Bitmap2LCD Appearance, Windows and Styles

Leave a reply

Bitmap2LCD is a tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems.

Bitmap2LCD Appearance, Windows and Styles

Update V3.7c

The program is a “floating windows application” and supports dual screen

bitmap2lcd-windows-managment

Then you can also choose between the skins called “Original Windows Style” or “Modern Style”

You can choose your favorite Windows skin at the top of the Windows Main Menu (blue arrow) which will only be effective at the next application launch.

bitmap2lcd-skin-and-styles

Bitmap2LCD supports dual monitors, and sometimes a window can be entirely hidden or located somewhere on the secundary window or even outside the monitor surfaces. You can bring back “home” (on the main screen) a window by clicking the dedicated menu items.

 

 

Full Size or Partial Conversion of the Graphic in Work Canvas

Leave a reply

Bitmap2LCD is a tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems and a programmable graphic and text processing tool.

Full Size or Partial Conversion of the Graphic in Work Canvas

Update V3.7c

Auto-framing (effective bitmap size) : The tool automatically builds a frame around the bitmap located inside the work canvas and converts only the pixels inside it to data.

This frame is built around the effective bitmap by ignoring all the pixels around that are  considered as being in “background” color pixel. The background color is defined by the pixel color at X0 and Y 0 , at the top left corner.

The frame takes into account the number of pixels per byte ( In monochrome mode for example a multiple of 8 in height or in Width, this depends of the data direction )

Bitmap Size Descriptors : If checked, at the end of the data array in the Text Editor , you will find descriptors with height and Width of the converted bitmap.

Bitmap Coordinates Descriptors : If checked, at the end of the data array in the Text Editor , you will find descriptors with X coordinate and Y coordinate of the converted bitmap, the coordinates of the top left corner. If checked, the Auto Framing processing is bidirectional. If unchecked, the Auto Framing processing will only be made in one direction.

Find these options in the configuration panel (blue arrow) Data syntax Tab (green arrow) in the Bitmap Conversion Options Group (red arrow)

bitmap2lcd-framing-settings

Options when running a conversion of the graphic in the Work Canvas :

You can opt for an effective Bitmap Size (auto-framing) ( green arrow ) or for a conversion of the full size canvas or of a manually selected area of the Work Canvas ( red arrow )

In the case of a manually selected area, you have then to select the area with the mouse along the paging scheme guide lines.

bitmap2lcd-framing-settings_2

 

More about partial conversion here

 

Intel Hex Data Output

Leave a reply

Intel Hex Data Output (memory map)

Update V4.0

Intel HEX is a file format that conveys binary information in ASCII text form. It is commonly used for programming microcontrollers, EPROMs, and other types of programmable logic devices.  ( Source : About Intel Hex )

In the Output + Settings menu , there’s a new item, for the image inside the Work Canvas to be exported to Data as Intel Hex Files. (blue arrow)

There are several options located in the Start Conversion dialog to change the Intel Hex format.

bitmap2lcd_Intel_Hex_Generated

Save and reload a Vector Script

Leave a reply

Bitmap2LCD is a tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems and a programmable graphic and text processing tool.

Save and reload a Vector Script

Enter Vector Mode with button  vecto2

In the following example, a circle/ellipse and a rectangle were drawn inside the work canvas and the vectors were exported form canvas to script with the Addvect button

bitmap2lcd vector mode save and reload_1

Save the script to disk (blue arrow)

A vector script is saved to a file having a .B2L extension

 

Reload a Vector Script

In the Graphics Library Folder ( red Arrow ), click on the B2L file ( blue Arrow )

> Use the Files Filters ( Green Arrow ) if necessary

bitmap2lcd Save and Reload Vector Script

The Vector Script is loaded inside the script editor.

Run script Runvect to draw the the vectors inside the work canvas.

See also this article !

 

Graphic LCD and International Fonts and Characters

Leave a reply

Bitmap2LCD is a tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems and a programmable graphic and text processing tool.

International Fonts and Characters

Update V3.7c

Quote :

Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world’s writing systems. Developed in conjunction with the Universal Character Set standard and published as The Unicode Standard, the latest version of Unicode contains a repertoire of more than 110,000 characters covering 100 scripts and multiple symbol sets. The standard consists of a set of code charts for visual reference, an encoding method and set of standard character encoding, a set of reference data computer files, and a number of related items, such as character properties, rules for normalization, decomposition, collation, rendering, and bidirectional display order (for the correct display of text containing both right-to-left scripts, such as Arabic and Hebrew, and left-to-right scripts).

Source :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode

The standard is maintained by the Unicode Consortium.

http://www.unicode.org/

// Quote

To access the international characters, open the Font panel, select the Unicode fonts (blue arrow)

Select the Font ( for example Arial Unicode MS ) (yellow arrow) and the Unicode Block (in this example Thai )

To have an overview of the Unicode block names, addresses, types and language, select the Unicode List tab and click on the List Unicode Information Table button (red arrow)

bitmap2lcd-unicode-information-list

 

Overview of the Unicode Blocks

Bitmap2lcd Unicode _2

 

The information of the selected block (red arrow below) are located in the Unicode Info Tab (yellow arrow)

The available information are the number of chars of the selected block, the number of sub-Blocks, if the number of chars exceeds 256 chars ( size of the grid ) , the address range of the chars ( from – To ) , the block type and the block language if specified.

If the number of chars in the block exceeds 256, there are buttons to navigate in the sub-blocks of the block (blue arrow)

bitmap2lcd-unicode-block-info

 

Re-installing or uninstalling Bitmap2LCD

Leave a reply

Bitmap2LCD is a tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems.

Re-installing or uninstalling Bitmap2LCD

Up to Version V2.8a (b8) , the folder where your personal tool configuration and all your projects were saved, was’nt automatically deleted when running the uninstall task. This has changed since.

in the Documents folder : see folder Bitmap2LCD inits

If you have an anterior version and want for any reason to uninstall the software, or reinstall it completely, you can just delete this Bitmap2LCD inits folder and all its content.

At next application launch, a new default folder will be created.

You may also find older Bitmap2LCD inits XX-XX-XX folders, if you clicked on “quit and restore factory settings” in the file main menu at some time in the past. ( These folders are just config backups in case you need a configuration recovery )

The Bitmap2LCD Project default project folder in the Documents folder will not be automatically deleted by uninstalling the software.

 

 

About the Toshiba T6963C LCD Controller

Leave a reply

About the Toshiba T6963C LCD Controller

The Toshiba T6963C graphics controller chip is designed to control small to medium size graphic Liquid Crystal Display modules (LCD). It may be interfaced with a number of different 8-bit micro-processor units (MPU) such as the Z-80 or the 80C51/80C52.

It provides the necessary interface between the MPU and the video RAM (VRAM). It also generates the necessary timing and data signals for the liquid crystal driver circuits. It has a 128 character Character-Generator ROM (CG-ROM) and has the capability to control upto 64K bytes of external display RAM (VRAM). This VRAM may be allocated for text, graphics and external character-generator RAM (i.e. a user definable character generator). The T6963C can support a wide variety of LCD formats and has the ability to combine text and graphics data on to the LCD. A number of character attribute functions are also available.

Main Functions and Features of T6963C

– Simple 8-bit parallel interface
– Hardware Selectable Display Formats: Columns: 32, 40, 64, 80 – Lines: 2, 4, 6, . . . . . 28, 32
– Hardware Selectable Fonts(W) x (H): 5×8, 6×8, 7×8, or 8×8
– Programmable Duty Cycles: 1/16 to 1/128
– Internal 128 character CG-ROM
– Software allocation of Text, Graphic and Character Generator RAM (CG-RAM)
– Ability to mix and merge text with graphics
– Low power CMOS design
– Operates up to 5 MHz

The Aslic AX6963 , The RAIO RA6963 are T6963 compatible LCD controller devices

Bitmap2LCD supports the T6963c 6 bit display mode

Bitmap2lcd : About Work Canvas and Color Depth

Leave a reply

Bitmap2LCD is a software tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems and a programmable text and graphic processing tool.

About Work Canvas and Color Depth

Update V4.7b

The WORK CANVAS is a monochrome, grayscale or color graphic editor.

Color Depth of the canvas (number of colors) is selected in the Configuration Settings.

The COLOR PICKER adapts to the color depth setting (blue arrow).

Example : in 4096 colors mode, the picked color will be the nearest color found in the internal default or custom 4096 colors palette. There are color palettes for 8, 16, 256, 4096, 65535, 262k Colors (green arrow).

At import of a color graphic into the WORK CANVAS, a conversion to the defined color depth palette of 8, 16, 256, 4096, 65535 or 262k Colors is performed.

Color Palettes

Default and Custom Color Palettes can be managed in the main menu Color Palette .

>.<