Electronic Assembly GmbH

Versatile Full-Graphic Display for Quick and Easy Installation

The EA DOGXL160-7 graphic display from Electronic Assembly enhances the company's chip-on-glass product line by adding a further display unit with 160 x 104 pixel resolution. This makes it possible to accommodate up to 13 lines of 26 characters each in normal type and 6 lines of 20 characters each in large type. Each pixel is controlled separately. The EA DOGXL160-7 also provides developers with a large range of variants and combination options with respect to color and control.

Five combinations of display and background color are available as is STN and FSTN technology with high contrast. The display units can also be combined with seven different lighting schemes (white, yellow/green, blue, red, amber and green), with one model even supporting the entire color spectrum as a RGB backlight. This leads to a wide variety of variations that blend seamlessly with almost all conceivable designs.

The displays feature an integrated graphics controller of type UC1610 in addition to the accompanying graphics RAM. Developers can choose from four serial interfaces to connect to the outside world – a 4-wire, 8-bit SPI, a 3-wire, 8-bit SPI, a 3-wire, 9-bit SPI, and a 2-wire I2C. In 2-wire I2C mode, one of two base addresses can be set so that two displays can be operated using a single I2C bus.

The new displays are just as easy to handle from a wiring and installation perspective as other members of the EA DOG family and require a single power supply of 2.6 to 3.3 volts, whereby a load of only 700 microamperes is placed on the network. A separate power source is needed for LED background illumination and can supply anywhere from 10 to 150 milliamperes, depending on the variant. No mechanical assembly is required to connect to the circuit board. Simply insert, solder, and you're finished!

Despite all of this, EA DOGXL160-7 family displays are very compact (78 x 64 millimeters of space is sufficient) and are no taller than 6.5 millimeters, even with LED background illumination. An operating temperature range of -20 to +70 °C also makes the displays compatible with many applications in the industrial and medical sectors.

A complete line of accessories is available to developers and includes an USB test board for connecting to Windows PCs, a touch panel with analog 4-wire interface, and character sets with font editor. Additional fonts with Cyrillic, Greek, or Arabic character sets, for example, can be derived from Windows fonts.

Flat-panel graphics display for medical applications

Many LCD and backlighting combinations available

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 128 x 64 pixel EA DOGL128 graphics display is a new addition to the product line. Seven 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, hand-held 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, 68 x 51 mm with a 64 x 36 mm viewing area
• Super flat, 2.8 mm without backlighting, 6.5 mm with LED backlighting
• 3.0 V – 3.3 V single supply power input
• Typical power consumption only 320 μA while fully operating (white LED backlighting   as low as 5 mA)
• 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 one 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 (1 x 8 - 4 x 20 characters) and seven graphics versions (1.7 – 3.9 inch).

Just a few months after ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY launched its EA uniTFT product family, it is already being expanded with the presentation of a new display variant with a diagonal screen measurement of 10.1 inches at embedded world in Nuremberg. Developed in-house, the new intelligent display modules with object graphics open up a wealth of new options for the user. Design engineers and systems integrators benefit from considerably shorter development times and gain significantly more flexibility. As a result, the modules open up a whole raft of new options for developers and users.

The new EA uniTFT101 makes it remarkably easy to combine, modify and adapt a great many objects to a particular need. All objects can be positioned, rotated and zoomed in as required on the screen. Attributes such as transparency and color can be assigned also. Moving objects, too, are now possible for the first time, while the display also offers the option of linking objects to actions. It couldn't be easier for design engineers needing to create keys, dials and other control elements and assign specific functions to them. In addition to the screen diagonals of 5 inches, a 10.1-inch diagonal is also now available.

Screen with object graphics opens up a wealth of new options

With the use of style sheets, it is also possible to standardize the look of these elements, thereby creating elegant and user-friendly designs. Thanks to Unicode, all fonts of the world can be represented, guaranteeing global application. uniSKETCH, a specially designed PC graphic tool, enables users to create screen layouts and interfaces, edit the properties of objects and adapt style sheets. Tones can also be incorporated for a range of functions from acoustic feedback for operating procedures to entire jingles.

Also available as an option are display modules with a touch panel that use resistive or PCAP technology. With the PCAP Touch, multi-touch inputs familiar from smartphones and tablet computers can also be provided. The appropriate touch controller and software are already integrated into the display modules.

Where they are to be connected to external devices, actuators and sensors, the display modules are able to access all interfaces that are significant for industrial electronics – such as SPI, RS-232, I2C-Bus and USB. Several analog inputs, one PWM output and 16 digital I/O channels allow the module to be integrated into all types of control tasks. Moreover, the video input also provides for the direct playback of video signals. Also new is the internal macro language, which enables the displays to be operated as stand-alones for the simultaneous control of other devices.

First study, then try out

The company explains the new features of the uniTFT display by Augmented Reality (AR) app. Available for iPhone and Android systems, the free app provides an unprecedented means of displaying in-depth information on what is probably the most innovative fitted control unit in the world. It is based on the print advert that is to appear as part of an advertising campaign across a large range of media for the uniTFT, but is also available for downloading on the website. Point the camera of a smartphone or tablet at the ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY advert and the module comes alive, and at the same time a short humorous film is launched on the display! The app also provides valuable information on this new screen with the aid of a 3D model. Why not try it out?

High-contrast OLED with USB interface

Especially for small monitoring and control tasks, the display specialist ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY has developed a graphic OLED display with touch-sensitive front made of real glass.

The brand new EA PLUGS102-6 is not only a display, but also a full control unit featuring a wide range of interfaces. Its 36 x 25 mm display area offers a resolution of 102 x 64 pixels. Since every pixel in OLEDs represents a light source, this panel boasts unbeatably brilliant color, low black levels and strong contrasts compared to any LCD displays.
All these features are provided from any viewing angle at almost 180°, because OLEDs do not exhibit the LCD-typical weak contrast at oblique viewing angles. A separate backlight is not necessary. The display brightness can be adjusted by software. Automatic screen saver modes prevent the possible burn-in of static image content.
Thanks to the integrated USB interface, the OLED module can be quickly and easily put into operation. Just plug it in and the display will be automatically powered. The data transfer takes place serially, either via USB, SPI, RS232 or I²C connection.
For measurement and control tasks, the EA PLUGS102-6 is equipped with eight freely configurable digital I/O interfaces, two analog inputs and one PWM and one analog output. A small loudspeaker is also integrated.
The EA PLUGS102-6 recognizes high-level language-like graphics commands, which can be mastered even without any previous knowledge. In addition to eight integrated fonts, the display also features a number of sophisticated graphic functions. The time-consuming development of character sets and graphic routines is not necessary. Text and graphic elements can be mixed with each other at will, they can be positioned pixel-precisely and provided with blink attributes (on/off, inverse). Up to 256 images and the same number of macros can be stored in the internal memory.
The complete OLED module measures 55 x 54 x 15 mm. Its supply voltage, if not supplied via USB, may range from 3.3 to 5 V. If all pixels are enabled, it typically requires 137 mA or 97 mA. Its operating temperature ranges from -20 to 70 °C. For quick mounting, it is simply glued upright or crosswise into the front panel.

More informations are on the website and datasheet.

With the EA OLEDS102-6LGA display family, Electronic Assembly introduces a product that combines the advantages of OLED technology with a particularly small form factor. The module offers the typical OLED high contrast ratio of 2000:1 and an extremely fast response time of only 10 microseconds - without any afterglow. In addition, the displays of the EA OLEDS102‑6LGA series are conveniently easy to install: As the first OLED display developed by Electronic Assembly, this model can be plugged directly into a socket or soldered onto the circuit board. Fault-prone cable connections or complex soldering procedures belong to the past.

The most important advantage, however, relates to the simple mechanics: Due to its construction no screws, glue or other assembly constructions are necessary. At the same time, the pins also ensure the fastening. With its low height of only 2.4 mm, the EA OLEDS102‑6LGA provides a particularly slim design for electronic handheld devices. In addition to its remarkably flat construction, the display module offers an extremely good ratio of its external dimensions to the active display area.

Thus, the EA OLEDS102‑6LGA is recommended for all applications where an above-average space economy is required. A wide operating temperature range (-40 to +80°C) allows operation outdoors and in harsh environments. With a service life of 50,000 operating hours (100,000 hours are possible), the display is also suitable for applications requiring particularly long operating times.

The model EA OLEDS102‑6LGA features a resolution of 102x64 pixels - this allows the display of eight lines and 17 characters or four lines with 12 characters in large format. A SSD1306B controller is integrated and enables the display to be controlled either via an SPI or I²C interface. The content is displayed in yellow on a deep black background.

Visit Electronic Assembly at the embedded world 2019 in Nuremberg: Hall 1, booth 1-389.