Product category: Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Hitachi Europe | Subject: HD66766
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 22 November 2001
STN LCD controller handles 64K colours
Hitachi has released what it says is the world's first single-chip colour STN LCD controller for 65,536 colours.
Hitachi has released what it says is the world's first single-chip colour STN LCD controller for 65,536 colours The HD66766 supports resolutions up to 132 (RGB) x 176pixel, and is built-in to Hitachi's new colour STN display module, the SC05N015
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 16 Feb 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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The 23Kpixel maximum resolution presents high quality colour images on a small surface area for the first time.
The SC05N015 display module offers excellent image quality and a high contrast through its single polariser colour STN cell structure.
It features a resolution of 128 (RGB) x 160pixels, a compact footprint due to a chip on glass (COG) structure, and incorporates an efficient, high brightness LED backlight unit.
The module also offers a number of hardware interfaces including an 8/16bit parallel and a synchronised serial interface (SPI).
The HD66766 device enables the display of high-quality pictures such as photographic images.
By combining with multicolour software through dither processing (which increases the number of colours by controlling the generation of half tones through the picture element layout pattern on the LCD), the controller can display 260K colours with a 48V drive voltage.
This is a world first for a device of this size.
The controller incorporates 372Kbit of RAM and assigns 16bit of data to one pixel (instead of 12bit for a conventional 4,096 colour display).
This enables 65,536 colours to be displayed without increasing the CPU load, as the CPU processes 2byte data in the same way as single-byte data.
The HD66766 controller offers low power consumption through its Hi-FAS (high-frequency amplitude selection) liquid crystal driving method, which can drive segment signals operating at high speed with a low voltage.
This means that it requires 30 to 40% less current for LCD devices in comparison to the existing method, which drives segment signals and common signals within the same voltage range.
It also means that there is no deterioration of the quality of image displayed, even for a larger colour display.
To achieve a high-quality image, the HD66766 applies a pulsewidth gradation method.
This method does not depend on afterimages to display an image that doesn't flicker.
While improving the response performance, existing displays often suffer from a deterioration of picture quality, particularly when displaying animation.
This causes flicker as there are no afterimages on the LCD in the frame thinning gradation.
The HD66766 controller achieves a highly uniform (symmetrical) image using a chip on glass (COG) installation method that connects it directly to a LCD glass substrate.
Common drivers are assigned to both ends of the segment driver area as pin assignment within manufacture is centralised.
This enables compact installation as the wiring on both ends of the display unit is well balanced.
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