Using LCD/OLED displays

[cteno4]

Nice, look perfect for more of your smaller station signs! Even in the background to have something just changing on the wall, would not have to be recognizable just the blurred motion of some electronic sign at any distance over a foot!

 

Wow on the price!
 

I had gotten some of the micro 1mm pitch flex pcb ribbon cables and little clamp down connectors when I was fiddling with the mp4 digital video players to mount the main board a way from the screen. Might be handy here.

 

at a trade show years ago I saw a company making OLED buttons for control panel. It was like 60pix square and about 3/4”. Controller was on the back of the OLED and it fit into a switch case they had designed. It had a very simple serial connection so you could load what ever icon or word onto the button to dynamically change a hardware control board. Always wondered if it ever took off as at the time touch screens were going like gang busters and big hardware control panels were getting replaced by a few dynamic touchscreens. But I suppose times when you need a hybrid. At the time the company was touting they were going to have these micro OLED screens on all sorts of stuff.

 

jeff

[Drunkenclam]

SUper SUper Cool

[Madsing]

Hello everyone,

 

This is what I have done with the "smallest display in the world"

 

 

The display is a tiny 72x40 0.42" OLED display, available from AliExpress here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33026749951.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.291b4c4dOCepUg

For this project, I have used a Seeeduino Xiao microcontroller.

https://www.seeedstudio.com/Seeeduino-XIAO-Arduino-Microcontroller-SAMD21-Cortex-M0+-p-4426.html

I highly recommend it. The Seeeduino Xiao is compatible with the Arduino IDE, but it is much more powerful, using a SAMD21 chip with much more memory than an Arduino Nano (for example).

 

Fitting the display at the back of the truck was not easy. The display's flat cable is hardly long enough to hide the controller board under the street.

 

This is a video of the prototype that inspired me:

 

 

I managed to reproduce the indications (even the "ugly" kanji characters 😀), but unfortunately the OLED display is white. I tried to add a red/yellow/orange filter on from of it but it didn't work well. I'll try again later.

 

As usual, I can share the code with anyone interested!

[JR 500系]

That's just amazing work! Really really nice! Your electronics skils are just amazing! 

[maihama eki]

What you do with these tiny displays is brilliant. It adds so much to a scene to have something non-static like this.

[Kamome442]

Outstanding work Madsing, these tiny displays bring so much life to a scene. Every time I see your work I am tempted to order a mini OLED!

[Frank Blascheck]

On 6/21/2020 at 12:15 PM, Madsing said:

I have started other projects using small LCD displays. First is a tourist information display such as this one: https://www.shibuyabunka.com/blog.php?id=882&wovn=en

The good news is that more powerful modules are now available and I have been able to make it with much less components:

• An ESP32 (Lolin32) module. It is much more powerful than the chip used in Arduinos, but it is compatible with the standard Arduino IDE. With 4BM flash memory directly on the module, I have been able to upload small short videos with no need for an additional SD card.
• A 0.96" 80x160 RGB IPS display with ST7735 driver (only the top 80x80 pixels are used and visible)

Both modules are available from AliExpress for a few dollars.

 

This is the result:

 

 

Hi there
I received the articles according to your description, it doesn't always work that way.
I have the ESP32 Az-Delivery V4
cabling
ESP32 display
VCC - VCC / BLK
GND - GND
23 - SDA
18 - SCL
4 - RES
2 - DC
15 - CS

https://github.com/Bodmer/TFT_eSPI
SPIFFS is installed
Examples of functions

Where can I find the code or could I have yours.

 

 

 

 

 

I found what there pictures slideshow

https://github.com/Bodmer/TJpg_Decoder

Edited January 26, 2021 by Frank Blascheck

[Madsing]

Hello Frank,

I have uploaded the code to GitHub here: https://github.com/madsing98/YukariInfoDisp

Good luck and contact me if you have problems.

Marc

 

[Frank Blascheck]

Thanks, I think that's great about the technology

[Frank Blascheck]

works okay I removed the entry with the backlight in the YukariInfoDisp file. And the user_setup the define for #define TFT_MISO 19, #define TFT_MOSI 23, # define TFT_SCLK 18 switched on. I don't really know why but it worked. Super cool thing. Now that's in German, but that's less of the problem. My father thinks that's great too. thanks

https://youtu.be/yUQkFlahcqE

Edited February 13, 2021 by Frank Blascheck

[Drunkenclam]

Well I ordered the adafruit 1.14 and 1.8in displays with the sd card mounted on the rear. Not had time to do anything yet. I also ordered 2x 1.5in flexible displays for the tomytec round building. I guess I'll start with the libraries here. Try and work out the code and modify it for advertising billboard purposes 

[gavino200]

16 hours ago, Drunkenclam said:

Well I ordered the adafruit 1.14 and 1.8in displays with the sd card mounted on the rear. Not had time to do anything yet. I also ordered 2x 1.5in flexible displays for the tomytec round building. I guess I'll start with the libraries here. Try and work out the code and modify it for advertising billboard purposes 

 

Adafruit is the way to go, unless you're very experienced with these things. They give great tutorials and customer service. I'll have to check out the 1.5 inch flexible display. It sounds perfect for the round building. I'm looking forward to following your progress.

[Madsing]

Can you send a link to the 1.5 inch flexible display? This really sounds interesting. I have been looking for flexible OLED displays for a while but can only find large (and expensive) ones.

[Drunkenclam]

Sure thing. I got the flexible ones on (cough cough) Alibaba. As you say they are a bit hard to get hold of. With limited sizes availible.

There are some cheaper versions. But the data sheets didn't say SPi interface only MIPI. and that seems to be a little harder to drive. So I didn't want to risk it.

also its my first time dealing with Alibaba. so not sure what to expect. To be honest. I might be over my head. But I'm willng to give it a go.

 

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/DXQ-1-5-Inch-AMOLED-OLED_1600107840554.html

[Madsing]

Cool. Nice find. Please tell us how it goes. I might buy one of these too. 😀

[cteno4]

So for those not inclined to roll your own, just saw this little pvr “tiny tv” on micromark. Looks very similar, but smaller, than the little car mp4 video players you could get for $5 on ebay.

 

https://www.micromark.com/Tiny-TV-DIY-KIT?utm_campaign=21WS080&contact_eid=415d7213-0dc2-4251-96fc-44055a42c33c&utm_medium=Email&_bta_tid=40940854435476384071502590505719318093026254365583139658459156357886015294306355961838691381957969611783&utm_source=Marketing

 

jeff

[Drunkenclam]

Well the flexible screens arrived. Supplied with the smallest plug I have ever seen. concidering there are 24 pins there 😑

 

 

 

The ribbon cable is more than just a ribbon cable as it also hides the components. Spec says the driver is RM69310 and can be seen printed on the ribbon cable.

although haven't found an exact match. I did find this.

https://img01.71360.com/file/read/www/M00/1C/58/wKgDYl9EY8mALLfkABUP3lAUPd8327.pdf

 

the pin out on the end of the ribbon cable are slightly different to the spec given on the Alibaba page. mind you. they are also labelling the order of pins differently as well.

 

I can't find anything on the OM site

http://www.simair-lcd.com/index.php?lang=en

 

 

 

 

 

[Madsing]

Definitely not straightforward.

The driver chip is RM69310. The connector is OK-14GM024-04-24PIN.

There is an application circuit at page 4 of the datasheet. It's required to provide ELVDD and ELVSS to the display.

[Drunkenclam]

I found in my spam folder. they emailed me the datasheet for the screen. A big help.

The connector required is a 20642-024E (I-PEX)

They recommend the use of RT4723 for the for the amoled power.

 

there might be complications if I try to upload it here. But if you PM me, a email address. I can forward it to you.

Edited November 28, 2021 by Drunkenclam

[Madsing]

I looked at the datasheet over the weekend. The explanation of the power circuit is clear, but would require a dedicated PCB (with SMD chips). I also didn't find any information about the software required to drive the display. I think I will wait until someone like Adafruit makes a complete display and library before experimenting with AMOLEDs.

[Drunkenclam]

Yes I don't blame you for that.

 

I thought I saw a driver library for the ESP32. But need to confirm.

 

I started reading throught the data sheet and come up with this as a start. a pain seeing as the screen wants 3 different voltage inputs.

As you say. the main components like the 24p socket and the amoled supply are surface mounted and behond the skill of begineer at home with a soldering iron.

 

 

 

 

[Madsing]

If you find a software library please tell me. This would already be a huge step ahead. 

[Drunkenclam]

I double checked where I saw the driver listed but its actually the RM68140 that's in the esp32 tft-espi library. My next stage when I get some time is to do the footprints for the boards.