18th March 2021 – To assist with the initial development and prototyping of human machine interfaces (HMIs) based on its object-oriented graphic controller ICs, Bridgetek has announced availability of the ME817EV evaluation board. Featuring the company’s BT817 embedded video engine (EVE) device, it allows engineers to experiment with the latest generation of EVE technology and get a comprehensive understanding of the breadth of its capabilities. Thanks to the higher resolutions and large format displays that the BT817 supports, more compelling and functionality-rich HMIs can be created, with greater visual clarity and enhanced video playback capabilities.
Measuring 165mm x 100mm, the ME817EV unit has all the necessary attributes for undertaking development work relating to the graphics, audio and touch elements of the HMI. As well as audio amplification and multi-stage audio filtering features, there is an LED driver which can be used to adjust the display backlighting. Also included is a touch controller that supports 5 simultaneous touch points, plus 16Mbytes of on-board flash memory resource for storing unicode fonts, image libraries, etc.
The ME817EV can interface with large scale, high-resolution display modules. For 1280×800 pixel displays it can connect through a 40-pin LVDS interface, while for 1024×600 pixel displays a 50-pin RGB interface can be used. Capacitive touchscreens may be connected using a 10-pin or 6-pin FPC connector. The board can be powered via a 5V supply using the SPI host connector, or via the USB Type-C port.
As Bridgetek founder and CEO Fred Dart explains; “We have already seen a great deal of commercial traction for our fourth generation EVE chips, across a broad spectrum of industry sectors. It is clear that there is a real need for a more streamlined approach to larger format HMI construction. By providing this evaluation platform, we are making the whole project development process a lot quicker and easier for engineers to complete, with much better end results being derived too.”
About Bridgetek
Founded in 2016, Bridgetek supplies highly advanced ICs and board level products to meet the exacting demands of a constantly evolving global technology landscape. The company’s Embedded Video Engine (EVE) graphic controller ICs each integrate display, audio and touch functionality onto a single chip, thereby dramatically reducing the time period and bill-of-materials costs associated with developing next-generation Human Machine Interface (HMI) systems. These are complemented by its highly-differentiated, speed-optimized microcontroller units (MCUs) with augmented connectivity features.
