Intermediate
30 min

Present textual information, numbers, and basic graphics with LS013B7DH03 and STM32F103RB

Customization made easy: Monochrome LCD at your command!

LCD Mono Click with Nucleo 64 with STM32F103RB MCU

Published Oct 08, 2024

Click board™

LCD Mono Click

Dev. board

Nucleo 64 with STM32F103RB MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F103RB

Tailor the displayed information to your specific application, whether it's showing real-time data, status indicators, alerts, or user instructions.

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

LCD Mono Click is based on the LS013B7DH03, an LCD display from Sharp that has a reflective active-matrix with a slightly transmissive-type memory liquid crystal display module with a 128 x128 panel which uses CG silicon thin film transistor. Its transmissive mode is implemented with a backlight, and you can control the display with serial data signal communication. It features a thin, light, and compact module with monolithic technology, and its most important feature is the super low power consumption TFT panel. For an MCU application, a powerful display can often be off-limits because of price, CPU processing power, or power budget. However, you can create a powerful display application using the EFM32's energy-saving capabilities and a Sharp low-power matrix memory LCD. The application can drive a

128x128 pixel display drawing as little as 2 µA while showing a static image. Even when updating the frame every second, the current consumption can be lower than 5µA. The display for this click, the LS013B7DH03 LCD, is a 1.28", 128x128 pixels monochrome display with a 3-wire SPI interface. Apart from the SPI interface, the display requires a 3.3V power supply and three extra pins named EXTMODE, EXTCOMIN, and DISP. The EXTMODE pin controls how polarity inversion is controlled. The display requires that the polarity across the Liquid Crystal Cell is reversed at a constant frequency. This polarity inversion prevents charge from building up within the cell. If EXTMODE is LOW, the polarity inversion is toggled by sending a special command over SPI. If it is HIGH, polarity inversion is controlled by the EXTCOMIN pin.

If EXTMODE is HIGH, the polarity inversion is armed for every rising edge of the EXTCOMIN pin. The actual polarity inversion is triggered at the next transition of SCS. The toggling frequency should be at least 1 Hz. If EXTMODE is LOW, this pin is ignored. The DISP pin toggles the display on or off (without the pixels losing their state). When LOW, the display is off; when HIGH, the display is on. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. Also, it comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

LCD Mono Click top side image
LCD Mono Click bottom side image

Features overview

Development board

Nucleo-64 with STM32F103RB MCU offers a cost-effective and adaptable platform for developers to explore new ideas and prototype their designs. This board harnesses the versatility of the STM32 microcontroller, enabling users to select the optimal balance of performance and power consumption for their projects. It accommodates the STM32 microcontroller in the LQFP64 package and includes essential components such as a user LED, which doubles as an ARDUINO® signal, alongside user and reset push-buttons, and a 32.768kHz crystal oscillator for precise timing operations. Designed with expansion and flexibility in mind, the Nucleo-64 board features an ARDUINO® Uno V3 expansion connector and ST morpho extension pin

headers, granting complete access to the STM32's I/Os for comprehensive project integration. Power supply options are adaptable, supporting ST-LINK USB VBUS or external power sources, ensuring adaptability in various development environments. The board also has an on-board ST-LINK debugger/programmer with USB re-enumeration capability, simplifying the programming and debugging process. Moreover, the board is designed to simplify advanced development with its external SMPS for efficient Vcore logic supply, support for USB Device full speed or USB SNK/UFP full speed, and built-in cryptographic features, enhancing both the power efficiency and security of projects. Additional connectivity is

provided through dedicated connectors for external SMPS experimentation, a USB connector for the ST-LINK, and a MIPI® debug connector, expanding the possibilities for hardware interfacing and experimentation. Developers will find extensive support through comprehensive free software libraries and examples, courtesy of the STM32Cube MCU Package. This, combined with compatibility with a wide array of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), including IAR Embedded Workbench®, MDK-ARM, and STM32CubeIDE, ensures a smooth and efficient development experience, allowing users to fully leverage the capabilities of the Nucleo-64 board in their projects.

Nucleo 64 with STM32F103RB MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M3

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

64

RAM (Bytes)

20480

You complete me!

Accessories

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 comes equipped with two proprietary mikroBUS™ sockets, allowing all the Click board™ devices to be interfaced with the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with no effort. This way, Mikroe allows its users to add any functionality from our ever-growing range of Click boards™, such as WiFi, GSM, GPS, Bluetooth, ZigBee, environmental sensors, LEDs, speech recognition, motor control, movement sensors, and many more. More than 1537 Click boards™, which can be stacked and integrated, are at your disposal. The STM32 Nucleo-64 boards are based on the microcontrollers in 64-pin packages, a 32-bit MCU with an ARM Cortex M4 processor operating at 84MHz, 512Kb Flash, and 96KB SRAM, divided into two regions where the top section represents the ST-Link/V2 debugger and programmer while the bottom section of the board is an actual development board. These boards are controlled and powered conveniently through a USB connection to program and efficiently debug the Nucleo-64 board out of the box, with an additional USB cable connected to the USB mini port on the board. Most of the STM32 microcontroller pins are brought to the IO pins on the left and right edge of the board, which are then connected to two existing mikroBUS™ sockets. This Click Shield also has several switches that perform functions such as selecting the logic levels of analog signals on mikroBUS™ sockets and selecting logic voltage levels of the mikroBUS™ sockets themselves. Besides, the user is offered the possibility of using any Click board™ with the help of existing bidirectional level-shifting voltage translators, regardless of whether the Click board™ operates at a 3.3V or 5V logic voltage level. Once you connect the STM32 Nucleo-64 board with our Click Shield for Nucleo-64, you can access hundreds of Click boards™, working with 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels.

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 accessories 1 image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
SPI Chip Select
PB12
CS
SPI Clock
PB3
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PB4
MISO
SPI Data IN
PB5
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
COM Inversion Polarity Output
PC8
PWM
NC
NC
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

LCD Mono Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Nucleo 64 with STM32F103RB MCU as your development board.

Click Shield for Nucleo-64 front image hardware assembly
Nucleo 64 with STM32F401RE MCU front image hardware assembly
EEPROM 13 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Nucleo-64 with STM32XXX MCU MB 1 Mini B Conn - upright/background hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
Necto image step 5 hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Clicker 4 for STM32F4 HA MCU Step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Debug Image Necto Step hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output

1. Application Output - In Debug mode, the 'Application Output' window enables real-time data monitoring, offering direct insight into execution results. Ensure proper data display by configuring the environment correctly using the provided tutorial.

2. UART Terminal - Use the UART Terminal to monitor data transmission via a USB to UART converter, allowing direct communication between the Click board™ and your development system. Configure the baud rate and other serial settings according to your project's requirements to ensure proper functionality. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to the provided tutorial.

3. Plot Output - The Plot feature offers a powerful way to visualize real-time sensor data, enabling trend analysis, debugging, and comparison of multiple data points. To set it up correctly, follow the provided tutorial, which includes a step-by-step example of using the Plot feature to display Click board™ readings. To use the Plot feature in your code, use the function: plot(*insert_graph_name*, variable_name);. This is a general format, and it is up to the user to replace 'insert_graph_name' with the actual graph name and 'variable_name' with the parameter to be displayed.

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for LCD Mono Click driver.

Key functions:

  • lcdmono_draw_text - Draw text on the screen

  • lcdmono_display_power - Display Power State

  • lcdmono_display_reset - Reset procedure

Open Source

Code example

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.

/*!
 * \file 
 * \brief LcdMono Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This application sets text on lcd displey.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Driver initialization - Starting LCD Mono display. Print text to the display by changing font size ...
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Drawing an image to the display every 3 second.
 * 
 * *note:* 
 * - Create Image:
 *     Save the image in resolution of 128x128 px with the extension (monochrome bmp) ...
 *     Upload the image to Image2Lcd program
 *     Set parameters to:
 *            1. Output file type : C array
 *            2. Scan Mode : Horisontal scan
 *            3. Bits Pixel : monochrome
 *            4. Max width and height : 128x128
 *            5. Check only MSB first
 *            6. Check Reverse color and adjust Normal type
 * The image to be generated should contain about 2048 bytes ...
 * Insert the image into the file Click_LCD_Mono_image.h
 *
 * - Create Font:
 *     Close existing project, open a new VTFT project
 *     Add label and adjust text font
 *     Generate source code
 *     Copy the font from resource.c file to this project in file Click_LCD_Mono_font.h
 * 
 * \author Nemanja Medakovic
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "lcdmono.h"

// Resources
#include "click_lcd_mono_image.h"
#include "click_lcd_mono_font.h"

// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES

static lcdmono_t lcdmono;
static log_t logger;

static const char demo_text_lcd[ 4 ] = { 'L', 'C', 'D', 0 };
static const char demo_text_mono[ 5 ] = { 'M', 'o', 'n', 'o', 0 };
static const char demo_text_128x128px[ 10 ] = { '1', '2', '8', 'x', '1', '2', '8', 'p', 'x', 0 };

// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    lcdmono_cfg_t cfg;
    lcdmono_text_settings_t tx_set;
    lcdmono_font_t font_cfg;

    /** 
     * Logger initialization.
     * Default baud rate: 115200
     * Default log level: LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
     * @note If USB_UART_RX and USB_UART_TX 
     * are defined as HAL_PIN_NC, you will 
     * need to define them manually for log to work. 
     * See @b LOG_MAP_USB_UART macro definition for detailed explanation.
     */
    LOG_MAP_USB_UART( log_cfg );
    log_init( &logger, &log_cfg );
    log_info( &logger, "---- Application Init... ----" );

    //  Click initialization.

    lcdmono_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    LCDMONO_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );

    if ( lcdmono_init( &lcdmono, &cfg ) == LCDMONO_INIT_ERROR )
    {
        log_info( &logger, "---- Application Init Error. ----" );
        log_info( &logger, "---- Please, run program again... ----" );

        for ( ; ; );
    }

    log_info( &logger, "---- Application Init Done. ----" );
    log_info( &logger, "---- Application Running... ----\n" );

    lcdmono_display_reset( &lcdmono );
    lcdmono_clear( &lcdmono );

    // Background color for all text
    tx_set.bg_color = LCDMONO_COLOR_WHITE;
    // Display text
    font_cfg.this_font = lcdmono_font_tahoma_16;
    lcdmono_set_font( &lcdmono, &font_cfg );

    tx_set.len = 3;
    tx_set.start_cord_x = 25;
    tx_set.start_cord_y = 15;
    tx_set.text_color = LCDMONO_COLOR_BLACK;
    lcdmono_draw_text( &lcdmono, demo_text_lcd, &tx_set, LCDMONO_REFRESH_TEXT_BUFFER | 
                                                         LCDMONO_CHECK_NEW_TEXT );

    font_cfg.this_font = lcdmono_font_tahoma_8;
    lcdmono_set_font( &lcdmono, &font_cfg );

    tx_set.len = 4;
    tx_set.start_cord_x = 60;
    tx_set.start_cord_y = 50;
    tx_set.text_color = LCDMONO_COLOR_BLACK;
    lcdmono_draw_text( &lcdmono, demo_text_mono, &tx_set, LCDMONO_CHECK_NEW_TEXT );

    tx_set.len = 9;
    tx_set.start_cord_x = 10;
    tx_set.start_cord_y = 80;
    tx_set.text_color = LCDMONO_COLOR_BLACK;
    lcdmono_draw_text( &lcdmono, demo_text_128x128px, &tx_set, LCDMONO_REFRESH_DISPLAY_END );

    Delay_ms( 5000 );
    lcdmono_clear( &lcdmono );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    lcdmono_draw_frame( &lcdmono, demo_img_mikroe_light );
    Delay_ms( 3000 );
    lcdmono_draw_frame( &lcdmono, demo_img_mikroe );
    Delay_ms( 3000 );
    lcdmono_draw_frame( &lcdmono, demo_img_logo_light );
    Delay_ms( 3000 );
    lcdmono_draw_frame( &lcdmono, demo_img_logo );
    Delay_ms( 3000 );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

    for ( ; ; )
    {
        application_task( );
    }
}

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END

Additional Support

Resources

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