camera attached to a display

[beginner]

Hello all!

Sorry if my question is too rookie

I want to learn how to make a video from a camera be displayed on a small TFT or LCD dsplay. I don't need to make recordings, wifi things, or whatever more than viewing the video signal. Only the camera and the small display, with wireing no more than whats necessary for a peephole Someone rings, I go to the door, switch on the screen, see who's there with the hidden camera, and switch it off. That's that. I know, that there are such items on the sale already, and that they record, send the video to your tv, record it remotely through wifi, etc., etc., but I want to make it one the simpliest and do-it-yourself.

I searched for small displays, and liked that one:
https://www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfaf128128b0145t-graphical-tft-128x128-lcd-display-module

and downloaded its datasheet
https://www.crystalfontz.com/products/document/3406/CFAF128128B-0145T_Data_Sheet_2015-05-07.pdf

but everything still is a real mess in my mind.

Can anyone nobel engineer help me

Crystalfontz LCD Blog

Looking for additional LCD resources? Check out our LCD blog for the latest developments in LCD technology.

 

[cosmicvoid]

... I want to make it one the simpliest and do-it-yourself...

The simplest miniature cameras are analog video output. AFAIK, Crystalfontz displays are not made to accept video input, they are intended to be controlled by a microprocessor.
The small display that you chose would not have enough resoluton to recognize any video-type image, even if you had a microprocessor sending a resized picture. The minimum resolution you need to see an acceptable picture is 320 x 240, of better yet 640 x 480.

You could shop for the analog mini-cams, and the analog video input TFT display screens. I used parts like that to install a backup-view system in an old car, some years ago. Made in China, they are very cheap, but not very good video quality.

To get good quality, shop for a HD mini-cam (like a dash-cam), which would have HDMI output. Then you could use a cheap computer monitor with HDMI input. That will raise the cost, but maybe you could do it for $100. Or just use the little display on the back of the dash-cam.

Those are the "simple" ways to do it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[beginner]

Alright...

Connecting a camera to a ready factory made device will work.

I was even thinking of attaching a simple mini usb camera directly to a smartphone
Like the mini-camera stays built hidden in the door, and only a tiny usb slot stays hidden in the wall. Someone rings, you go to the door, connect the usb to the smartphone, the camera turns on powered by the smartphone, and you see who is on the other side I am pretty sure it will work, with or without some software tune ups.

HD mini-cam with HDMI output connected to a cheap computer monitor with HDMI input should work either.

It will work even connecting the camera directly to the laptop

But my desire was to build from a scratch a simple device mysef.
Thats why I want to learn how to do it in a level of electronics. The smallest possible level.
And that is my sadness, that in this area currently I am very noobie

Are there mini displays 640x480 that accept analog video?

 

[cosmicvoid]

... But my desire was to build from a scratch a simple device mysef.
Thats why I want to learn how to do it in a level of electronics. The smallest possible level.

That would require a lot of special training, to learn how to make video cameras and to understand the components and signals. Same for making the display monitor. For beginners, "from scratch" would be overwhelming. Even just to learn the required knowledge would be a huge task. Maybe its not so satisfying to buy common off-the-shelf modules, but is definitely faster and cheaper.

Are there mini displays 640x480 that accept analog video?

I think that 640x480 analog is almost obselete, now that HD has become the normal video format, I have seen small (10" ) LCD screens that will accept analog composite video, along with HDMI. They are 1280x800 or 1366x768, but will reformat lower resolution signals to fit the screen.

 

[beginner]

So the shortest path I thought is the longest and the hardest

It is not something urgent, so I can take the time and effort learning all of that in my free time.

There are some instructions for how to control the display from Arduino
https://forum.crystalfontz.com/show...5T-TFT-to-an-Arduino-Uno-or-SparkFun-RedBoard

Next my step will be to see if Arduino can receive a camera signal and if that camera signal goes to it as an analog, or as a digital video. Yes, it will be a long thing to do in my free time, but at least now I know, that I have to receive the signal, digitalize it somehow, and send it on the display with the arduino commands.