Overview of 2013

ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY’s ePaper displays provide customized displays for industry application in the medical engineering, aviation and automotive electronics industries as well as the “Internet of Things.” Supplied up to a maximum size of 300x300mm (LxW), the design of the black/white segments is based on the customer’s own specifications (i.e. simple sketches or technical drawings).
The high-contrast displays, which are extremely easy to read even in sunlight and without additional lighting, are supplied with I2C controller included. These are available for 36, 90 and 120 segments. The ePaper display functions without power, i.e. the segments remain permanently visible even without any operating voltage. Energy is only required to change over the segments. This makes the displays ideal for battery operation, for wireless loading and for harvesting energy. The electric interface is I2C and the power supply 3.3 V. The cable connection is likewise designed to customer specifications. These cutting-edge displays are also available in flexible form.  ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY supplies its ePaper displays within 60 days in minimum order quantities of approx. 1,000 pcs.  ePaper is based on Joseph Jacobson’s technology, which has been in use since 1990 and involves white and black particles suspended in a transparent viscous polymer which in turn are embedded in microcapsules of different sizes. The microcapsules are aligned by briefly applying an electric field that can then be turned off. Due to the viscosity of the polymer,  ePaper is able to store its content for many years – without further power consumption.

The EA DOGM240-6 is a new graphics display from  ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY. It is available immediately as a complete package featuring high-contrast super-twist technology (STN and FSTN). Also a backlight can be supplied, the same as for a touch panel, and a USB test board can be ordered as an optional accessory. The display comes with the UC1611s controller and a built-in graphics RAM. There are 3 different LED backlights to choose from (white, amber and 2-color red/green). The display can be ordered with a white, black, blue or super -white reflective background. It runs on a standard 2.7V to 3.3V supply at temperatures between -20 and +70°C. Current consumption is typically  500µA. 3-wire and 4-wire SPI and I2C bus serial ports are available.
The long, compact display (94x40mm external dimensions) is ideal for installation on 19” systems with 1 RU or more. A simulator which runs under Windows is available as a download on the website (keyword “DOG Simulator”). It can be used to simulate all of the displays and colors without any hardware, making it very easy to view user-defined images and text that will appear on the display.
When the EA 9780-3USB test board is connected to the PC USB port, users can get an immediate impression of the display’s contrast, viewing angle and brightness.   Absolutely no software skills are needed and the display is automatically powered from the UBS port.

The EA DOG range from  ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY is the world’s first display series which runs on 3.3V without auxiliary voltage. The latest model in this extensive product family, which includes 1x8, 2x16, 3x16 character versions, is the first to offer a 4x20 character display. The EA DOGM204-A is extremely compact (66x40mm) and features a standard 4.8mm font size. 3 different technologies (STN and FSTN) are available as standard options. In contrast to conventional LCD modules, the display and backlighting are supplied separately. Backlighting is available in white, amber and green/red, and users have a choice of many combinations. This state-of-the-art LCD series is designed for handheld devices with and without backlighting, and it offers a number of outstanding features:

- Super-low profile, 2. 0mm without backlighting or 5. 8mm with LED backlighting
- 4-bit, 8-bit, SPI (4-wire) and I²C (2-wire) interface at the SSD1803A controller
- Typical current consumption only 250µA during normal operation (white LED backlighting 3mA to 80mA at 3. 3V)
- Easy soldering for simple mounting
- Operating temperature range -20 +70°C

In addition, a wide range of design variations can be supplied from quantities starting at 1; the standard version has 3 different Cyrillic, English, Japanese and European character sets  built in. 2 mounting orientations are supported (6 o’clock and 12 o’clock). With monochrome backlighting, 3 separate LED paths which can be connected in series or parallel are provided for optimal matching between the display configuration and the system voltage. As a result, all backlighting units will run alternatively on 5V and some directly on 3.3V.

Suppliers of displays used in medical electronics must ensure that the devices meet the stringent requirements in this market segment. The most important consideration is reliability followed by the duration of innovation cycles which is considerably different compared with markets such as consumer electronics. Long-term availability is critical for components which are used in medical equipment. ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY has filled this need for many years and has now introduced a new EA DOG series display for medical applications.
The 128x64 pixel EA DOGL128 graphics display is a new addition to the product line. 7 different LED background lighting options are available. The combination of backlighting variations and 5 different display technologies (STN transmissive and reflective, STN blue, FSTN positive and negative) gives users up to 20 possible designs to choose from. All feature high brightness and contrast. Designed for use in compact, handheld devices for medical electronics applications, etc., the state-of-the-art LCD product family with and without backlighting has a number of other advantages:

- Extremely compact design, 68x51mm with a 64x36mm viewing area
- Super -flat, 2. 8mm without backlighting, 6. 5mm with LED backlighting
- 3.  0V to 3. 3V single -supply power input
- Typical power consumption only  320µA while fully operating (white LED backlighting as low as  5mA)
- Serial SPI interface (4-wire)
- Fast and easy mounting, pins soldered on PCB

The backlighting color can be selected. 7 different backlighting options are available: White, yellow/green, green, blue, red, amber and a full-color version. All are extremely bright for excellent readability and have low power consumption. The EA DOGL128-6 modules will also operate with the EA TOUCH128-2. The 4-wire resistive touch panel has a self-adhesive backing and can be mounted directly onto the display. ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY recommends a display with backlighting to ensure good readability when the touch panel is used. The various design options are available from stock in quantities of 1 or more, and availability is guaranteed for up to 10 years. An easy to use USB evaluation kit , EA 9780-3USB, is available to support application development.  ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY developed the kit to speed up commissioning and help users familiarize themselves with the EA DOG displays. Displays are also available in other sizes and dimensions: 4 text versions (1x8 to 4x20 characters) and 7 graphics versions (1.7 to 3.9 inches).

All colors of the RGB spectrum can be used in background illumination modules for the  LCDs of ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY’s DOG line. This line of products for industrial applications encompasses  5 graphics displays and 3 text displays, which can be combined with up to 7 background illumination modules. An RGB background illumination module makes it possible to set any shade of color (including white) by mixing the primary colors red, green and blue.

The 5 graphics displays of the DOG line offer a resolution of 102x64 to 160x104 pixels. The 3 text displays can show 2 or 3 lines of text at 16 characters per line, or a single line with up to 8 characters. An especially unique feature of this product line is that the display is functionally separated from the background illumination module used. Display and illumination modules can be combined in a variety of ways to accommodate almost every design requirement. Modules are also available in white, yellow/green, blue, red and amber in addition to the RGB illumination module and its rainbow of colors offered. 

Communication with the outside world takes place via a fast SPI interface with a processing speed of up to 20MHz. Windows -compatible simulation software that can be downloaded from the  website free of charge allows users to conveniently create and test how information should be displayed. A test board is also available for connecting to the USB port of a PC, and additional character sets are offered on a data medium. Analog touch panels can likewise be ordered for the graphics displays. 

Designed to be installed in all types of machine, device and system, the displays are very flat and are not thicker than 6.5 millimeters with the illumination unit or 2 millimeters without. The display units can also be used in battery-powered and mobile devices thanks to their low energy consumption. A further highlight of the DOG displays is the ease with which they are integrated in the production process, since they can be soldered directly to the circuit board without any additional assembly. 

The DOG displays come with a single voltage source of 3. 3V, while the text displays  run with a 3.3V or  5V source. Capable of operating from -20  to +70 °C, the display modules can be used in the majority of industrial application environments. Large and small orders of 1 or more units can be placed for the DOG series from ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY.

The intelligent EA eDIPTFT57-A  display from  ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY is the ideal candidate for implementing interactive controls in mechanical engineering or industrial electronics applications. The screen, which measures 5.7” in the diagonal and has LED background illumination, offers a crisp, colorful resolution of   640x480 pixels. Its most important feature, however, is the built-in intelligence that greatly facilitates developers who want to integrate the display modules in their applications. The device also provides acoustic feedback in addition to outputting information on screen, thanks to the integrated sound module that can play start-up tones, confirm keyboard inputs and issue warning messages. A virtual on-screen keyboard rounds off the list of convenient features of the EA eDIPTFT57-A. 

The intelligence of the display unit makes it easy to program interactive user interfaces. In conjunction with the optional touch panel, developers can create a virtual keyboard in just a few steps. Keyboard inputs are processed directly on the display in an “edit box.” This allows operators to use standard text formatting commands without placing a large workload on the programmer. 

A high-level language macro programming facility is an important aspect of the integrated intelligence of this display and represents an elegant way of developing applications. Lines, bar charts and areas can be defined using a single command and displayed on screen. Developers can also quickly and conveniently define and activate the appearance, size, arrangement and function of keys and buttons. This dramatically boosts the productivity of application development and slashes the time that elapses from the moment an order is placed to the day the project is completed.

The EA eDIPTFT57-A offers many additional features that facilitate programming so that complex content can also be displayed with ease. Application developers can save fonts, images, animation sequences and function macros in an integrated flash memory. 8 fonts are supplied and can be scaled and varied as required. TrueType fonts, which are commonplace in the PC world, are easily imported. 

A programming library contains a variety of predefined, virtual rotary and pointer instruments that can be used to output analog readings, for example. Macro pages and string tables help to design content in multiple languages – an important feature for companies looking to adapt their products for foreign markets. 

An evaluation kit is the perfect way to familiarize yourself with the EA eDIPTFT57-A and can be connected to any PC via a USB interface. A straightforward and very versatile editor that is installed on the PC is used to develop all graphics. 

Integrating the display in device or system controls is simple, and 3 industry standard interfaces (RS-232, I2C and SPI) are available for communicating with the application log. A single voltage supply is all that is required for operation. 

Other characteristics: 
– TFT graphics display with LED background illumination
– 640x480-pixel resolution, 16-bit (65,536 colors)
– 8 predefined fonts; TrueType fonts can be imported
– Control via high-level language commands
– Virtual keyboard included in the instruction set 
– Convenient development environment
– Analog touch panel with variable grid arrangement
– 8 digital inputs and outputs (16 in total)
– 2 analog inputs

There are hardly any devices that do not have a display for operation, control or programming. For the implementation of an interactive control, for example in mechanical engineering or industrial electronics, but also in all conceivable applications, the intelligent display EA eDIPTFT57-A from ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY is the suitable solution due to its properties and the elegant and easy-to-use development support. The high-contrast color screen with its diagonal of 5.7 ″ and LED backlighting offers a resolution of 640 × 480 pixels. Its most important feature is the built-in intelligence, which makes it much easier for developers to integrate the display modules into their application.

Getting started with the EA eDIPTFT57-A display and all the other eight types of the EA eDIP series is also made easier by evaluation kits tailored to these displays. These consist of a display with touch panel along with an evaluation board, USB cable and a mini DVD with software, documentation and sample macros. The evaluation board contains a USB port for data communication with the PC. Interface daughter boards for RS-232, I²C and SPI for communication with the host computer of the target application are optional.

An external power supply is not necessary for smaller displays. A row of light emitting diodes provides information about the data traffic as well as the status of the digital outputs of the display. In order to simulate sensors, switches or relay contacts in the target application, two potentiometers and eight buttons are attached to the evaluation board. The installation DVD contains a wealth of material. In addition to the documentation of the various displays, the development software and a large number of macro examples and layout templates. The source text editor for creating your own macros integrates other programs via icons: compiler, terminal program, bitmap editor and an editor for creating virtual measuring instruments. Via the touchscreen, with a buzzer as feedback for the touch, the user can also summarize the operating elements on the display and thus create a high-quality user interface.

Essential features at a glance:
- TFT graphic display with LED backlight
- Resolution 640 × 480 pixels, 16 bit (65,536 colors)
- eight predefined fonts, truetype fonts can be imported
- Control via high-level language-like commands
- Virtual keyboard included in the instruction set
- comfortable development environment
- Analog touch panel without grid
- eight digital inputs and as many outputs
- two analog inputs