analog inputs of the AVR could perhaps be used ...