NI PCI-1424 used to grab TFT LCD Signals

[paulmw]

Can the NI  PCI-1424  parallel digital frame grabber be used to capture the an image from the siganal used to drive standard TFT LCD panels?  The LCD panel that I have has 6 digital bits per RGB, a vertical and horizontal sync, and a pixel clock at 40Mhz.  I want to use this to automate the testing of the LCD driver signals.  Currenly we have a person verify the image on the LCD screen.

[RManion · Accepted solution]

Hi paulmw,

That sounds like a great application for the 1424.  This board can accept pixel clocks upto 50Mhz, and would also allow you to input your 18 different lines to create a color image.

Most likely a unique camera file would need to be created for your input, but that step is greatly simplified by the NI Camera File Generator.

Let us know if you have any questions!

Robert

[niklander]

Are these signals ttl type because most of the tft-lcd signals are becoming in lvds fomat also the frequencies are about 100Mhz level. Is there any NI solution for such a case?

[paulmw]

In my case I had parallel TTL level signals that was used to drive small LCD screens (4X6 inch).  They were used for embedded mico-controller applications.

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@niklander wrote:
.... tft-lcd signals are becoming in lvds fomat also the frequencies are about 100Mhz level. Is there any NI solution for such a case?

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I think you are referring to large LCD screen/monitors.  I think those LVDS signals are serial and if I am correct this card would not work in capturing the video.  I am not sure if NI has "drop in" hardware for that.

Message Edited by paulmw on 08-29-2007 09:29 AM

[McCarty]

Hello niklander,

While the NI PCI-1424 card does support RS422, TTL, and LVDS standard video formats, it can only support a pixel clock rate up to 50 MHz.  National Instruments does not currently manufacture any Vision hardware that supports TTL or SVDS standard video formats and pixel clock rates greater than 50 MHz.  For more information on our Vision hardware products, please browse the NI Vision Hardware website.

National Instruments does, however, produce a line of high-speed LVDS Digital Instruments that can support maximum clock rates up to 200 MHz.  You may want to consider one of these high-speed instruments, but please keep in mind that this high-speed product line is not designed for Vision applications.  If you choose to try an NI high-speed LVDS Digital Instrument, you may face significant development challenges when architecting your application.

Best Regards,
Travis M.
   

[niklander]

Hi Travism,

Thank you for your interest but these devices seems to support max. 16 channels. In my case i need at least 24 channels. My data is 24 bits rgb data (8 bits for each color). İs it possible to use a second card to handle 24 bits

[McCarty]

Hello niklander,

Both the PCI and PXI versions of the 6562 and the 6561 high-speed digital I/O support synchronization using a RTSI synchronization bus.  You can use two synchronized 16-channel modules as if you had a single 32-channel module.  This is the beauty of virtual instrumentation.  Please note that synchronization using the RTSI synchronization bus requires the purchase of a RTSI cable.

Best Regards,
Travis M.

[gahere]

I have a 24-bit rgb TFT LCD I want to test. The LCD uses LVDS signaling with a ~33MHz clock signal. Can I used the PXI-6561 to generate the necessary waveforms to test the LCD? Tests might inlcuding displaying various colors on the LCD and maybe a pattern (checkered box)