LCD display for MIMA
I am meeting with my cousin that did the MIMA board layouts this weekend, and since the waiting list has grown past the 10 required units, I need to get going with another batch of boards. I am swamped with lots of other projects, so I don't see the time to source a display and develop the hardware for an LCD.
The serial com is not a big deal, and I have several serial routines in my library of old projects.
The battery current is already determined in the MIMA system, so outputting a digital amp value is no big deal. The display would not need any computing ability, so just the serial or parallel LCD, and a way to mount it would be required.
As Chris indicated, we should be able to just use the opto detector lines for the serial com, and still retain the led bargraph.
If the display has graphics capability, and is large enough, we may be able to totally replace the led display, in which case the other control lines would be available for a touch screen interface or for a parallel LCD control.
A bit higher level of this display would be to get an LCD with a touch screen, so we could change parameters and display function. There is no reason to retain the led display,but since we could have both the led driver and the LCD driver in the code, and simply switch drivers depending on the display.
If one of you MIMA guys wants to source a serial LCD, write a detailed operational spec on what to display, and how it would want to be controlled(user input), I can write the driver code for it, and if the hardware can be finalized before mid May, I should be able to add a PC board interface for it (if necessary)to the MIMA boards order. The final code can be developed while we wait for the hardware.
We have over 50 users, if you guys can work out the details of what display is best, at a reasonable price, with good availability, with enough resolution to display what we need, I can make it work. The first MIMA open source design team effort. Go for it.