XES635 External Serial LCD Module?

[bikerglen]

Hi,

Are there any plans to develop a TTL-level or RS-232 serial version of the XES635 external LCD modules?

I'd really like to use one of these external modules with an embedded system without having to implement a USB embedded host.

If you have no plans for an external serial product, I could pull the FTDI chip from the board then connect jumper wires to the FTDI chip's pads to convert a USB module to a TLL-level serial module pretty easily. Has anybody else tried this yet?

It'd be better just to be able to buy a TTL-level or RS-232 serial version of the external LCD module though.

-Glen

Crystalfontz LCD Blog

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

 

[bikerglen]

As another alternative, has anybody tried a CrystalFontz USB display with the Vinculum VNC1L USB host controller chip? The VNC1L chip is available as a DIP module (VDIP1 and VDIP2) and is supposed to be able to communicate with CDC USB devices.

-Glen

 

[CF Tech]

Glen:

The XES635 was made as small as we could do it. So small that the connector for the standard logic-level serial can not plug in.

You could get a standard logic-level serial module and an XES case and then hand wire to the connector for the cabling.

Please e-mail sales@crystalfontz.com if you want to pursue ordering one.

 

[bikerglen]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have a serial 635 on order. Once I have that working in my application, I'll send your sales team an email about ordering an empty case.

I will probably pursue the Vinculum solution separately. USB will get me greater distance between the display and the embedded system than serial TTL.

Thanks.

-Glen

 

[CF Tech]

That sounds fine.

I do not know if I agree with you about the USB working over longer distance than logic level serial. Isn't USB limited to 16 feet? I'd bet that the logic level serial over twisted pair would work a lot farther than that.

Here is one little write-up we did long ago:

https://forum.crystalfontz.com/showthread.php?t=2

You could get the RS-232 board, remove the connectors, and sneak it into the XES, but it would take some low-profile hand soldering.