Microchip Technology Starter Kit for PIC24F DM240011 DM240011 User Manual

Product codes
DM240011
Page of 16
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Graphics Quick Reference Guide
The table below shows examples of the frame buffer sizes 
required for some popular resolution and color depths.
  PIC24 DA family supports up to 96 KB on chip 
  PIC32 MCUs support up to 128 KB on chip 
  External SRAM can be used for larger frame buffers
  For advanced graphics, external graphics controllers have
  additional frame buffer storage
Display Resolution 
Typical Sizes
Color Depth/ 
Memory Requirement in (bytes)
1 bpp 
(Mono)
2 bpp 
(4 shades)
8 bpp 
(256 colors)
16 bpp 
(65K colors)
WVGA
800x480
48,000
96,000
384,000
768,000
VGA
640x480
5.7˝
38,400 
76,800 
307,200 
614,400 
WQVGA  480x272  4.3˝
16,320
32,640 
130,560 
261,120 
QVGA 
320x240  3.2˝
9,600 
19,200 
76,800 
153,600 
Common 
for 
OLED
128x64  1˝-2.7˝
1,024 
2,048 
8,192 
16,384 
           Internal SRAM on PIC24DA or PIC32 MCU                 External SRAM
Target Applications
Applications that benefit from attractive and easy to use 
graphical displays include:
Consumer: Thermostats, Cordless Phones, Remote Controls
Home Appliance: Coffee Makers, Washing Machines, Ovens
Industrial: Digital Instrument Gauges, Storage Controls, 
Remote Terminals
Portable Medical: Glucometers, Blood-Pressure Monitors, 
Portable ECGs
Microchip offers varying levels of solutions to drive everything 
from simple monochrome LCDs to full color WVGA user 
interfaces.
Graphics support includes the following approaches:
  PIC24F DA integrated graphics controller
  PIC32 controllerless graphics
  Support for PIC MCU with external graphics controllers
The silicon offering is complemented with powerful, free 
and easy to use graphics library, display designer GUI and 
hardware development kits with flexible interface to various 
glass sizes.
Supported Screen Sizes and Colors
Microchip graphics solutions support various screen sizes 
and colors ranging from small monochrome OLED displays up 
to WVGA displays with vivid color. The table below shows the 
bits per pixel required to represent color.
Display 
Representation
Color Examples
Color Depth 
(bits per pixel)
Mono
Black and White
1
Grayscale
4 shades 
16 shades
4
Color
256 colors 
65K colors 
16 million colors
16 
24
As the color depth and display resolution increase, the frame 
buffer grows. Depending on the size, the frame buffer can 
be stored in the microcontroller RAM, in external SRAM or 
integrated into an external graphics controller.
Display Controller Solutions − Graphical Displays                   
  
PIC24 DA Integrated 
Graphics Controller
PIC32 
Controllerless Graphics
External Solomon Systech 
Graphics Controller SSD1926
External Epson 
Graphics Controller S1D13517
Display*
WQVGA 480x272
WQVGA 480x272
WQVGA 480x272
WVGA 800x480
Graphics
HW Acceleration: Rectangles, 
Characters, Images
DMA on PIC32 + <5 MIPS
HW Acceleration, SD card, I/F, 
JPEG engine
SDRAM, I/F, Alpha-blending, 
Picture-in-picture
Frame Buffer
Color Lookup Table + 
96 KB on MCU + Ext SRAM
128 KB on MCU + 
Ext SRAM
256 KB on Solomon Systech 
Controller
Ext SDRAM
Core MIPS
16
80
Power
Better
Good
Good
Good
Cost
$
$
$$
$$$
*Max size at 16 bpp, 60 Hz