1652 - Adafruit Industries LLC

Adafruit Qualia High Res Displayport Desktop Monitor

Created by lady ada

Last updated on 2018-08-22 03:39:51 PM UTC

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Guide Contents
Guide Contents
Overview
Learn more!
Assembly
Tools needed:
Let’s build it!
How To Use
DisplayPort Connection
Power Connection
Backlight Control
How to control the backlight
Downloads
Datasheets
Design Files
Schematic
Firmware
© Adafruit Industries https://learn.adafruit.com/qualia-high-res-displayport-desktop-monitor Page 2 of 33

Overview

Add a glorious 2048x1536 retina-blasting, ultra-high pixel density, IPS display to any computer with a

Thunderbolt/DisplayPort port. This product comes with a new 9.7" diagonal TFT display module (the same one used in

the iPad 3 & 4), along with our custom made driver board, a stand-up monitor enclosure kit, 10' DisplayPort cable and

9V power adapter.

The driver board is a work of art (it was designed by resident engineer KTOWN) - and we use the really awesome

LT3754 as a 12-channel constant current driver with individual backlight string channel control (https://adafru.it/d8V).

This gives the backlight perfect consistency over any usage or temperature range. A ATtiny85 handles the backlight

dimming and soft on/off, so you can PWM the backlight over a range to get the look you want.

Comes with a display panel already attached, tested and ready to go. The plastic enclosure kit takes 20 minutes to put

together using only a small screwdriver and will protect your display. Plug in the power and connect the DisplayPort

cable. Ta-da display working immediately! No drivers, soldering, configuration or other converters required.

Use as a main screen or even better, as a secondary monitor. Great for photo or video editing - you can use a large

main monitor for frame-by-frame editing and then preview on the smaller side frame. Or keep your email or dashboard

notifications on the side. Heck, web-devs will want to use it to preview what their sites will look like on a "Retina"

display. The 9.7" screen is small enough to keep out of the way.

Learn more!

This project is based on the awesome analysis done by Mike's Mods, check out his webpages for tons more

details! (https://adafru.it/d8Y)

Assembly

Before commencing assembly, confirm your kit contains all the following parts:

LCD panel with Driver board attached

9V switching power supply

DisplayPort cable

Thirteen (13) laser-cut pieces

Twelve (12) #4-40 x 1/2" nylon screws w/nuts

Four (4) #4-40 x 5/8" nylon screws w/nuts (a little longer than the 1/2" ones)

Four (4) #2-56 x 1/4" screws w/nuts (these are much smaller and thinner)

Tools needed:

Small screwdriver

Optional: masking tape is very helpful for holding screws temporarily, but is not absolutely required.

The flexible cable that joins the LCD to the driver board is delicate. Some steps require bending it in one

direction or another. Work slowly and methodically so as not to damage it.

Start by peeling the backing paper off both sides of all

the laser-cut parts. It’s easiest to start at a corner,

catching the edge of the paper with a fingernail.

The laser-cutting process sometimes leaves a little paper soot at the edges. If you like, you can wash these off with

soap and water, just be absolutely certain that all the parts are completely dry before proceeding!

Optional: testing the LCD and driver board before

assembly may avoid some troubleshooting later. Read

ahead to the “How to Use” page for guidance.

Warning: this requires straightening the flex cable. Be

extremely careful not to pull or strain this delicate part.

Rather than placing the driver board to the side, you can

keep it behind the display, but place something like an

index card or piece of paper between the two to

prevent an electrical short.

You may want to remove the protective film at this time

as well, pull on the yellow tab to carefully remove the

film

Let’s build it!

Locate these four laser-cut parts. For the sake of later

explanation, let’s refer to these (top-to-bottom) as the

“bow tie,” “legs” and “cross brace.”

The bow tie and cross brace have no up or down, left or

right; they can be installed any which way. The legs have

a specific orientation, but there is no “right leg” or “left

leg” — they’re interchangeable.

Start by picking up the cross brace…

This kit uses

t-slot

construction. Slide a nut into the

cross part of the T at either end of the cross brace, then

hold it in place between finger and thumb.

If you need an extra hand in the steps that follow, the

nut can also be held in place temporarily with a bit of

masking tape.

Slots in the leg pieces are “keyed” to fit into the tabs on

the cross brace. Position a leg using these tabs and

slots, then install a #4-40 1/2" screw through the middle,

meeting up with the nut held in the cross brace.

You do not need to crank these screws down. Finger

tight is fine for now.

Repeat with the second leg at the opposite end of the

cross brace. Both legs should be oriented the same

way, as seen here.

The “bow tie” now joins with the legs, using the same t-

slot technique with four #4-40 1/2" screws and nuts.

The bow tie is symmetrical, so you can install it any

which way.

Use a screwdriver to gently tighten all the screws in place now. (You do not need to crank these down hard, or else

you’ll crack the plastic!)

The rear stand is complete. Set it aside and we’ll return to it later.

Here’s the front bezel. Like the bow tie before, this

piece is completely symmetrical; there is no front or

back, left or right.

However, once assembled the display definitely takes

on a top and bottom. Pick one of the longer edges

(either one) and call it “top.” This is important for the

placement of the four longer screws (5/8" instead of

1/2"). The long screw positions are indicated at left. All

the other holes will receive 1/2" screws.

Insert a screw into each hole (1/2" or 5/8", as appropriate

to the above diagram). The bezel will need to be flipped

over later, so as you place each screw, secure it with a

bit of tape, or you can use the nuts temporarily to keep

the screws from sliding out (you’ll need to remove these

nuts later).

Once all the screws are placed, set the bezel face down

on your work surface. Turn it so the “top” (with the

longer screws) is at the…well…

top.

If you used nuts instead of tape, you can remove these

now (keeping the screws in place).

Unlike most of the other parts, the four L-shaped corner

supports are all unique and have a very specific

orientation. Each is etched with a letter: A, B, C and D.

Slide each of the corner supports over the screws in the

correct positions. The etched letter should be visible

and in the correct orientation for reading. A at the top

left, B at the top right, C at the bottom left, D at the

bottom right.

The upper and lower supports each share “half a screw”

in common. This is normal.

The LCD can now be placed face-down between the

corner supports, and all the various protuberances

should fit neatly into corresponding cutouts around the

perimeter. It may need a little wiggle to make this

happen.

If anything seems to require force, stop! Make sure all

the pieces are installed in the correct positions and

alignments.

Another layer of edge pieces now fit over the screws

and hold the screen from the back. These parts are

symmetrical

left to right

and can go either way, but the

top and bottom

are unique. The wider edge should go at

the bottom, and the right and left pieces should be

flipped as needed to match.

With the edge pieces in place, six nuts can be installed

over the shorter (1/2") screws, in the positions marked

here. The four longer screws should not receive nuts

yet!

You can leave these nuts just “finger tight” for now. We’ll

make a pass later after everything’s assembled.

Now let’s go back to the rear stand that you assembled earlier…

The “bow tie” has eight holes in it, but we’ll only be

using four. Looking at the flat side (the legs should poke

out the back, not forward), install the four tiny #2-56

screws in the positions indicated here.

The extra holes allow this piece to be flipped either way

in the earlier assembly steps; less aggravating that way.

To reiterate a prior point: these screws should sit flush,

pointing back, not forward. Getting this wrong will break

the LCD!

As with the main bezel, a little tape over the heads of

these screws helps keep them in place.

Set the “bow tie” carefully near the top of the screen.

Pick up the driver board and…being very mindful of the

flex cable, don’t tear or pull it out…lower it on to the four

small screws on the bow tie. Then add a nut for each.

This is the tricky part. Be careful with that flex cable!

Now flip the bow tie / support over, remove the tape and

tighten the four small screws.

You’ll need to twist the flex cable a bit to do this. That’s

fine…work slowly and don’t kink or jerk it.

Carefully turn the stand over and lower it onto the four

5/8" screws. Add a nut to each and finger tighten.

Stand the screen up and remove the tape pieces (if

used) from the front bezel. Give it a very gentle tap on

the desk to make sure everything’s seated, then work

around the perimeter tightening these screws. Just snug

them down a little…don’t go crazy or you’ll crack the

plastic.

You can connect the power and DisplayPort cables now

if you like, routing them under the cross brace piece or

out either side.

Now you’re ready to fire it up! Read on. The resolution is

intense!

How To Use

Using the Qualia display is super easy, similar to any other monitor you've used. You will need a 9 or 12V DC power

supply that can provide at least 1000mA (1A) of current, a DisplayPort cable and a computer with a DisplayPort

Read the sections to learn all about your new miniature monitor!

How to make a DisplayPort connection (https://adafru.it/d9w)

How to power your monitor (https://adafru.it/d9x)

How to control the Backlight (https://adafru.it/d9y)

DisplayPort Connection

If you don't have a DisplayPort on your computer or laptop, check out our HDMI/VGA display

offerings (https://adafru.it/d8R)

Just about every single Apple computer and laptop has DisplayPort capability, often a Mini DisplayPort connector

instead of the full size version. Many newer PCs do as well but make sure to verify before purchasing! DisplayPort

connectors looks a lot like HDMI

This is what a standard DisplayPort connector looks like, with the displayport logo above (

thx

wikipedia) (https://adafru.it/d8S)

This is what a Mini DisplayPort connector looks like

(thx wikipedia) (https://adafru.it/d8T)

Mini and Standard DP are the same, just require different cables. Since most computers have a mini DisplayPort, we

ship with a Mini type cable

This monitor is only for use with DisplayPort native computers. DisplayPort is not the same as HDMI or DVI!

Our cable has classic DisplayPort on the left, and Mini DisplayPort on the right.

OK plug in your cable so that it snaps in nicely into the

DP connector on the Qualia driver. It should snap in all

the way

Removing a DisplayPort connector is a little more

difficult because the connector is quite strong. You have

to press down on the cable latch and wiggle-pull it out.

Hold onto the connector with your other hand to make it

easier!

Power Connection

The Qualia monitor backlight is massive and bright, to drive all those LEDs requires an external power supply. You can

use any 9V to 12V power supply with a 2.1mm/5.5mm sized barrel jack and center-positive power. The driver uses that

voltage to create the 22V required to drive the backlight LED strings.

We include a 9V power supply that works very well so please use that if you can!

To power up, just plug into the 2.1mm power jack.

Once plugged in, check that the POWER switch is switched to ON. The power switch is in the upper right of this photo,

next to the UP button

You should see the POWER LED light up when power to the board is working right. If its not lit, check that your power

supply is correct and that the power switch is on.

If you never need to turn off the display completely, switch the power switch to Off and check that the LED is no longer

lit

If you want to take your Qualia on the road, you may find yourself without a power plug nearby. Unfortunately, the

backlight driver for the Qualia display can't run from 5VDC so its not possible to power it from a laptop USB port.

However you

can

use a 8xAA 'power brick' with either Alkaline or Rechargeable batteries.

Backlight Control

To control the backlight of the display, we use the awesome LT3754 LED driver from Linear

Tech (https://adafru.it/d8V). The great thing about this driver is it is a cross between an efficient boost convert and a

fully-matched constant-current LED driver. The boost converter half can take 9-12VDC and boost it up to ~22VDC and

the LED driver half makes sure that each LED strand is driven with exactly 18.5mA for perfectly distributed light (which

gives better color representation).

To control the backlight, we use a very tiny microcontroller (the ATtiny85 from AVR) which listens for button presses

and then sends a 4KHz PWM signal to the LT3754 to tell it how much to dim the display.

How to control the backlight

The backlight is super easy to control. Press the UP or DOWN buttons until you reach the brightness level you like. If

you want to turn off the backlight, press the Backlight On/Off button. The backlight On/Off is different than the switch.

If you turn off just the backlight, the computer will still recognize a monitor is there, you just wont be able to see the

graphics since there's no backlight. If you turn off the switch the entire monitor is off, and it wont be recognized by the

computer!

When the backlight or monitor is turned off and an on, it will revert to the same brightness you had before.

Downloads

Datasheets

LT3754 Datasheet (https://adafru.it/d8W) (LED backlight driver)

LP097QX1-SPC1 Datasheet (https://adafru.it/d8X) (The raw display itself)

Design Files

Frame design file (https://adafru.it/Bp5)

EagleCAD PCB files on GitHub (https://adafru.it/rDx)

Schematic

In case you're wondering how its made, here is the connections diagram!

Firmware

There's a tiny bit of firmware on the ATtiny85, you can grab it here:

/* Adafruit Qualia firmware for DisplayPort to LP097QX1 driver board

Basically, a Trinket w/PWM output to the LT backlight driver. :)

Recompile with Adafruit Trinket 8MHz supported Arduino IDE.

Upload w/USBtinyISP

*/

#include "EEPROM.h"

#define led 1

#define upbutton 4

#define downbutton 3

#define onoffbutton 0

int16_t brightness; // range from 0 to 255 (0 is off)

boolean on = true; // whether the display is 'on' or not

boolean dirtee = false; // is the EEPROM brightness wrong?

void setBrightness(uint8_t b) {

OCR1A = b;

}

void setup() {

digitalWrite(led, LOW);

pinMode(led, OUTPUT);

// way faster than analogWrite, 15.625Khz!

OCR1C = 255;

OCR1A = 0;

TCCR1 = _BV(CS10) | _BV(CS11) | _BV(PWM1A) | _BV(COM1A1);

// read the eeprom location 0!

brightness = EEPROM.read(0);

// slowly fade up!

for (uint8_t i=0; i < brightness; i++) {

setBrightness(i);

delay(10);

}

pinMode(upbutton, INPUT);

digitalWrite(upbutton, HIGH);

pinMode(downbutton, INPUT);

digitalWrite(downbutton, HIGH);

pinMode(onoffbutton, INPUT);

digitalWrite(onoffbutton, HIGH);

}

void loop() {

if (on) {

while (! digitalRead(downbutton)) {

// Don't let it get dimmer than 2/255

if (brightness > 2) {

brightness --;

setBrightness(brightness);

dirtee = true;

}

delay(10);

}

while (! digitalRead(upbutton)) {

if (brightness != 255) {

brightness ++;

setBrightness(brightness);

dirtee = true;

}

delay(10);

}

// once they release the button, write the new brightness to EEPROM

if (dirtee) {

EEPROM.write(0, brightness);

dirtee = false;

}

if (! digitalRead(onoffbutton)) {

delay(10);

while (! digitalRead(onoffbutton));

delay(10);

if (on) {

// quickly turn off

setBrightness(0);

delay(100);

on = false;

} else {

// slowly fade up!

for (uint8_t i=0; i < brightness; i++) {

setBrightness(i);

delay(10);

}

// give me a break to avoid any bouncing

delay(100);

// we're on

on = true;

}