OSD IC required

[David]

Hi,

I am looking for a On Screen Display IC for 8-bit micro controller
application that needs to create colour graphics and text on video monitor.

Preference for unit that can gen lock to external signal as well as
run stand-alone.

A desirable feature (but not essential) is ability to mirror text
without having to create and entire characters set that is mirrored.

The device will later be a production unit so the component source needs
to be wholesale pricing (not Farnell, RS Spares, Digikey etc).

Could someone please recommend a suitable device and possible source in
Australia

Thanks

Regards

David Huisman

 

[Adrian Jansen]

David wrote:

Hi,

I am looking for a On Screen Display IC for 8-bit micro controller
application that needs to create colour graphics and text on video monitor.

Preference for unit that can gen lock to external signal as well as
run stand-alone.

A desirable feature (but not essential) is ability to mirror text
without having to create and entire characters set that is mirrored.

The device will later be a production unit so the component source needs
to be wholesale pricing (not Farnell, RS Spares, Digikey etc).

Could someone please recommend a suitable device and possible source in
Australia

Thanks

Regards

David Huisman

This works well, and the source is local.

http://www.dontronics.com/micro-vga.html

Wont directly do mirror text, but fills all the other criteria.

--
Regards,

Adrian Jansen adrianjansen at internode dot on dot net
Design Engineer J & K Micro Systems
Microcomputer solutions for industrial control
Note reply address is invalid, convert address above to machine form.

 

[David L. Jones]

Peter Jakacki wrote:

Hi David,
Someone has already mentioned noPC as a possible solution. This product
as well as many others are designed for VGA, not for genlocking PAL/NTSC
monitors.

If VGA is suitable you may consider the Thumbnail VGA module if you are
adding a component to your PCB.

http://www.pbjtech.com/products/index.html#THUMBNAIL_2106_VGA_PROCESSOR_MODULE

Unlike another VGA unit out there this one does not require special
communications framing etc. You can communicate at megabaud rates if you
like or use the SPI or I2C bus. The CPU is a 32-bit ARM7 running at
66Mhz and with the on-board firmware and Forth system is quite capable.

BTW, there is an updated version in the pipeline with on-board external
RAM (vs on-chip RAM) offering much higher resolutions and speed.

*Peter*
http://www.pbjtech.com/

Nice stuff Peter.
But Forth? *gasp*

Dave

 

[Peter Jakacki]

David L. Jones wrote:

Nice stuff Peter.
But Forth? *gasp*

Dave

Forth, yes! But why gasp?

Consider Forth a command line interpreter then at it's simplest level,
but one that you can extend with simple text. So instead of simply
sending long strings of gobbledygook you can define your own "command"
which just becomes another Forth word and then pass parameters to your
command. In the slave terminal mode the text received is processed
character by character and displayed. It is possible to escape to the
Forth command line interpreter with <ctrl A> and delimit with <CR> to
run the "command" and return to character mode terminal.

You define (using <ctrl A>....<CR&gt:

: BOLD ( scale -- ) 2 * X* 4 * Y* RED PEN WHITE PAPER ;

For then on you send a command:

2 BOLD

and then your text:

ALERT


BTW, the Forth is multitasking so you can by the same method create
tasks that might just display a clock readout and perform an alarm
function, all independently of the host.

Could it be simpler or more versatile?

*Peter*
http://www.pbjtech.com/

 

[David L. Jones]

Peter Jakacki wrote:

David L. Jones wrote:
Nice stuff Peter.
But Forth? *gasp*

Dave


Forth, yes! But why gasp?

Because Forth is, well, Forth. How many people using it worldwide these
days, a few hundred? :->
I have inherited a TMS320 based DSP design which uses a custom Forth
compiler/interpreter/operating system.
It's oh-so-maintainable - NOT!
Forth is often called a "Write Only" language, because once you've
written it you can't read the damn thing again!
Forth is big in Germany, I've heard that half a dozen die-hard uni
professors turn up to the yearly conference. I believe they have their
own t-shirts and everything :->

Consider Forth a command line interpreter then at it's simplest level,
but one that you can extend with simple text. So instead of simply
sending long strings of gobbledygook you can define your own "command"
which just becomes another Forth word and then pass parameters to your
command. In the slave terminal mode the text received is processed
character by character and displayed. It is possible to escape to the
Forth command line interpreter with <ctrl A> and delimit with <CR> to
run the "command" and return to character mode terminal.

You define (using <ctrl A>....<CR&gt:

: BOLD ( scale -- ) 2 * X* 4 * Y* RED PEN WHITE PAPER ;

For then on you send a command:

2 BOLD

and then your text:

ALERT


BTW, the Forth is multitasking so you can by the same method create
tasks that might just display a clock readout and perform an alarm
function, all independently of the host.

Could it be simpler or more versatile?

Yep, by using a language that everyone else uses!

A few people still believe Forth is the ultimate language and will
eventually take over the world. It's nice to have something to believe
in! :->

Seriously though, nice projects.

Regards
Dave

 

[Peter Jakacki]

Ok Dave, it's like this. Can you put aside your many misconceptions
about Forth and how many you think might be using it and see it for what
it is. I don't ask anyone to write Forth, but neither do I cowtow to the
majority. Everyone uses Microsoft but do you think they make the best O/S?

Using expressions such as "Forth is often called a "Write Only"
language..." doesn't lend any credence to the statement. Any software in
any language that is poorly written will be "Write Only". I don't really
want to get caught up in any discussions though. There was a message
posted today referring to this so called "write only" statement. Here is
the easily available "google groups" link to it:

http://groups.google.com.au/group/comp.lang.forth/browse_thread/thread/7338a40547ed8fe5/0d4aadfc7c356b4a?hl=en#0d4aadfc7c356b4a

Anyway, if you can do it simpler and easier, then I'm certainly not
stopping you, though I still have not seen it done easier and simpler
with such an efficient use of memory and resources despite the heckles.

Can you refute the simplicity of extending the "command line
interpreter"?

Is a simple stack based language too difficult to grasp?

*Peter*
http://www.pbjtech.com/

David L. Jones wrote:

Peter Jakacki wrote:
David L. Jones wrote:
Nice stuff Peter.
But Forth? *gasp*

Dave

Forth, yes! But why gasp?

Because Forth is, well, Forth. How many people using it worldwide these
days, a few hundred? :-
I have inherited a TMS320 based DSP design which uses a custom Forth
compiler/interpreter/operating system.
It's oh-so-maintainable - NOT!
Forth is often called a "Write Only" language, because once you've
written it you can't read the damn thing again!
Forth is big in Germany, I've heard that half a dozen die-hard uni
professors turn up to the yearly conference. I believe they have their
own t-shirts and everything :-

Consider Forth a command line interpreter then at it's simplest level,
but one that you can extend with simple text. So instead of simply
sending long strings of gobbledygook you can define your own "command"
which just becomes another Forth word and then pass parameters to your
command. In the slave terminal mode the text received is processed
character by character and displayed. It is possible to escape to the
Forth command line interpreter with <ctrl A> and delimit with <CR> to
run the "command" and return to character mode terminal.

You define (using <ctrl A>....<CR&gt:

: BOLD ( scale -- ) 2 * X* 4 * Y* RED PEN WHITE PAPER ;

For then on you send a command:

2 BOLD

and then your text:

ALERT


BTW, the Forth is multitasking so you can by the same method create
tasks that might just display a clock readout and perform an alarm
function, all independently of the host.

Could it be simpler or more versatile?

Yep, by using a language that everyone else uses!

A few people still believe Forth is the ultimate language and will
eventually take over the world. It's nice to have something to believe
in! :-

Seriously though, nice projects.

Regards
Dave