Unisystem will soon complement its offer with a state-of-the-art solution from Riverdi smart display – the EVE4 (Embedded Video Engine) series, available in sizes from 3.5 to 10.1 inches, which is a combination of a high brightness screen for industrial applications and the BT817Q controller so far associated with the consumer market. Available soon!
In order to adequately describe the EVE4 series and present its innovation, it is necessary to start with the controller itself, or rather a duo of controllers – BT817Q from Bridgetek on a dedicated board created by Riverdi and ILI2132A from Ilitek responsible for controlling the touch panel. EVE controllers, which include the BT817Q, have been and continue to be more popular in consumer applications. For industrial applications, especially those in the medical or military industries, they would have to meet much more stringent requirements. Varying glass thickness, resistance to electromagnetic interference, operation in harsh environments – the EVE4 series screens can handle almost any challenge with the ILI2132A controller. It meets industry standards, so it works well with the factors mentioned earlier, and gives a lot of freedom in configuration.
The display uses two interfaces – SPI and the more modern QSPI. The former is the most commonly used solution for communication between microcontroller systems and peripheral circuits. While it is considered an industry standard, it does not achieve high data rates – which is why the EVE4 series also supports the much faster QSPI, leaving the option to choose the interface for specific needs. You can read more about these interfaces in a dedicated article in Uni’s ABC series. Part one of the series, talking about other solutions, can be found here.
Using the SPI interface also makes it possible to install the solution from Riverdi in older devices that you just want to upgrade by adding a touch panel – EVE4’s internal memory will allow you to display any material you want on the screen, (even videos) that can be added while the display is still in production. This is potentially made easier by the built-in amplifier, so you can connect it to speakers (also possible to be placed in the display itself, it has a dedicated place for them).
The heart – though in this context we should rather say the brain – of the solution from Riverdi, however, is the built-in BT817Q smart controller. It is thanks to it that the display already has the appropriate graphics libraries, so there is no need to buy a separate processor with a controller and connect it to the screen via the RGB or LVDS interface. Communication with the display is therefore done through the SPI (or QSPI) interface mentioned earlier, using commands sent – for example, the photo we want to display on the EVE4 is sent only once, and then stored in the built-in Flash memory located on the display board, which is already handled directly by the BT817Q controller. With this, the photo only needs to be recalled with the appropriate command: “display it,” “show it,” “move it,” “rotate it,” etc. More advanced graphics can thus be created only through commands, making it significantly easier to work with the display.
The EVE4 series, thanks to the aforementioned freedom of configuration and high resistance to external factors, will find use in many applications where other solutions would not be sufficient. It will work well in the spaces of production halls and factories, where often a key factor, in addition to the strength of the screen, is the need for it to respond to touch by protective clothing. Devices such as parking meters and ticket machines will also benefit from the industry standards met by EVE4 screens.
For medical applications, water resistance of the displays, wide viewing angles and increased brightness of the solutions will be key. On the other hand, for military applications – the least emissive operation in an environment sensitive to electromagnetic radiation (it affects the operation of radios or radars) and the highest possible resolution. Thanks to a unique combination of individual technological solutions, the EVE4 series displays are among the first such versatile devices of their kind in the world.
The combination of BT817Q and ILI2132A controllers makes the EVE4 series from Riverdi a new quality in its class – the dynamic development of these devices can be seen through the EVE1, EVE2, EVE3 series, where each successive one featured increasingly better technical parameters. Now that these already advanced features have been further enhanced with increased brightness and a touch panel that meets industry standards, we have a truly pioneering product with potential for years to come. Contact us to learn more – in addition to standard product documentation, 3D models, EMC test results and sample runtime code are available on Riverdi’s GitHub.
