Will a Serial LCD Display Work with My Product?

Will the Reach microcontroller display work for my product?

If you are considering using a Reach LCD touchscreen display, this is a critical question.
The answer is yes, if:

• Your host microcontroller or microprocessor has an Asynchronous Serial port or a USB host port. If there is not a "spare" port available, you can use the Reach controller auxiliary serial port in "pass-through" mode to share a single serial port.
• You don't need to display video or movie clips.
   

To choose which serial LCD display is the best fit, start with the LCD Display Product Guide. It contains a complete listing of the sizes, formats, unit types and other technical information you’ll need to match your requirements with a Reach serial LCD display.

Commonly-asked questions:

1. How do Reach LCD touchscreen displays connect to my product?

The options are USB host port and asynchronous serial port. Both RS232 and 3.3V logic level physical interfaces are supported.

2. What sizes do Reach microcontroller displays come in?

Display modules are available in 4", 4.3", 5.7", 7", and 8.4" diagonal sizes, while the enclosed units are 4", 5.7", and 8.4". The 4.3" unit has a 16:9 aspect and can fit in a 2U chassis front panel.

3. What pixel formats are available?

Reach offers QVGA (320 x 240), WQVGA (480x272), VGA (640x480), and WVGA (800x480) formats.

4. What configurations are available?

We offer LCD controller boards, display modules and enclosed units. Low cost serail LCD display development kits get you up and running quickly.

 

Controller Boards

These boards are at the heart of Reach Technology’s enclosed units, modules and development kits... More

 

Display Modules

Display modules combine the controller, LCD, and backlight driver in an easy-to-mount assembly to simplify ordering and integration... More

Enclosed Units

Enclosed units are NEMA-4 rated units that can be easily mounted into control panels. These can replace existing panel switches and LCD character displays to improve user interface functionality and flexibility. They’re mounted in water- and dust-proof cases... More

LCD Development Kits

LCD development kits include everything you need to get a touch interface up and running in a matter of days. More

5. What processor(s) do you use?

Reach serial LDC displays use off-the-shelf microcontrollers, both 16/32 bit CISC and 32 bit ARM. The well-defined serial API makes the controller's processor is transparent to the user. As technology advances, Reach can adopt new processors with little impact to the user.

6. What operating systems are compatible with Reach products?

Reach serial LCD displays can be used with any operating system.

7. What are the power requirements?

The power requirements vary with the LCD panel sizes. The 4.3" unit can easily be battery powered. See the LCD Display Product Guide for more detail.

8. What fonts can I use if I use Reach LCD products?

Any True type or Open type font can be supported. Fonts are rendered and stored in the on-board flash memory. If you specify the font, size in points, and attributes (bold, italic, etc), Reach will provide the corresponding rendered font file.

9. Are Reach touch screens RoHS-compliant?

Yes. Reach serial LCD displays are compliant with the Restriction of Hazardous Substance Directive (RoHS). This is often referred to as the “lead-free” directive, but RoHS also restricts the use of other hazardous substances in electronic equipment.

If your question has not been answered

If the question you have in mind is not addressed above, go to our searchable database.

Still have a question?

Email a serial LCD display engineer or call our research and development office at 503-675-6464.

Who Else is Using Serial LCD Displays?

We serve embedded engineers that need to add LCD touchscreens to a broad variety of products, from hotel room kiosks to medical control systems and tugboat engine monitors.... More

Try Before You Buy

Order a serial LCD display development kit which contains everything you need to get a touch interface up and running in a matter of days...More

Why Reach?

Reach Technology gives embedded engineers adding an Embedded LCD Touch Screen to their product a jump start. They see lower development costs, reduced risk and decreased time-to-market... More

Free Download

Sign up for the Embedded LCD Touch Screen newsletter to download the Embedded Control Surface Handbook.

Need more detail?

Have Questions?

Call sales and customer service
at 510-770-1417 or email us.
Call technical support at 503-675-6464 or email a serial LCD display engineer.