These new graphic controller ICs facilitate in delivering better touch response for a wide range of resolutions
With a need for larger format displays and at greater resolutions as well, there is a need to address the current capabilities of Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs).
To solve that issue, two new graphic controller ICs: BT817 and BT818 have been introduced by Bridgetek, a supplier of highly advanced ICs and board-level products, which extend its BT81x series of embedded video engine (EVE) platform.
These new ICs are intended for use in retail, digital signage and office management systems, as well as public information units, vending machines, domestic appliances, store/mall direction finding systems, training/educational equipment and interactive exhibits.
Suited for wide display range
Suitable for use with 1Mpixel displays, the BT817 and BT818 support numerous resolutions such as 1920×480, 1440×540, 1280×800, 1024×600, 800×600, 800×480, 480×272 and more. Each has a 1Mbyte embedded graphics RAM, which can be supplemented by attaching an external NOR flash memory through the QSPI interface.
The BT818 is optimized for use with 4-wire resistive touchscreens, while the BT817 has been designed to accompany capacitive touchscreens (with multi-touch functionality allowing detection of up to 5 different touchpoints). Touchpoint movement can be accurately tracked and assigned to 255 different touch tags. The ability to adjust both the horizontal and vertical sync timing means that a much wider array of different display units can be accommodated.
Better graphic processing
Power mode control helps regulate electricity consumption. Other notable features include video playback, enhanced sketch processing and a built-in sound synthesizer.
An object-oriented approach enables no need for a frame buffer to be incorporated into the HMI system. Also, by leveraging adaptive scalable texture compression (ASTC), it is possible to lower the system’s graphics processing overhead. This also means better use can be made of the available data storage capacity so that bigger items can be accessed and more compelling HMI content is delivered.
The BT817 and BT818 are supplied in compact 9mm x 9mm 64-pin VQFN packages and can be obtained from Bridgetek or authorised distributors. An operating temperature range of -40 degrees Celsius to 85 degrees Celsius allows deployment within industrial environments.
