Beginner fast track to rgb lcd screen setup and development

Projects General Guidance
1

I have a unique project need that requires sending image data from a windows machine through program written in c++/win32 to an lcd screen that supports rgb (non-monochromatic) output - and that's it, nothing more.

I have no experience yet with arduino, but from the research I've done, this seems to be the best place to get started for a working proof of concept.

So, before I just dove in and started learning about more than i needed (sensors, motors, audio, etc), I thought I'd see if anyone could provide guidance on best tutorials and possibly as a bonus, starter kits or whatever else supplies I'll need to accomplish this.

2

If you are just posting for help to get your display working the SOP here on the forum is you start by posting a link to the vendor that sells them, the datasheet, any wiring info you have or know about the display, any actual test results you have using it with a pc, a photo of the display (unless the vendor website has that) and whether or not you currently own an arduino and which one.

I have a unique project need that requires sending image data from a windows machine through program written in c++/win32 to an lcd screen that supports rgb (non-monochromatic) output - and that's it, nothing more.

That's great but you need to tell us where this program came from (ie: did YOU write it ? and if so how much C++ programming experience do you have ?)

So, before I just dove in and started learning about more than i needed (sensors, motors, audio, etc), I thought I'd see if anyone could provide guidance on best tutorials and possibly as a bonus, starter kits or whatever else supplies I'll need to accomplish this.

I don't know how this relates to your request for help getting the display working. Depending on your electronics experience , there are more than a few options, not the least of which is a Pro-Mini but that would require an FTDI breakout board which would cost between $8 and $16 depending on which one you get. You could also breadboard a $3 ATmega328PU (see attached) with OPTIBOOT bootloader pre-installed which would give you the ability to do almost anything an arduino UNO can do. You would need an FTDI Breakout board for that to upload sketches. My recommendation to ANYONE just starting with arduino is get an UNO NOW. (DO IT NOW). Why ? Because there are more example circuits and plug & play example code for an UNO BY FAR than any other arduino uC. Look at the two pinout diagrams . The UNO is more convenient because it already contains the 328 chip pinout in the upper left corner. Look at this add:

Now look at this add:

What does this mean ?
(quick. do the math => 10 x $3=$30
Yes if you discount shipping since it comes out to the same probably, you can get TEN 328 chips for the price of ONE UNO
(UNO means one in spanish and italian by the way. Some italian members post saying "I have a ONE...." )
(they don't know you're not supposed to translate that when your using google translate..ha ha ha) So, now that you have the diagram, what does an UNO give that the chip doesn't ? External power supply , onboard regulator, onboard FTDI chip, headers for plugging in wires, speaking of which, I STRONGLY, and I mean STRONGLY advise getting one of these (see photo of screw shield) Why ? because without it , your UNO will only last until the pins get stretched out and the wires become intermittent. I don't know how long that it. With it, maybe a hundred years if you don't overtorque the screws. Here's a link to the guy who sells the screw shield (CROSSROADS)

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=211253.0

Just click on his name and send him a personal message saying you want to buy one. Tell him raschemmel sent you. Back to your question about the display. When we get the link and info on that we can talk about that. There are definately some people who have got those working easily and there are others who have had issues. I know nothing about them so I am not qualified to comment on that subject. You post all the info I mentioned, show up with an arduino and you should be up and running in no time. BTW, you will need to learn how to translate your C++ program into something arduino compatible because There's alot of things that are built into the IDE and I am not qualified to talk about them. There are lots of very experienced programmers who can speak C++ (explain the differences) . Arduinos run C++ but because of the built in features there are a lot of things you do differently (meaning things I can do without knowing a thing about C++) and a lot that are exactly the same. I think I've said enough.
FYI,
Just as a little example of what I mean when I say you can do cool stuff without knowing anything, the attached sketch logs analog data to an SD card at 40,000 samples per second. I can run this sketch on my breadboarded $3 ATmega328PU , but I would have to make special cables to connect the SD card shield to the breadboarded chip so I run it on my UNO instead.
Also, there are gazillions of DIY shield projects for UNOs . If you get anything else, you can't take advantage of those.

atmel-atmega328-pinouts-arduino.jpg

ARDUINO_UNO PINOUT DIAGRAM.png
ARDUINO_UNO PINOUT DIAGRAM.png961×680 507 KB

UnoScrewOnUno.jpg
UnoScrewOnUno.jpg1073×826 153 KB

MyAnalogBinLogger_A0_10_bits_ADC1000_40000_BPS.ino (23.7 KB)

3

First off thank you very, very much for the comprehensive answer! Exactly what I was looking for.

And to answer your questions:

I'm not tied to any particular lcd. My only requirements are size and resolution: 4.3” backlit lcd display
@ 480x272 resolution.

I will be writing the c++ based application. I have extensive c++/c experience, both high and low level programming. emulators, etc.

To provide a better high-level user experience description;
I want to send data that would normally be drawn to a window through gdi/directx/opengl instead through the usb port to a connected lcd display with the above specs. The only difference between this and a regular display monitor is that windows (or any other OS I write the software for) should not recognize this as an output display. Because of this small distinction and these seemingly minimal requirements, i didn't want to over-architect this. Perhaps there's actually an off the shelf implementation/library package/kit that suits my needs. So far though, I haven't found this.

4

I've been told the USB connector on the UNO is a SLAVE port. I don't know what that means exactly since I use it to send and receive all the time but still don't understand the limitations implied by the fact that it is a SLAVE port. If you want to use a USB for an application I have been told you need to get a USB shield, then you can do whatever you want. I suppose you can try to do it without and see.

Perhaps there's actually an off the shelf implementation/library package/kit that suits my needs. So far though, I haven't found this.

With your experience, writing your own library shouldn't be a problem. I have not tried that yet though I would like to.know how to do that. You should read the posts in the DISPLAYS section of the forum and look for the graphic display related posts, particularly the ones that deal with getting it working from nothing.

5

Ok, I've done more research and have a couple questions. First off, I've decided to go with the Arduino Due purely for performance reasons after seeing some benchmark tests on youtube. So there's that. But when looking for lcd's shields for arduino, i noticed there are kits available for ~$145 like this one from 4D that come with the lcd and accompanying shield:

http://www.4dsystems.com.au/product/uLCD_43_PT_AR/

But on ebay, you can buy a cheap display and then a seperate shield from china ALL for less than $30 and they are said to be arduino compatible. Any reason for the huge price gap and anything I should be careful of when piecing together the parts i need?

6

The DUE is a good choice because it is the only with DACs that you can use for waveform generation (sinewave etc).
The kit you posted is high end for most people on the forum. Not very many forum members have $145 to shell out. If I could afford it and planned to do what you have planned I would buy it because of the added functionality (the virtual control knobs on the display). If you don't care if anyone else can duplicate what you do then get the good display. If you want others to be able to use your software get the most common displays used by forum members. Ask around.