19 08, 2020

Educational Primer Series: Benefits of a Cover Lens Bezel

2023-09-29T20:00:47+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

Our Educational Primer Series presents a deep dive into the technical elements that bring together the world of 4D Systems and what we have to offer. You’ll find that this information series, developed with our experts and engineers, is the perfect place to power up your knowledge and take your understanding of our hardware and software to the next level. As always, feel free to reach out and get in touch. The best learning is interactive and we’d love to hear from you.

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Cover Lens Bezel: What is it And Why Do You Need it?

Bezel used to be a term usually associated with the jewellery industry. There, the word is used to describe a groove that holds a gemstone or a watch crystal in its place. However, soon the word gained popularity, and it was widely used to describe other things too – such as the rim around gauges like the speedometer in a vehicle.

It did not take long for the word to enter the technology industry as well – the bezel is now a familiar term in the computer industry too. Here, it is used to refer the edge around the monitor or the front of a desktop case. And as mobile phones and other handheld devices gained popularity, bezel became a buzzword in the mobile industry as well. In the mobile industry, the term refers to the area of display surrounding the screen.

Bezel in the modern industries

A screen bezel is the area display surrounding the screen of your gadget – mobile, TV, tablet phone, touchscreen security systems and more. The bezel can be either plastic or metal. In simple words, the bezel is the border between the gadget’s display area and its frame. Although most of the earlier gadgets featured boarder bezel, most of the latest gadgets come with ultra narrow bezels. In many cases, they are so narrow that one feels the device doesn’t have one at all. A thinner bezel means more screen display area and vice versa.

Cover Lens Bezel

As technology evolved, most gadgets started offering more functions than they originally offered. For instance, mobile is no longer a simple tool to make and receive calls, but a device to send and receive emails, a camera, a news portal, handheld TV and more. Most other gadgets are now all in one tool offering a wide range of uses. As such, they have become more sophisticated across the globe.

It is not surprising then that bezel has made its presence known among these gadgets too. A cover lens bezel is basically a cosmetic feature adding to the aesthetics of the device and its screen. However, that doesn’t mean it is without any practical use.

Here are some of the benefits of the bezel:

  • Protection

One of the major benefits of the bezel is it provides additional protection to the system. Although most people take good care of their devices, they are likely to scratch or damage the screen in one way or the other. Sometimes, a drop could mean broken screens, rendering the device useless, especially if it is a touchscreen. A cover lens bezel can act as a safeguard against scratches and other pollutants like dirt, among others.

  • Easy to replace

Lens covers are easy to replace than the actual screens themselves. Additionally, you can change them from time to time if you need a new look or better technology.

  • Holds in place

Although some people might think the lens cover bezel does not add any value to the devices that is not true. Well-fitted into the frame of the device, a bezel could save it from popping out of its place in case of a fall or other such impact. However, when you have a bezel around it, it would mean the screen is firmly held in its place even in the event of a fall.

  • Aesthetics

A bezel improves the aesthetics of the device itself. If you are someone who loves add-ons, a lens cover bezel can be your best friend. It can be used to improve the overall look and feel of the system.

  • Usability

A bezel adds to the usability of the device because in its absence you are likely to activate a function on the screen accidentally.

Here are some of the benefits of the bezel:

4D systems offer state of the art intelligent display solutions covering a vast range of requirements. Whether it is smart LCD modules or TFT modules, we offer solutions to suit the needs of our users. All the gen4 display modules with resistive touch features come with bezels. These bezels not only offer a sleek cover to these display modules but also provide an easy way to mount the display modules into the enclosure. The display module is mounted on the bezel which provides a mounting solution into a panel while keeping everything firmly together.

For a great range of intelligent displays, visit:  www.4dsystems.com.au/products/

4 08, 2020

Educational Primer Series: How to choose between capacitive and resistive touch displays

2023-09-29T20:01:09+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

Our Educational Primer Series presents a deep dive into the technical elements that bring together the world of 4D Systems and what we have to offer. You’ll find that this information series, developed with our experts and engineers, is the perfect place to power up your knowledge and take your understanding of our hardware and software to the next level. As always, feel free to reach out and get in touch. The best learning is interactive and we’d love to hear from you.

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How to choose between capacitive & resistive touch displays

Normally you buy a phone or a touchscreen device based on the features it offers in terms of memory, battery life, camera, operating system and so on. However, you don’t give much thought to the touchscreen itself.

This could be because it is not always mentioned in the product description whether the touchscreen is capacitive or resistive. Additionally, both types of touchscreens are available on various devices across the electronics industry. So, what are the factors to consider before you choose one over the other?

Capacitive vs. Resistive display

Although to the layman the touchscreens look all similar at first glance, there are ways to differentiate them. On closer observation, you can find that the two are different. To put it simply, the most expensive tablets and smartphones you carry are more likely to feature a capacitive display. On the other hand, the older models in your collection would likely be the ones with a resistive touch display.

So, what is the difference between the two? The basic difference is the technology underlying the working of both screens. Let’s look at them closely.

Resistive touchscreen

The resistive touchscreen was one of the most common touchscreens used in industrial electronics. One of the main reasons for this was its cost-effectiveness. As the name itself implies, it works on the principle of resistance. In resistive touchscreens, two very thin layers of material are separated by a thin gap or air. PET film and glass are typically used as layers.

The upper and bottom layers of resistive touchscreens are lined with conductors such as indium tin oxide (ITO). The conducting sides are placed facing one another. However, there is a thin gap between the two layers that would prevent them from touching when the screen is not in use. So, when you press your finger or a stylus against the screen, it creates a change in resistance (an increase in voltage). The sensor layer detects this change, and the processor calculates the coordinates of that change and determines the position of the touch.

Advantages of resistive touchscreen

  • Low cost
  • Works well at different angles

  • Less chance of accidental touch

  • Can sense any object if touched with adequate pressure

  • Higher sensor resolution

Disadvantages of resistive touchscreen

  • Cannot respond to multi-touch sensing

  • Less sensitive and so need some pressure to be applied for it to work
  • Thick top layer results in lower clarity of display

  • The screen is more easily scratched or damaged

  • Will not work if there is a small crack on the screen

  • Difficult to repair

Capacitive touchscreens

Capacitive touchscreens, on the other hand, respond directly to the touch of your finger or an input device such as a stylus. Although they were invented almost a decade before the first resistive touchscreen, they became popular only recently.

Unlike the resistive touch displays that relies on mechanical pressure applied to the surface, capacitive touchscreen makes use of human body’s natural conductivity to operate. These screens are made of transparent, conductive material—usually ITO—coated onto a glass material.

As you touch the glass material with your finger, the static electricity stored in it transfers to the finger. The sensors in the processors use this change in electricity to determine the position of the touch. These sensors are very sensitive and can track even the slightest of touch, making capacitive touchscreens more receptive than resistive types.

Advantages of capacitive touchscreen

  • Durability

  • Better display

  • Easy to use

  • Supports customisation

  • More sensitive to touch
  • Offers multi-touch sensing functions

  • Ease of cleaning

Disadvantages of capacitive touchscreen

  • Cannot respond to multi-touch sensing

  • Highly sensitive means it can be activated at the lightest of touch – may lead to accidental touch

  • Views are best from the front

Conclusion

From the above details, it is clear that capacitive touch displays are better than the resistive touch displays in more ways than one. Although they are costlier the benefits offered by capacitive touch displays outweigh the cost.

Furthermore, touchscreens are liable to develop cracks if they fall or come into contact with a hard substance. While the resistive touch displays cease to work even in case of a small crack, the capacitive touch displays can work even in the event of a cracked screen.

Armed with such practical information, you would be better off choosing a capacitive touch display device with a
high touch-sensitive screen that requires no effort to operate. Sharp pictures would be an added advantage.

For a great range of LCD screens, visit: www.4dsystems.com.au/products

16 07, 2020

Educational Primer Series: Benefits of Resistive Touchscreens

2023-09-29T20:01:25+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

Our Educational Primer Series presents a deep dive into the technical elements that bring together the world of 4D Systems and what we have to offer. You’ll find that this information series, developed with our experts and engineers, is the perfect place to power up your knowledge and take your understanding of our hardware and software to the next level. As always, feel free to reach out and get in touch. The best learning is interactive and we’d love to hear from you.

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The benefits of resistive touchscreens

Touchscreens have become an integral part of our lives. We use touchscreens when we type out a text message on our smartphones, when we scroll through a selection menu at a restaurant, when we need to get cash out from an ATM and when we’re using an elevator in a shopping mall. As technology begins to advance and become more and more interactive, touchscreens are bound to be found everywhere – from personal gadgets like tablets, laptops, printers and gaming consoles, to household appliances like cooktops and washing machines, and to public conveniences like car GPS systems, elevators and ticket vending machines to name a few.

In all these touchscreens, you must have noticed a difference between the texture of the touch panels, the response time, and the required pressure you need to apply with your fingers. This is because the underlying technology is different in different touchscreens. Based on the types of touch sensors used in the development of a touchscreen, there are a few types of touchscreens.

Resistive touch

Resistive touch is one of the most commonly used touchscreen technologies and was once the most prevailing type of touchscreen interfaces. It was the American inventor Dr. Samuel G. Hurst who founded the first resistive touchscreen in 1971. He called the sensor Elograph, after his company Elographics and he even received a US patent for his invention in 1975.

Let’s find out more about resistive touch, as well as the benefits of resistive touch.

What is resistive touch?

As the name suggests, resistive touch works on the basis of a pressure applied to the screen. A resistive touchscreen consists of several thin layers. The layers comprise of a bottom glass panel that is followed by two resistive circuit layers which are coated with electrically conductive thin metallic layers separated by a slim gap consisting of separator dots.

When pressure is applied on the screen with a finger or stylus, the outer resistive layer is pushed onto the inner layer. The two metallic conductive layers come into contact closing a circuit, causing a current loop and generating a change in resistance on both vertical and horizontal axis. The change is detected by the sensors located on the screen’s edges which in turn find out the exact location by using the horizontal-vertical axis coordinates to indicate the touch point.

Benefits of resistive touch

Let’s take a look at the benefits of resistive touchscreens and how they can be suited to a variety of applications.

  • Minimal production cost – affordable

Resistive touchscreens are less complex to make due to its simple structure and cost less when compared
to other touch technologies. The affordability of the resistive touchscreen explains their success in highuse
applications like PDAs and Internet appliances.

  • Reacts to multiple types of touch

Resistive touchscreens have more sensors per inch than a capacitive touchscreen; the touchscreens can be touched to perform the desired action using a bare finger, gloved finger and stylus. This property makes resistive touchscreens the preferred choice in an industrial setting, where operators have to use gloves on the resistive touch panel. On the contrary, most of the capacitive touch screens will not work with gloves since the screen actually detects the electrical properties of the finger.

  • Extremely durable

Resistive touchscreens are extremely durable and can be used in tough and harsh environments. The surface is resistant to liquids like water, oil and grease and other contaminants like dust and moisture.

  • Power consumption is less

Resistive touchscreens do not use much power.

  • Precision with handwriting recognition

Resistive touchscreens are very suitable for handwriting recognition. The touchscreen can come with a
built-in handwriting recognition capability.

  • Less sensitive to stray stimuli

Though a high degree of sensitivity can be a good feature for a touchscreen, it is not always an advantage in industrial environments. Resistive touchscreens do not respond to stray stimuli such as liquid spills and spatters that are common in an industrial unit that can cause the terminal to react unintentionally.

  • High Resolution

Resistive touchscreen devices can have a resolution of 4096 x 4096 DPI or higher. This high resolution makes them ideal for watching movies and playing games. Furthermore, it also supports accurate touch control.
  • Resistive sensors can have no exposed glass

Most touchscreen technologies use glass plates as the outer touch layer. This is usually not allowed in the
food and beverage facilities as they have strict ‘no exposed glass’ policies. Resistive screens use a tough
polycarbonate outer layer that can contain the glass, even if the sensor screen is shattered by impact.

Resistive touchscreens have been widely used for many years and hope to remain a popular, well-proven and trusted solution in the future as well.

For a great range of LCD screens, visit: www.4dsystems.com.au/products/

7 07, 2020

Educational Primer Series: Benefits of Capacitive Touchscreens

2023-09-29T20:01:42+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

Our Educational Primer Series presents a deep dive into the technical elements that bring together the world of 4D Systems and what we have to offer. You’ll find that this information series, developed with our experts and engineers, is the perfect place to power up your knowledge and take your understanding of our hardware and software to the next level. As always, feel free to reach out and get in touch. The best learning is interactive and we’d love to hear from you.

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Benefits of Capacitive Touch

Thanks to touchscreen technology, the days of clunky mechanical pushbuttons taking up valuable real-estate on our devices are gone. Smartphones with touchscreens have made our lives a lot easier, and so have many other devices that use touchscreen technology – such as satellite navigation devices, personal digital assistants, access control panels, tablets and touchscreen laptops to mention a few.

The latest in touchscreen technology uses the conductive touch of a human finger or specialised device for input. We’ll explore this in more detail.

How does Capacitive Touch Work?

Capacitive touchscreens are most commonly controlled by human touch. A finger touching the screen becomes an electrical conductor that stimulates the electrostatic field of the touchscreen.

The touch panel/glass has a capacitive layer with a static charge that shifts from the device to the finger. The system detects this reduction in charge and then processes the information to the program to tell the exact location of the touch, based on the many capacitor sensors on the screen.

Capacitive Vs. Resistive Touch

Before capacitive touch screens became available, the alternative to detect touch was using resistance. Resistive touchscreens have three layers – upper, middle and bottom layers. The middle layer consists of air or similar inert gas/substance. When pressure is applied on the surface of a resistive touchscreen device, it presses the upper and bottom layers together and the point of touch is calculated based on it.

However, capacitive touchscreens register touch through the electrical current transmitted to the human body, which means that they require less pressure to operate. That’s why it is possible to operate capacitive touchscreens simply by dragging the finger across the surface.

Benefits of Capacitive Touch

That brings us to the benefits of capacitive touch, which makes it a preferred choice to resistive touch.

  • Durability

A key feature of capacitive touchscreen technology is its strength and durability. These screens are more durable than resistive touchscreens because the fingerprint smudges and dirt, if any, won’t hamper the functionality.

A cracked screen is the most common damage suffered by touchscreen devices. However, in most cases, devices with a capacitive screen will continue to work, even with a cracked screen. This is because even when there are minor cracks, the device will continue to measure the electrical charge from the fingers and use the information to determine the point of touch. It means cracks don’t interfere with the function of a capacitive touchscreen device.

  • Better Display

As capacitive touchscreen devices use glass layers, they come with exceptional picture quality. If you’re planning to watch movies, TV shows and videos on your touchscreen device, make sure you choose one with capacitive touch.

  • Ease of use

Perhaps one of the major benefits of capacitive touch is the ease of use. You need not learn anything – much of it is intuitive. It has never been easier to choose the correct button or menu from the screen. What’s more, on-screen buttons can be enlarged as needed. A clear view of the buttons and knowing where to touch to select the feature is all it requires to operate a capacitive touch screen.

  • Supports customisation

Capacitive touch screens usually offer all-in-one solutions. It means that the device can be customised to suit customer needs. These touch panel controllers or touch monitors can save desk space as there is no need for a mouse or a keyboard. Everything is available on-screen, saving valuable space. Furthermore, the integration of data entry with the display saves space in the device used too.

  • More sensitive to touch

Capacitive touchscreens use the human body’s electrical current to register the touch, and so, all they need is a light touch of the fingers. One need not put any pressure at all. That’s why it is easy to operate them simply by dragging the finger across the surface. This is opposite to the resistive touchscreens, which need a firm and slightly forceful press for registering the touch.

  • Offers multi-touch sensing functions

Capacitive touch screens can be of different kinds. A projected capacitive touch screen facilitates multitouch, which is a huge advantage for many kinds of touchscreen devices. Do you use the pinch zoom feature on your device? It is thanks to projected capacitive touch screen functionality. Gesture touches like this can enhance user experience and flexibility by allowing to get the most from the device.

  • Easy to clean

The TFT LCD capacitive touch screens come with a sturdy glass top layer. It is easier to clean and is not impacted by dirt, rain, grease or dust. It makes capacitive touch screens very well suited for long term use.

Thus, we can see that there are several benefits offered by capacitive touch. With rapid changes and the introduction of advanced technologies, we can expect more features and benefits in the future.

To see the extensive range of screens from 4D Systems, visit: www.4dsystems.com.au/products/

23 06, 2020

Educational Primer Series: How does an LCD Work

2023-09-29T20:01:57+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

Our Educational Primer Series presents a deep dive into the technical elements that bring together the world of 4D Systems and what we have to offer. You’ll find that this information series, developed with our experts and engineers, is the perfect place to power up your knowledge and take your understanding of our hardware and software to the next level. As always, feel free to reach out and get in touch. The best learning is interactive and we’d love to hear from you.

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How Does an LCD Work?

LCD screens are ubiquitous in a wide range of applications, from the giant high-definition screens you would find at a cricket stadium to the smaller displays you’d find in some of your personal gadgets such as digital watches, smartphones and laptop monitors. LCD technology also lies behind the displays of calculators, digital cameras, notification panels and many other electronic devices.

So what is an LCD? What are the components you’d find inside an LCD screen? How does an LCD work?

Let’s take a closer look.

What is an LCD?

The acronym, LCD, stands for Liquid Crystal Display. Liquid crystal, as the name suggests, is an organic substance that has two states – a liquid form and a crystal molecular form.

Friedrich Reinitzer, an Austrian botanist, first discovered liquid crystals in 1888. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, liquid crystal was only used for research purposes and in experiments. An American company, RCA Corporation, discovered that liquid crystals had electro-optical effects, i.e. when exposed to an electrical field, the liquid crystal could change from transparent to visible light to partially opaque. RCA recognised this value of liquid crystal and made the first experimental LCD in 1968. Since then, LCD manufacturers have found ways to improve the quality of LCD screens.

Basic Structure of an LCD

An LCD comprises of several layers. Starting from back to front, the parts of an LCD include the following layers:

  • Reflective mirror
  • Polarising film
  • Glass filter
  • Negative electrode plane
  • Liquid crystal substance
  • Positive electrode plane
  • Glass filter
  • Polarising film
  • Display glass

The two layers of flexible polarising filters are set at a 90-degree angle to each other with a layer of liquid crystal solution lodged in between. The two glass sheets come with thin grids of transparent electrodes placed on their inside faces. Also, on the inner side of both the glass filters, a special polymer that creates microscopic grooves is applied. The grooves are aligned in the same direction as that of the polarising film. Once a coating of liquid crystals is added onto one of the filters, the grooves will cause the first layer of molecules to align with the filter’s orientation. Simultaneously, all the layers of the LCD components will twist and align until the uppermost layer is at a 90-degree angle to the bottom layer.

An LCD does not produce any illumination on its own and depends on an external source for light. If there is an external light source, it passes through the first filter, as it is polarised. The light then passes through each layer and is guided on to the next with the help of molecules. When the light passes through the liquid crystal layer, the molecules tend to change the light’s plane of vibration to match their own angle. As the light passes through the liquid crystal layer, it vibrates at the same angle as the final layer of molecules. If the angle of the final layer matches with the second polarised glass filter, then the light will pass through.

How Does an LCD Work?

When there is no current, the liquid crystal molecules are aligned parallel with the glass surface. The light entering through the front of the LCD hits the reflective mirror and bounces right back out. However, when a voltage is applied between the electrode planes, the liquid crystals tend to untwist and change their direction and turn vertical to the glass surface. This blocks the light coming through the layers that makes that area darker than the surrounding areas.

When the light passes through both filters, the screen looks lighter in colour, i.e. in different levels of grey. The motion of liquid crystal molecules together with the direction of the two polarisation filters can control the quantity of light transmission. This is the principle on which an LCD works.

For an LCD to produce a coloured image, coloured filters are used to generate red, green and blue pixels. A coloured dye is used in the liquid crystal and the liquid crystal molecule becomes a sub-pixel either generating red, green or blue light. Three of these sub-pixels together make a pixel and millions of pixels together form an image. Controlling the liquid crystals with voltage adjusts the colour and brightness of the image.

LCDs come with many advantages and are the preferred display medium for many applications. This is because LCDs produce a sharp image, use less power which translates to lower cost and less heat, can be made into larger sizes, is compact and thin, and more importantly, have a flat-screen.

There could be other technologies set to become the next big thing in displays, but for now, LCDs are here to stay.

To see the extensive range of screens from 4D Systems, visit:  www.4dsystems.com.au/products/

11 06, 2020

Educational Primer Series: What does TFT Mean

2023-09-29T20:02:16+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

Our Educational Primer Series presents a deep dive into the technical elements that bring together the world of 4D Systems and what we have to offer. You’ll find that this information series, developed with our experts and engineers, is the perfect place to power up your knowledge and take your understanding of our hardware and software to the next level. As always, feel free to reach out and get in touch. The best learning is interactive and we’d love to hear from you.

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What Does TFT Mean?

While buying a television, computer or a mobile, you would have come across the term TFT and wondered what it really meant. Simply put, TFT stands for “Thin Film Transistor”.

It is a type of LCD flat-panel display screen, wherein each pixel is controlled by one to four transistors. Also known as active-matrix LCDs, TFT technology offers the best resolution of all the flat-panel techniques. However, that makes it one of the most expensive ones too.

TFT Explained

TFT transistors are normally used in high-quality flat-panel LCDs. Such displays come with at least one transistor for each pixel on the screen. This makes it possible for the electrical current that illuminates the display to be turned on and off quicker. This, in turn, results in brighter display and smoother motions. LCDs with TFT technology are active-matrix displays and are higher-quality than the older passive-matrix displays. Active matrix simply means that every pixel is attached to an individual transistor and capacitor.

So, the next time you see a label TFT AM LCD monitor at your local computer store, don’t be baffled. It simply means that the monitor comes with a “thin-film transistor active-matrix liquid crystal display”. In other words, it is an excellent flat-screen monitor. Good colours make everything look brighter and more appealing.

Pros and Cons

The advent of LCDs made viewing a better experience than ever. Soon, a world of high-end colour LCD Modules became the preferred choice. But thanks to the technological evolution of embedded devices, more and more sophisticated products and designs came into being.

Design is no longer about what things look like and feel like. Design is more about how it works. As such, the TFT LCD modules on our TV, computer monitors, kindles, mobile phone and navigation systems are all excellent designs. They are not only highly effective but also add to the look and feel of the devices.

The major advantages of TFT LCD are as follows:

  • Less energy consumption

Because of the construction of TFT structures with pixel-like materials, they do not consume too much energy, to begin with. When compared with the CRT monitor, the TFT monitor consumes far less power and is therefore a preferred choice.

  • Sharper visibility with superb visual quality

The images displayed on a TFT display do not rely on scanning the electron beams. Hence they are flicker-free and offer a crisp image, with no geometric distortion.

  • Excellent physical design

the physical design of TFT display is in such a manner that they save a lot of space. The devices can be placed anywhere in the office or home even if there is very little space available.

  • Faster response time

As there are individual transmitters and conductors, the response time is much faster than that of the normal LCD or CRT displays. There is virtually no delay in turning on the screen, which makes it preferable to other types of displays.

  • Low strain on the eye

thanks to the quality of pictures displayed and the absence of any rays emitting from the screen, viewing is rather pleasant and strain-free for the eyes.

However, it also has some disadvantages such as:

  • Higher cost

A TFT LCD screen may cost a little more than a regular monochrome display, thanks to its design features.

  • Poor viewing experience at angles

TFT screen offers the best viewing experience right at the front. Any change in the angle of view could mean a distorted view. Still, TFT displays are far superior in quality than the older versions and would be expected to improve in the future.

Other Developments

Technology is ever-changing. So it is no wonder TFT is also undergoing frequent changes. For instance, now you have IPS. It stands for In-Plane Switching and is a further improvement on TFT LCDs.

In the case of IPS, the manner in which the crystals are electrically excited on them is different. Also, the orientation of the crystal array is rotated. As a result of this change in orientation, the viewing angles are improved, along with the contrast ratio and colour reproduction.

Although energy consumption is low compared to TFT LCDs, and they are better than TFT LCDs, they are more expensive. But IPS TFT LCD technology is now widely used for high-performance computers, laptops, tablets, and smart phones.

Conclusion

TFT displays come with a lot of advantages such as a high contrast ratio and low production cost, thus lowering
the price of your device. On the other hand, they do not offer good viewing angles and impressive colour
reproduction if not viewed from the front.

Yet, thanks to ongoing innovations and research, it might not be too long before these problems are sorted out
and you can get a great viewing experience from all angles.

To see the extensive range of screens from 4D Systems, visit: www.4dsystems.com.au/products/

28 05, 2020

Educational Primer Series: Intelligent Display 101

2023-09-29T20:02:31+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

Our Educational Primer Series presents a deep dive into the technical elements that bring together the world of 4D Systems and what we have to offer. Beginning with Intelligent Display 101, you’ll find that this information series, developed with our experts and engineers, is the perfect place to power up your knowledge and take your understanding of our hardware and software to the next level. As always, feel free to reach out and get in touch. The best learning is interactive and we’d love to hear from you.

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Intelligent display 101

Gone are those days when displays were simple tools to show you something. Whether it is the displays of your mobile, TV, tablet or other devices, they have come a long way from the static black and white days. Now you have a wide range of displays – often intelligent and facilitating a human-machine interface.

What is an intelligent display?

For the uninitiated, the term intelligent display might mean something very sophisticated and complex. However, the term represents ready-to-be-installed & EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) pre-qualified display modules that enable you to quickly and easily add graphics combined with a touchscreen human-machine interface to your devices.

Intelligent Display is often provided as an add-on to your main application and is connected to your main board via a serial connection (such as RS232, CAN2.0B, USB). It is normally steered through a set of control commands that are integrated into the main code of your device.

Why choose an intelligent display?

Touch has become a global interface for multimedia devices across the world, and there is an increased demand for larger touchscreens, especially in the corporate sector. More people are introduced to the touch interfaces, thanks to its availability on their personal devices, at the shopping centre information displays, in educational institutions and so on. These touch screen displays have become so common now that you can see them almost everywhere – in ATMs, interactive kiosks at museums and public transportation centres, advertising boards and more.

Businesses have realised that it is here to stay and are now investing in associated technology more than ever. Hence, both business and individual users expect to be offered interactive touchscreens by the supplier unprompted – intelligent display is slowly becoming the norm and not an exception. To think only a few years ago, the process of installation of interactive displays took a lot of work convincing the user about the benefits and ease of use.

One of the major advantages of intelligent displays is the ability to interact with laptops, tablets, phones and other displays. In short, the interactive collaborative technology helped to improve communication and engagement between man and the machine. As a result, not only phones but also homes and offices are turning smart. Many businesses find that intelligent displays are great tools to communicate with their customers and clients.

Advantages of intelligent displays?

Intelligent displays come with a lot of benefits. Some of them are:

  • Flexibility

With intelligent displays, it is possible to change the display to suit any user. For instance, the font/picture size can be adequately increased if the user has a problem seeing small fonts. Likewise, the volume can be increased or decreased to suit the listener so that he can enjoy the content in the best manner.

  • Multi-touch functions

Pinch-zoom and other features such as swiping with two or more fingers to capture a screenshot, make it easier to handle the devices.

  • Ease of use

it is very easy to use an intelligent display unit – often touch or swipe will be enough to get things done. With the introduction of new technology, even voice commands can be used to activate them.

  • Tailormade solutions

if we take the case of intelligent advertisement display boards, they can be highly customised. For instance, if a board is displaying ads of clothes, it can be programmed in a way that if someone passes by it, it displays ads specifically targeted to the person.

  • Display sizes

Likewise, the boards are highly customisable to suit the needs of the user. For instance, a display board in a school can be enlarged to use in a large seminar hall or used as a display unit on usual school days.

  • Interactive

Needless to say, the greatest advantage of an intelligent display is its interactive feature. The end-user is, in fact, able to communicate with the machine and get the information needed easily. Interactive kiosks in an art gallery or a museum are great examples of this. With the help of these display units, a visitor can even see the minute details of the exhibit.

  • Durability

 intelligent displays often come with a high-performance capacitive touch panel that operates under a 5mm tempered glass. It means that the screen is durable and it will continue to work even if it is cracked.

As technology grows, it will be possible to do more tasks by a mere touch on your screen. In the coming future, even a gesture of your hand or fingers without actually touching the screen could activate the screen. It is likely that more devices will offer touch facility – laptops and desktops are now offering the feature and it has made life easier than ever. So, it would be safe to presume that Intelligent Display is here to stay and grow further.

To see the extensive range of screens from 4D Systems, visit: www.4dsystems.com.au/products/

23 08, 2019

Why choose 4D for your next project?

2023-09-29T20:02:56+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

For the past 15 years, 4D Systems has been regarded as one of the top providers of state-of-the-art intelligent display and graphics processors. Much of this comes from our flexibility to jump on new and intriguing projects, whether it’s for a multinational, an engineering firm or even a hobbyist.

So why do our customers continue to choose 4D over our competitors? Here are some reasons why we’re the ideal partner for your next project.

We are always on the cusp of the most innovative technologies

We are never content to rest on our laurels, and we are constantly searching for projects where we can apply our technical knowledge across new industries.

Recent 4D Systems projects span a diversity of sectors, from healthcare to sports racing, solar power. More recently, we partnered with CEiiA to support their creation of The Atena – an Invasive Medical Ventilator to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to that, our gen4-4DCAPE-50CT-SB LCD display unit was used in a ready-to-drive, single-seat formula vehicle for the international Formula Student design project, and our hardware and software even contributed to the Técnico Solar Boat, a fully solar-powered racing vessel.

On the hobbyist front we even turbocharged model-making project to build a scale model of the EVA Pod from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

We’re different from other technology providers

What we are perhaps best known for among our customers is our ability to tailor-make solutions to match a project’s needs – however technical or particular they may be. Customers come to us with a problem and we design a solution.

We are also committed to innovation, and our reputation as a leading provider with world-class manufacturing facilities speaks for itself. But none of this would matter if we weren’t able to turn around products efficiently. Our speed from ideation to development to production is second-to-none, and it sets us apart from the competition.

Finally, we are a lifetime partner, committed to providing support and technical solutions beyond our initial interactions. We’re redefining what customers expect from a technology provider – as one of our happy clients told us: “The relationship didn’t end once we had the hardware – that meant a lot.”

You can read more about what our clients have to say about 4D Systems here.

We create market-leading products

In addition to engaging with a variety of clients to build custom display solutions, you can also purchase a wide selection of enterprise-grade hardware, software, accessories and end-of-life products.

Our range includes intelligent (gen4-HMI, uLCD, uOLED, etc.) and primary (Raspberry Pi, Beaglebone) display modules, building-automation displays for both corporate and residential property, camera and audio hardware, and much more. Best of all, we cater to all budgets.

If you don’t find the product you’re looking for, simply reach out to the 4D team and we will custom-build the technology you need.

We provide top-class technical support

At 4D Systems, we take pride in our deep technical knowledge to provide ongoing support to clients. In addition to offering an accessible Codebase to help inspire your latest projects, you can read regularly updated App Notes, interact with staff on our 4D Systems Forum, and find answers to all your questions through our dedicated Helpdesk.

We value each and every project and can provide the support you need over its entire lifecycle.

Do you have a project that needs the expertise of intelligent display specialists? Contact the team at 4D Systems today or call (02) 9625 9714. You can also follow our latest projects here.

20 08, 2019

How innovators are accelerating product development using commodity SBCs and display modules

2023-09-29T20:03:20+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

The past ten years have seen a significant increase in the number of new consumer electronics-based products coming to market, and the pace shows no signs of slowing. You can find everything from an IoT-connected toothbrush to a petcam app that allows you to check up on your cat or dog when they are home alone.

Imagination is everything, and this seems to be driving the rate of new product innovations.

Look a bit deeper behind each design and you’ll probably find that it was developed using one or more of the techniques now available to all. We’re talking about the rise in 3D printing, putting 3D drafting and printing capabilities in the hands of the many. And it isn’t just the 3D printer that makes all this possible, it’s the availability of free online portals such as Tinkercad, where not only can you develop your own design, but you can then share it with others in the community, or perhaps use or modify a design that somebody else has produced. Add in an equally open and engaging community behind single-board computers (SBCs) such as the Raspberry Pi, Arduino and BeagleBone Black, and your great idea is almost in production!

So you have come up with your product design – perhaps you’ve made a couple of prototypes to show family and friends, but now you fancy having a go at ‘making it big’ by taking your product to market. Conducting market research and obtaining finance have always hampered those with good ideas, but now there is another route: crowdfunding. Crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo provide a forum to structure your product design ideas and gauge consumer interest, as well as a means of finance. If enough early adopters think your idea a good one, and the production plans are achievable and well thought-through, then you’ll quickly find you have the finance in place to get your business started.

There is another interesting aspect to the scenario above, which is that many of the inventors and innovators launching new products are not professionally trained engineers. Granted, an enquiring mind can pick up a lot of basic skills and knowledge by experimentation, but it is the passion and expertise innovators have for their new product that really provides the momentum to make an idea a reality. So many have come up with a product idea having been frustrated by the repetitive things they have to do, or tools they use in their daily lives, whether at home or work. Never has the phrase ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ been more relevant.

When it comes to choosing an SBC there are tens of different boards available, many with a choice of configurations. Take the Linux-based Raspberry Pi, for example – introduced in 2013, and as of March 2018 there have been over 19 million Raspberry Pis sold. Now available in four different form-factor boards, the Raspberry Pi has been credited with kickstarting a resurgence in electronics as a hobby. The Raspberry Pi Zero W is one of the board variants, packing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and Bluetooth Low Energy wireless connectivity and a 1 GHz single-core ARM11 CPU and 512 MB RAM into a compact 65 x 30 x 5 mm footprint.

Figure 1 – Raspberry Pi Zero W (image courtesy of Raspberry Pi Foundation)

The Raspberry Pi board family has been widely adopted by non-engineer innovators and industrial automation manufacturers alike. Online communities and forums offer a vast range of programming tips and hardware interfacing techniques that help developers get their product working. It can be found at the heart of many low-volume industrial products, saving manufacturers the significant costs of developing a custom embedded system.

The Raspberry Pi has also spawned a whole industry that supplies a range of affordable add-on peripheral interface boards or ‘hats’, cases and display modules. A budding innovator is quickly able to assemble all the parts needed to prototype a new product idea. From the operating software perspective, the Raspberry Pi uses a popular Linux distribution that is extremely reliable and resilient in use, and well supported. Available programming languages include most popular high-level languages such as Python and C/C++ as well as more visual tools such as Node-RED and Scratch.

An example display suitable for use as the primary display across the whole Raspberry Pi family is the gen4-4DPi series from 4D Systems. Available in 4.3, 5 or 7 inch screen sizes with the option of resistive or capacitive touch controls, the 4DPi is designed to work with the standard Raspbian Operating System and takes its input from what would have been sent to the HDMI interface.

Figure 2 – gen4-4DPi-43T 4.3 inch display

The 4.3 inch 4DPi comprises a 480 x 272 pixel TFT screen (800 x 480 resolution for the 5 and 7 inch models) – see Figure 3 – and an adapter – see Figure 4. The 4.3 inch display has a typical frame rate of 20 frames per second, and is powered directly from the host SBC. No additional power supply is required, thus making the combination ideal for use in space-constrained products. Communication with the Raspberry Pi is achieved by a high-speed 48 MHz SPI connection that uses a compression technology to further improve data transfer speed. A Xilinx FPGA is used to process the SPI data and pass it to the LCD controller.

Assuming that you have a functioning Raspberry Pi Zero W, you simply follow the instructions provided in the gen-4DPi datasheet to connect the display to the SBC. This involves downloading and installing kernel updates from the 4D Systems website and changing a couple of boot options. It is also recommended that you calibrate the touch screen to ensure that it works correctly with your application and, if required, change the display orientation from landscape to portrait.

With a host of SBCs, modules and community support readily available, innovators have only their imagination to limit what can be designed.

13 08, 2019

How to easily incorporate a colour display and touch interface into an existing design

2023-09-29T20:04:10+10:00Categories: Display Technologies|Tags: |

The proliferation of Full Colour Graphics Displays with Touch

There are very few embedded designs on the market today that do not have a display. Even many consumer white goods and kitchen appliances incorporate some form of display. Buttons, rotary selectors, switches and other input devices are being replaced by more colourful and easier-to-use touch screen displays in industrial machines, thermostats, drink dispensers, 3D printers, commercial applications – virtually any electronic application.

Undoubtedly, this trend has greatly been accelerated over the past decade by the adoption of the smartphone and the emergence of tablet computers. Users of electronic devices have come to expect an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) with touch control to interact with the device. Touch displays add a more aesthetically pleasing look and intuitive interaction to a wide variety of commercial and industrial products. This explosive adoption is reflected in recent forecasts for touch screen modules, which is expected to exceed $110bn by 2027.

As a result, an increasing number of designers and manufacturers are feeling the pressure to design a display into their new devices or to upgrade their existing devices by replacing physical buttons with graphic displays with touch. Often, this task is easier said than done. Particularly for smaller organisations that are specialised in single core applications, like coffee machines, but lack the resources and know-how in the display department.

Learn more about how 4D Systems helped CEiiA quickly develop a ventilator with a full color graphics interface with touch in the fight against COVID-19 using a 7.0″ gen4-HMI Display Module with Touch and 4D Workshop4 IDE.

Furthermore, as product development lifecycles are getting shorter and there is increased pressure on time-to-market, even larger organisations with seemingly unlimited resources are looking for easier, more flexible, and scalable display solutions for their applications.

Below an example of a drink dispenser where mechanical buttons have been replaced with a full colour touch screen display.

Image 1: Stiegl / Drink Modul – drink dispenser with mechanical buttons.

Image 2: Stiegl / Drink Modul – drink dispenser with mechanical buttons replaced with full-colour touch screen displays.

In this upgrade implementation Stiegl used a 4.3″ Intelligent Display Module with Capacitive Touch and Integrated Bezel from 4D Systems’ gen4-HMI Series of Smart Display Modules in combination with 4D Workshop4 IDE enabling fast development times and swift time to market.

Module used: gen4-uLCD-43DCT-CLB

Software: 4D Workshop4 IDE

Two Approaches: Modular Solution vs. Discrete Design

Committing to the right LCD display solution for a product can be a difficult task. For the embedded designer, incorporating an LCD can be as demanding as the rest of the design. There are many things to consider when making the initial decisions on what kind of display to use.

Essentially, there are two routes to adding a display to a design – either by designing in a discrete LCM and developing all required libraries and software to drive the display (Discrete Design) or using an off-the-shelf Intelligent Display Module that is virtually ready to run out of box (Modular Solution).

Either of these two options have their benefits and drawbacks in terms of cost, flexibility, scalability, control of components, development time, and ease of development etc. Both options should be considered in detail in the initial planning phase.

For example, when looking purely at the cost of the bill of materials, discrete design may seem like the more attractive option when comparing it to the cost of a ready-made module. However, factoring in the development time and resources required of a discrete design vs. a ready-to-run module solution, the short and long-term cost benefit may be offset by the ease of use and speed at which development can be completed using a module.

Discrete Design Implementation

Consider an example where an existing application or device is upgraded to include a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with touch functionality. Essentially replacing physical buttons or other input devices with a touch panel.

Let’s imagine this existing application device is running on an 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) and is to be upgraded to have a full colour graphics display with a touch interface. While most MCU’s are capable of interfacing to an LCD through a driver that is either integrated into the MCU or the display, or using a discrete driver, the size and resolution of the display would be limited by the MCU’s resources. For instance, it may be possible for an 8-bit MCU to drive a two-line dot-matrix display, but it may not have the processing resources to drive anything larger.

To create an engaging, graphically-rich experience it will be necessary for the designer to add a significant amount of embedded software into the application, such as libraries and image files. Alone the development effort of simply having the LCD as an output device is already significant, but it gets even more complex when touch functionality is added, and the LCD is used as an input device.

A considerable amount of research and effort needs to be put into both, the hardware and software development when using this approach. Once the application development is complete and production is initiated, it is imperative to follow strict incoming quality control on displays. There is always the possibility that something has changed with the display without prior notification, which can cause line-down problems and require redevelopment or tweaking of the display drivers and a dedicated team of engineers may be required to fulfil this task.

Although developing a custom discrete design gives more complete control over the bill of materials, and cost, this comes with the added expense of increased engineering and development cost. It is also important to consider the development time required for the steps outlined above. It can take up to 6 months or longer to get to the point when the actual GUI can be developed once the lower-level design has been completed.

The added level of complexity in terms of the bill of materials can influence the long-term availability of the selected components. If one of the key components is discontinued, redevelopment of the GUI may be necessary and can cause extended and costly line-down delays. This in turn can result in extended delivery lead times of the end-user application and customer dissatisfaction.

Modular Design Implementation

The alternative approach to designing-in a display is to use an off-the-shelf Intelligent Display Module. Typically, modules of this type feature an industry standard interface such as I2C, SPI or UART for communications to the host. Some modules also include an embedded microcontroller that not only takes care of all the graphics elements but may also include a variety of I/O and other peripherals to potentially allow the module to run the entire target application.

Many modules are supported by a library of functions allowing relatively easy control from the host MCU. Some come with a fully-fledged Integrated Development Environment that integrates the design and construction of the GUI as part of the overall embedded design process. Some of these

IDE’s feature drag-and-drop ‘WYSIWYG’ style development workflows, enabling extremely fast prototyping and application development without the need to write any code.

Using the module approach has the benefit that all of the drivers, primitives and GUI functions have already been developed and tested. Also, the host MCU can offload all the display tasks to the module so that the host can dedicate all its resources to the main application.

This way engineers can focus on the actual GUI design without having to worry about the low-level development. Essentially, getting a jump start on the overall development and eliminating months of time spent on getting basic things setup.

There are various Intelligent Module Solutions available today. One such solution is available from 4D Systems in a variety of display modules of several sizes and touch options that are programmed using 4D Workshop4 Integrated Development Environment.

The gen4 Series HMI modules have been designed to work with almost any form of host MCU or processor. Even small low-pin-count devices. This is possible as all the interaction between the display module and the host takes place over a simple serial link which is supported by most MCU’s.

As can be seen from the above description, the process of integrating an Intelligent Display Module into an application is far simpler and straight forward when comparing it to the process of a discrete design. The display module removes all the lower level design requirements and developer can focus on developing the actual GUI and the core application. This allows prototypes to be ready within a couple of days, and the final application to be ready within a couple of weeks, thus radically reducing the time to market.

Additionally, the risks of having to re-develop the display solution in the medium run due to discontinued components is far lower with the modular solution as the module supplier takes on this task. In fact, with display modules that integrate a dedicated graphics processor this risk is eliminated altogether as the developed GUI will ‘travel’ with the processor and will not be affected by the display technology.

As an added bonus, modular solutions, like the one from 4D Systems, allow for scalability in the future as the newly developed GUI can easily be ported to various resolutions and display sizes with a few clicks of a button.

Cost Analysis – Discrete Design vs. Modular Design

Ultimately the decision of which design approach to take often boils down to simple cost analysis. While the decision-making process should be a managerial as well an engineering decision, oftentimes what seems attractive on paper, and bottom line, is what drives the decisions. In this regard, it is worth having a closer look at a possible cost analysis scenario to look at what the numbers say as well.

As an example, let’s examine a scenario where a 4.3” LCD Display with Capacitive Touch and Cover Glass is being designed into an existing application using each of the two approaches. We will use some hypothetical estimations for this exercise and this is meant for illustrative purposes only.

Design Specifications

  • Annual requirement: 3000 pieces of end user application.
  • Project lifetime: 2 years.
  • Total volume required 6000 pieces.
  • Delivery volume: 250 pieces per month.

Discrete Design

  • Two Development Engineers required to make the development and design.
  • Estimated Annual Salary Cost per engineer: 140,000 USD / year
  • Development time required 6 month
  • Development cost for 6 months: 140,000 USD
  • Estimated unit cost of 4.3” LCD Display and peripherals: 39.00 USD

Modular Design:

  • One Development Engineer required to make the design.
  • Estimated Annual Salary cost for the engineer: 140,000 USD / year.
  • Development time required 1 month
  • Development cost for 1 month: 11,666 USD
  • Estimated unit cost of 4.3” Intelligent Display Module: 59.50 USD

From this, we see that the Development Cost for Modules is significantly lower compared to the Development Cost of the Discrete Design. The total cost per unit for the first batch of 250 pieces is also significantly lower with the modular approach with 152.84 USD vs. 599.00 USD.

As the development cost of the discrete design is amortized over time the total cost per unit drops rapidly. However, in this example it takes up to 23 months, or total volume of 5,750 delivered units, until the two total cost lines meet at the top right-hand side of the chart.

From this we can conclude that choosing the modular solution at volumes below 6000 units is more cost effective than the discrete design. If all variables except the volume remained the same in this example, and the volume requirement was 10K units, the discrete design would be more cost effective. However, at higher volumes the module supplier would also be able to provide a more cost-effective price, which can potentially significantly reduce the cost advantage of a discrete design at higher volumes.

In the above example we are making some generalisations and looking at only the cost aspect of the two approaches. While it is very important to look at the cost, it is worth noting all the other benefits and drawbacks involved in either of the approaches.

Conclusion

From this, we see that the Development Cost for Modules is significantly lower compared to the Development Cost of the Discrete Design. The total cost per unit for the first batch of 250 pieces is also significantly lower with the modular approach with 152.84 USD vs. 599.00 USD.

As the development cost of the discrete design is amortized over time the total cost per unit drops rapidly. However, in this example it takes up to 23 months, or total volume of 5,750 delivered units, until the two total cost lines meet at the top right-hand side of the chart.

From this we can conclude that choosing the modular solution at volumes below 6000 units is more cost effective than the discrete design. If all variables except the volume remained the same in this example, and the volume requirement was 10K units, the discrete design would be more cost effective. However, at higher volumes the module supplier would also be able to provide a more cost-effective price, which can potentially significantly reduce the cost advantage of a discrete design at higher volumes.

In the above example we are making some generalisations and looking at only the cost aspect of the two approaches. While it is very important to look at the cost, it is worth noting all the other benefits and drawbacks involved in either of the approaches.

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