Bridgetek Embedded Video Engine  ME817EV + Display - Review

Table of contents

RoadTest: Bridgetek Embedded Video Engine  ME817EV + Display

Author: einararnason

Creation date:

Evaluation Type: Development Boards & Tools

Did you receive all parts the manufacturer stated would be included in the package?: True

What other parts do you consider comparable to this product?:

What were the biggest problems encountered?: Lacking support material for developing in Linux

Detailed Review:

Setup

 

First I downloaded the sample apps from here https://brtchip.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/EveApps.v1.2-rc3.zip

The apps built and ran out of the box using Visual Studio 2019 on Windows.

 

Then I needed to make sure the voltages are adjusted for the provided LCD using the values I got from road test.

PotVoltage
AVDD9.6V
VGL-6V,
VGH18V
VCOM3.8V

 

Using a screwdriver, adjust these pots:

image

Using these points to measure the voltage:

image

 

Then I connected 2A power to USBC1 and the computer to USBC2 and removed the power select jumper, just to have plenty of power to exclude power issues in the initial test.

 

Running

 

I ran the sample app and saw the resolution needed to be corrected as well.

image

I located resolution definitions in the header file common\eve_hal\EVE_Config.h.

According to the preprocessor definitions in the Visual Studio project configuration, it was configured for EVE_DISPLAY_WVGA, which is 800x480. But the provided LCD has the resolution of 1024x600. I changed the preprocessor definition to EVE_DISPLAY_WSVGA (right click project -> Properties->C/C++->Preprocessor Definitions). And behold, a full picture!

image

 

Personal take

 

I like the ability to take a variety of LCDs and make them functional with embedded devices. I was rather impressed with the performance as well. A handy tool if you don't want to overkill on hardware for a simple task. The audio chip is a nice bonus too. My only real problem is that I'm primarily a Linux user and all of the more advanced embedded devices I develop on run Linux. I would have liked to see that option in the development package. Of course I could port the codebase over to Linux myself, but for me, it's not something I am willing to spend my time on. Also a little more general documentation would have been nice considering how low level and verbose the code is. Other than that, I think its overall a good product.

Anonymous