Smart OLEDs Give Display Capability to Micros

By DE Editors

September 20, 2007 — microOLEDs, which let you add a small color display with sophisticated text, graphics, or animations to your next project, are made in Australia by 4D Systems and available from Saelig Co. Inc. (Pittsford, NY). They are compact, cost-effective, ready-made smart organic LED displays with a full- color embedded graphics controller that will deliver stand-alone emissive display capability to PIC, AVR, Basic Stamp, ARM or other microcontroller, even a PC.

Simple, embedded commands delivered over a serial interface control background color and can produce text in different sizes as well as draw shapes, including user-defined bitmap characters (signs, logos, etc.) in 262,000 colors, freeing up the host processor from processor-hungry screen control functions.

With pixel resolutions from 96 x 64 to 160 x 128 and sized from 0.97-in. to 1.69-in. diagonal, these display solutions offer up to 262K true-to-life colors, and are self- illuminating, giving near 180° viewing. Driven from a serial RS-232 or USB interface, these OLED solutions provide graphics commands such as: line, circle, rectangle, text, user bitmap, background color, put pixel, image, etc.

Requiring 3.6 - 6V at 40mA, they make a good interface for handheld or medical equipment, or for automotive or advertising use. Some in the microOLED series have an on-board micro-SD memory card socket for storing up to 1GB of icons, images, and animations.

microOLED's prices begin at $66.

For a direct link, go to microOLED, or contact Saelig for more information.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.