Dawar Technologies' new Simple-C LCD driver board uses the latest USB-C features to combine power, video, audio, touch, and USB data into a single cable. Before Simple-C, customers often had to run three or four different cables to their monitor to provide power, video, audio, and USB. With Simple-C, you only need one cable for all of that functionality! Simple-C's modular design allows Dawar to easily modify Simple-C to work with almost any LCD.
If you're new to USB-C, read Dawar Technologies Introduction to USB-C. It provides an excellent overview of the various features and terminology used in a USB-C product like Simple-C.
For details on Dawar Technologies' Simple-C monitor driver board, read Dawar Technologies Simple-C User's Guide. All the details you need to implement a USB-C host compatible with Simple-C are in the User's Guide.
Dawar also has a Simple-Host USB-C host board that can be used to fill the gap between your embeddded processor and a Simple-C enabled monitor.
What is USB-C?
USB-C is the latest USB standard defined by the USB Implementer's Forum (USB-IF). Most people tend to think of USB in terms of connectors: USB-A, USB-B, Micro-B, etc. While the USB-C standard does define a new conenctor type, it also greatly expands the capabilites of USB. A single USB-C cable can carry power (up to 100 Watts), video, audio, and USB data. If you're not already familiar with the features and terminology of USB-C, a great starting point is the Dawar Technologies Introduction to USB-C. This white paper provides an excellent overview of the various USB-C features.
Dawar Technologies has combined all of the USB-C features in our Simple-C monitor driver board.
Power Delivery
USB-C can provide up to 100 Watts of power to a connected device, removing the need for a separate power supply. When two USB-C devices are connected to each other, they negotiate a power contract using a protocol called Power Delivery or PD. Power is typically provided at one of four voltage levels: 5 Volts, 9 Volts, 15 Volts, or 20 Volts. USB-C chargers can provide up to 5 Amps of current at each of those voltages, while operating devices like monitors are typically provided up to 3 Amps.
Dawar's Simple-C driver board can support up to 20 Volts at 3 Amps, or 60 Watts. Dawar customizes the voltage needs to match your display's requirements.
Alternate Mode Video and Audio
One of the most important additions to USB-C is the ability to carry video and audio data over the USB-C cable. A USB-C cable consists of six separate USB data lanes. Some of these data lanes can be used in Alternate Mode to carry video signals like Display Port video data. Display Port fits well in the USB data protocol because, like standard USB 2.0 data, Display Port data is packetized. And since the Display Port standard, defined by VESA, also includes support for audio, you can also transmit sound to a monitor over USB-C.
Dawar Technologies Simple-C driver board takes the Display Port data embedded in the incoming USB-C data stream and separates out the audio and video signals. The audio is routed through an amplifier and then sent to two stereo speakers. The video is converted to LVDS or embedded Display Port (eDP) to be sent to an LCD. If your LCD has a different interface, Dawar can customize Simple-C to output the interface signals your display needs.
USB Data
Because the USB-C cable has six different data lanes, it can easilly accodmodate a number of USB 2.0 ports on a connected device. These USB 2.0 ports can be used simultaneously with the video, audio, and power capabilities without degrading transfer speeds.
Dawar's Simple-C board includes four USB 2.0 ports. One is typically dedicated to a Dawar-supplied Projected Capacitive (PCAP) touch screen. The other three can be routed to standard USB-A connectors mounted in the monitor enclosure.
Modularity
Simple-C utilizes a modular design, making it easilly adaptable to your requirements. All of the USB-C functionality including signal conditioning and multiplexing, video and audio processing, and USB 2.0 data ports are implemented on a main board that remains the same in every Simple-C product. A daughter board, which mounts directly to a header on the Simple-C main board, adapts the video signals to the interface required for a specific LCD. The daughter board also provides the power supply needed to drive the LCD's backlight. If the LCD requires more than the 60 Watts provided through the USB-C cable, a separate power supply connector can be added to the daughter board.
Once your specific LCD is chosen, Dawar will design a custom Simple-C daughter board to drive both the video and backlight on your display.
Dawar's new Simple-C board is changing the way our customers connect to their displays. Contact Dawar today to find out how you can take advatange of all the USB-C features in your next project!