Display module for front panel, with softkeys?

Folks,

Looking for a simple control interface. It should ideally be a module that can be screwed or snapped into a front panel cutout and contain this:

  1. A backlit LCD/TFT/whatever monitor of 1.5" or 2" square. Can also be another rectangular form factor, just not as big as a smart phone if possible.

  1. Addressable via SPI or similar. Ideally alphanumeric for fast and lean data transfer but with an option to load graphics. The latter isn't a requirement. A chance to load foreign character sets would be nice.

  2. Integrated softkeys, maybe three per side or so, that can also be read via the same or another serial bus connection. A touch screen with a somewhat larger display could also work, then the display could be almost the size of older generation smart phones.

  1. Washable, so ideally it should be overlay (foil) keys where fluids cannot seep inside and the screen should be sealed. Hospital grade cleaning agents will be used on it.

Cost is not so important, it's for prototyping at first. We could build all this ourselves but there's so much packaging involved and I could imagine there already is something out there. I just don't know which vendors to look for becasue I never needed anything like this. A pointer to a vendor would also be nice.

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg
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Den onsdag den 22. oktober 2014 02.48.29 UTC+2 skrev Joerg:

I use one of these:

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spi for text and graphics, it has build fonts and can use an external flash with other fonts I2C for touch, the touch is capacitive and works through the usual plastic overlays maybe even thin glass I haven tried.

I think you can also get 4.3" and 5" with the same controller

-Lasse

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

How about 2.6"?

Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

On Tue, 21 Oct 2014 17:48:21 -0700, Joerg Gave us:

Med app?

Look at OLED, and lose the backlight need.

They are also heavy into those smaller form factors.

Do not know about touch capacity, etc.

You could build your own soft buttons into a flat front panel with this behind a simple hole. No need to buy an off the shelf item that does not fill your entire needs list.

They are also doing flex panel stuff like rolled up and folded keyboards and displays.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

4.3" could barely fit, 7" is way too big. These need a ton of power though.
--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

That is very nice. If they had this in a water-resistant bezel for top mounting (so we don't need to have our own overlay made) that would work.

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

Yes.

But who is "they"?

Best would be with softkeys in there, or a touch screen like Martin suggested but then the whole thing as a "ready-to-go" module that mounts from the outside in, through a hole, and results in a mechanically finished and sealed entity.

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

yeh most of it is backlight I think, I see about 200mA at 5V

they also have smaller displays, resistive touch though

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does water resistant snap in even exist? I'd image it almost impossible to get tight with out an overlay and you'll have all kinds of little place for dirt to hide compared to a flat overlay

-Lasse

Reply to
Lasse Langwadt Christensen

They do exist, I saw them in the control panel of industrial gear but can't remember the manufacturer. Hene my post here. Looks like this:

A housing like that of an old analog panel meter is screwed into a hole of the front panel. Except that instead of round the cut-out in the panel as well as the "glass" area of the "meter" was square. Instead of the glass there was an overlay with buttons molded in. The center had a display, also under the same overlay. The overlay was glued to the font bezel so no liquids can get in. The whole drop-in unit had a rubber gasket underneath it that presses against the front panel around the cut-out, so no liquid can get in there either. The buttons were draped around the LCD and you could change their functions dynamically because the actual button function was spelled out on the LCD (softkey) instead of printed on the overlay.

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

On Wed, 22 Oct 2014 07:35:11 -0700, Joerg Gave us:

The display panel industry, dork.

Try to keep up, since YOU are the one asking about it. Use a little common sense.

"they" should prompt you to investigate the panle type, not ask who they are. In such a hunt, a LOT of "theys" will show up, or you simply want everyone else to do your googling for you.

Jeez.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

On Wed, 22 Oct 2014 07:35:11 -0700, Joerg Gave us:

Most touch panels are capacitive now, and can handle a thin overlay seal sheet.

That would also facilitate a sterile machine/device, as the "bag" or sheet could easily be changed out, end minimizes the panel face wear factor to zero.

So make a standard sheet metal face panel, mount from the rear, for serviceability (and EMI) as well, and bag it. Use dome switches under the soft buttons to remove the advent of accidental keypresses by requiring a slightly higher pressure to toggle them.

Makes it more rugged too, when you get out of this "load from the outside" assembly paradigm you seem to have going.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

A drop in like that may be hard to find. Anyway heres some others. Hers a SPI interface, same mounting interface 1.3" from embedded artists.

Advantech has some display/drivers, These guys are good for long life cycle stuff. ( a plus for you med project)

Also 4D systesm has nice OLE serial stuff.

Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

They are hard to find because I can't remember the manufacturer name or what the things are called for a web search string. It looked similar to this but with water-proof buttons included:

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--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

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Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

There's plenty of those, way too big.

I should have known that Lascar is one of the smarter companies that see this market. Bought lots of stuff from them in the past. I always love that distinct Bri'ish accent when they pick up the phone. Although the USB interface is not quite what I had in mind. We've got one but only during prototyping and it'll be occupied by other stuff.

Yes! Thanks, that's it. I could not remember the name and the last link says it: User Interface Panel.

The UIF-5K should work. Its display is a bit spartan because one cannot easily assign softkey descriptions (would be a bit short and cryptic) and the buttons F1 and F5 are largely off the display area. But it'll work as a first cut. We'll have to cram a poor man's manual in there, Press F1 for .. press F2 for ..

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

I found that while searching for HMI stuff. I had worked with some Proface HMI controllers in the past which had soft buttons. I'll be looking for something fancy like a OLED display in the future, so it was educational for me to see what is out there.

Cheers

Reply to
Martin Riddle

When I searched display manufacturers I was surprised how little was out there. What many control gear and production systems need is a simple drop-in display just like a larger panel meter. But with a small screen and softkeys. The Comfile display makes it a bit difficult to assign softkey functions because it puts all five in one row below instead of sideways and F1 and F5 are almost outside the display boundary. But it'll work for us for the prototypes.

One trick that might work is to use the two last lines in staggered fashion and display a vertical bar on top of F1, F3, and F5. That way one can use more than 2-3 letters to describe what each button does.

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

Maybe a membrane is more suitable...

Sorta like the Grayhill pads with insertable legends.

Cheer

Reply to
Martin Riddle

It is an option but then I'd be back in the "Bob the Builder" mode where I might as well build the whole thing custom. My goal is a simple drop-in module with no work other than cutting out a square and drilling some holes.

--
Regards, Joerg 

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Reply to
Joerg

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