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HELP: Outputting video from PC to 3.5" LCD

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anazureray

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I had the idea of building a sort of DS-looking peripheral that hooks up to a PC and more or less acts as a couple extra displays and a controller. I know how to implement the controller part of the project, but I have no idea what I'm dealing with when it comes to LCD screens.

From what I've gathered, I need to program a microcontroller to handle all of the logic/translations in between the PC and the smaller screens. This guy (**broken link removed**) managed to get the DS screen to mirror itself on larger displays using a Spartan-3 board, so I can't imagine it would be impossible to get a PC to do something similar with some DS-like screens.

Does anyone have any advice regarding the matter? I'd really just appreciate a nudge in the right direction, or even insight as to whether this doable. I'm willing to take time and learn some more complicated concepts (I'm adept when it come to PC programming, but new to all of this hardware stuff), but I'm willing to accept it if something like this is totally beyond my abilities.

Thanks!
 
Best to stick with what you know as far as PC software programming goes trying to learn the hardware end of things without any experiance wouldn't be impossible but it sure wouldn't be easy on you.

You might start by first explaining more clearly what you want to do, If by DS like to do you mean an active visual screen, and then a passive visual screen that is a touch screen as well?
 
I was thinking more along the line of having two active screens, independent of each other, but I suppose an active/passive setup can work.

Ideally, I'd like to have the two smaller displays just mirroring and area of the PC screen or even acting as additional low-resolution monitors. Maybe something like this: **broken link removed**, but I'd like to avoid having two big VGA plugs attached to the device. And hopefully I would have the touch screen part working on the bottom-screen as well. I know how to do that simply enough with an arduino, but it would be nice to use a non-DS digitizer that has multi-touch.

In all honesty though, I much more concerned with just getting the two screens working. Hopefully I explained that well enough, let me know if I'm still not being clear about something.
 
A few years ago there was a craze of adding a 'PSone screen' to PC's. They took in RGB information, with sync, which could be taken from the VGA port of a two-output gfx card. As the screen was much lower resolution many used a small app for graphics cards that allowed them to change the settings in the cards bios. Wasn't actually that difficult, but the quality of 'console screens' is pretty crap - at least compared to todays high contrast, high resolution TFT's.

The DS has a lovely screen, as does the PSP. Alas both have no controller, and take 24-bit colour information, as well as horizontal and vertial syncs, and bit clocks. To use either or those screens with your PC (for a smaller auxiliary display) you would need either VGA to digital converter, plus your own display controller (read: very difficult/complicated), or a USB microcontorller, with an FPGA for the LCD controller, as well as software for the PC to determine what the LCD displays (also difficult/complicated).

However, both of those are the true DIY appoaches, which although VERY cool, isn't always practical. There are many high quality TFT displays which already have built in circuits designed to accept composite video (yellow RCA connector) which can be taken from s-video, or VGA I believe with a relatively simple circuit. Think, in-car DVD players with mounted displays. They contain the LCD controller, as well as any video decoders needed.

Beyond your abilities? I never like to say :D I tend to choose projects with misplaced ambition, get frustrated, but stick with it and they can take literally years to complete when worked on now and then - thats time consuming and expensive and its the price I pay for being delusional. But a great compromise would be some kind of TFT 'module'. They have sizes/resolutions similar to the DS display. but much moree easily interfaced to either video equipment, or a PC's gfx card (or a second smaller, cheaper, gfx card that works on PCI).

If you want a touch screen, I believe, unlike modern ipads/ipods, the DS uses a resistive touch screen overlay. - You can buy those seperately and add them to any display you wish providing its the right size. A USB controller for this touch screen panel can also be brought relatively cheaply, plugged into the PC, and you get to write your own software :)

Thas how I would do it anyway. Still some work, and perhaps slightly more expensive that just buy a DS screen and FPGA, but a lot less effort, with much nicer 'hardware hacking'.
 
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