Uncontrolled Copy when printed or downloaded.
Please refer to the 4D Systems website for the latest Revision of this document
4D 4.3” LCD CAPE
Beagle Bone Black 4.3” LCD CAPE
Document Date: 17th December 2015
Document Revision: 1.20
DATASHEET
Contents
1. Description ............................................................................................................................. 3
2. Features ................................................................................................................................. 3
3. Getting Started ....................................................................................................................... 4
Requirements ......................................................................................................................................... 4
How to use the 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE .......................................................................................................... 4
Changing the brightness (Angstrom) ..................................................................................................... 4
Changing the brightness (Android) ........................................................................................................ 5
Android Information .............................................................................................................................. 5
Calibrating resistive touch (Angstrom) ................................................................................................... 5
4. EEPROM Details ...................................................................................................................... 5
4DCAPE-43 EEPROM .............................................................................................................................. 5
4DCAPE-43T EEPROM ............................................................................................................................ 5
5. Software / Driver Disclaimer ................................................................................................... 6
6. Notes ..................................................................................................................................... 6
7. Schematic Diagram HW REV 1.1............................................................................................ 7
8. Schematic Diagram HW REV 1.3............................................................................................ 8
9. Mechanical Details ................................................................................................................. 9
10. Ordering Information .......................................................................................................... 10
11. Legal Notice ........................................................................................................................ 11
12. Contact Information............................................................................................................ 11
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 3 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
1. Description
The 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE is a cape specifically designed
for the Beagle Bone Black (BBB), and provides a 4.3”
primary display for the BBB for direct user
interaction and information display.
Available in both touch (4DCAPE-43T) and non-
touch (4DCAPE-43).
The 4DCAPE-43 is not compatible with the previous
Beagle Bone (Beagle Bone White), and can only be
used with the Beagle Bone Black.
The 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE features a 4.3” TFT LCD
480x272 resolution display.
The 4DCAPE-43 utilises the drivers developed for
the CircuitCo LCD4, however provides a different
form factor and pricing point to the LCD4.
The Beagle Bone Black connects directly to the back
of the 4DCAPE-43(T), and provides everything the
CAPE requires such as power and display signals.
The 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE features 7 push buttons
below the screen, LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, ENTER,
RESET and POWER, along with 2 LED’s to indicate
Power and User Status (normally heartbeat).
Mounting of the 4DCAPE-43(T) is achieved with the
4x 3.5mm mounting holes present on the CAPE,
enabling standard M3 or #6-32 screws to fasten the
4DCAPE-43 as required.
2. Features
4.3” TFT LCD CAPE for the Beagle Bone Black
Available in 2 models, Resistive Touch (4DCAPE-
43T) and Non-Touch (43CAPE-43)
7 push buttons including LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN,
ENTER, RESET and POWER
2 LED Lights for Power and User
2x2 Jumper with shunts for EEPROM CAPE ID
selection
Module dimensions: 120.4 x 80.0 x 24.8mm
Module dimensions with Beagle Bone Black
connected: Approx 120.4 x 80.0 x 32.0mm
4x 3.5mm Mounting holes
RoHS and CE Compliant.
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 4 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
3. Getting Started
Requirements
The 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE is designed to work with
existing software and drivers already developed for
the Beagle Bone Black.
The Requirements for use are:
4DCAPE-43 or 4DCAPE-43T Cape
Beagle Bone Black (BBB) with suitable
distribution loaded
5V DC Supply suitable for the Beagle Bone
Black, recommended 2A @ 5V.
A Stylus is recommended for accurate touch,
however is not required.
How to use the 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE
The following steps should be all that is required in
order to use the 4DCAPE-43(T):
1. Connect the 4DCAPE-43(T) to the Beagle Bone
Black while the Beagle Bone Black is not
powered. Outline of the BBB is printed on the
back of the 4DCAPE-43(T) as a guide for
orientation.
2. If using with other capes, ensure the 4DCAPE-
43 is not conflicting pin wise to any other cape
installed.
3. Ensure the DIP Switch on the CAPE is set to a
different EEPROM ID to any other capes.
4. Ensure your Beagle Bone Black is loaded with a
suitable Linux distribution which is compatible
with the existing CircuitCo LCD4 CAPE or 4D
Systems 4DCAPE-43(T) See Section 5.
Angstrom release 20.06.2013 or later is
recommended. Android 4.2.2 has also been
tested and functions correctly. Other
distributions may also be compatible with this
display.
5. Connect a 5V Supply to the DC Jack of the
Beagle Bone Black. It is recommended to use a
2A supply to ensure sufficient supply.
6. Once power is connected, something should be
displayed on the 4DCAPE-43(T) as it is booted.
Once booted, the system should automatically
log in (assuming Angstrom Linux distribution is
used), and the Touch Screen Calibration Utility
should load automatically. If using the 4DCAPE-
43 without touch, this can be exited and
ignored.
7. Calibrate the 4DCAPE-43(T) using the utility by
following the on screen instructions. If the
utility is closed, it is available again under the
System – Administration menu.
8. Complete the Angstrom desktop should be
displayed on the 4DCAPE-43(T) and is ready for
use, else Andoid etc.
For support of the BBB and various distributions,
please seek support from the respective websites
associated with the BBB itself or the distributions
See Section 5.
A good place to start for information and support
regarding the BBB and various distributions
available, is www.beagleboard.org
This website details how to update your software
on the BBB to the current version of Angstrom
available for the BBB
http://circuitco.com/support/index.php?title=Upd
ating_The_Software
This website details how to update your software
on the BBB for the current version of Andoid.
http://downloads.ti.com/sitara_android/esd/TI_A
ndroid_DevKit/TI_Android_JB_4_2_2_DevKit_4_1_
1/index_FDS.html
For support regarding the 4DLCD-43(T) CAPE
hardware itself, please go to the 4D Systems
website and either contact Support directly, or use
the 4D Systems Forum. www.4dsystems.com.au
Changing the brightness (Angstrom)
By default the backlight brightness of the 4D CAPE
4.3 is set to 50% with Angstrom distribution
(20.06.2013). It is possible to change the backlight
brightness as the backlight is PWM controlled.
Please note, these instructions may become
obsolete as new versions of Angstrom are released,
or if different distributions are used.
One method is to SSH into the Beaglebone Black
from your PC, and set the backlight value that way.
Note this does not persist over restarts, so this
would need to be entered into a startup script if the
setting is required to be set each startup.
At the command prompt, type the following:
cd /sys/class/backlight/backlight.10/
echo 100 > brightness
Where 100 represents 100%, this can be changed
to any number from 0 to 100 as required.
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 5 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
Changing the brightness (Android)
Changing the brightness on Android is simple.
Navigate to the Settings menu, and to the Display
option, and then to Brightness. Slide the slider to
the desired position.
Android Information
The 4DCAPE-43(T) is compatible with Android 4.2.2
and has been tested with an image from TI (see
section 3.2).
It has been noticed however that the EEPROM
Jumpers both need to be connected/closed
otherwise the CAPE may not be detected by the
Android OS.
Calibrating resistive touch (Angstrom)
When a distribution is used for the first time with a
4DCAPE-43T, the default calibration application
that comes with the Angstrom distribution is
started automatically (Refer to section 3.2) on
startup of Angstrom. If the calibration is however
input incorrectly and it is required to be set again, a
file must be deleted manually in order to then
recalibrate the display.
Note, this may change as newer distributions of
Angstrom become available, or if different
distributions are used, so these instructions may
become obsolete or inaccurate.
One method is to SSH into the BBB using your PC,
navigate to the following folder and delete the
specified file.
/etc/pointercal.xinput
One this file has been deleted, the calibration utility
can be run again.
4. EEPROM Details
On the 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE there is an EEPROM which
is used to configure the Beagle Bone Black with the
appropriate configuration in order to use the Cape.
Depending if the board is a 4DCAPE-43 or a 4DCAPE-
43T the EEPROM contents will vary slightly.
Please note: some EEPROM content refers to the
LCD4 which is made by CircuitCo. This is the case
due to how the BBB identifies the CAPE and what
drivers to apply to it. Since the 4DCAPE-43(T)
utilises the LCD4 drivers, this must be the case.
4DCAPE-43 EEPROM
EEPROM Support: YES
Board Name: 4D 4.3 LCD CAPE - 4DCAPE-43
Manufacturer: 4D Systems
4DCAPE-43T EEPROM
EEPROM Support: YES
Board Name: 4D 4.3 LCD CAPE - 4DCAPE-43T
Manufacturer: 4D Systems
Note (*): The Beaglebone, Beaglebone Black and
Beagleboard remains the property of
beaglebone.org. All references to the words
Beaglebone, Beaglebone Black, Beagleboard are
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
Share Alike 3.0 license.
All references to CircuitCo and LCD4 remain the
property of CircuitCo and beagleboardtoys.org and
are not affiliated to 4D Systems in any way.
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 6 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
5. Software / Driver Disclaimer
4D Systems has developed this 4DCAPE-43(T) CAPE for the Beaglebone Black, and is based on hardware already
present in the market. 4D Systems does NOT support any software associated with the BBB nor software and
drivers associated with this CAPE. It is up to the user to determine which software is used on the BBB and which
distributions are used on the BBB, and therefore which are compatible with this CAPE.
4D Systems has been made aware that there may be touch related issues with the Angstrom Distribution
(Possibly others if based on the same issue source) of Linux, and the mouse may appear to ‘self touch’ or jump
around the screen on touch, or generally behave erratically. Since 4D Systems has not developed nor supports
anything to do with the software associated with this hardware, 4D Systems is unable to assist or offer support
regarding this matter. ** A Fixed Kernel is now available, 3.8.13-bone37 while solves this issue ** This Kernel is
available via the Debian download which is linked on our Product Page.
The Android distribution listed in this document does not feature this erratic touch behaviour and effectively
illustrates the issues are software or driver related, and not hardware.
If these issues are encountered, it is encouraged to try the Android distribution to verify it is not a hardware
issue. If the issue remains, please contact the 4D Systems Technical Support. If the issue is no longer present and
touch works correctly on Android, then please contact the beaglebone.org community.
The 4DCAPE-43(T) utilises drivers which have been written for other devices on the market and the hardware is
set up in a similar fashion. Drivers for the Circuitco LCD4 are utilised for this CAPE and therefore if fixes are made
to improve compatibility with the LCD4, they should also function correctly for the 4DCAPE-43(T).
4D Systems is not responsible for issues regarding software or drivers associated with the BBB and the
compatibility with this product. Only Community software support is allowed via resources at
www.beaglebone.org/discuss
6. Notes
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 7 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
7. Schematic Diagram HW REV 1.1
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 8 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
8. Schematic Diagram HW REV 1.3
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 9 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
9. Mechanical Details
NOTE: REVISION 1.2 and newer hardware has taller headers.
7.1mm dimension shown in drawing is now 8.2mm on new builds.
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 10 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
10. Ordering Information
4D SYSTEMS 4D 4.3” LCD CAPE – BEAGLE BONE BLACK
© 2015 4D SYSTEMS Page 11 of 11 www.4dsystems.com.au
11. Legal Notice
Proprietary Information
The information contained in this document is the property of 4D Systems Pty. Ltd. and may be the subject of
patents pending or granted, and must not be copied or disclosed without prior written permission.
4D Systems endeavours to ensure that the information in this document is correct and fairly stated but does not
accept liability for any error or omission. The development of 4D Systems products and services is continuous
and published information may not be up to date. It is important to check the current position with 4D Systems.
4D Systems reserves the right to modify, update or makes changes to Specifications or written material without
prior notice at any time.
All trademarks belong to their respective owners and are recognised and acknowledged.
Disclaimer of Warranties & Limitation of Liability
4D Systems makes no warranty, either expressed or implied with respect to any product, and specifically
disclaims all other warranties, including, without limitation, warranties for merchantability, non-infringement
and fitness for any particular purpose.
Information contained in this publication regarding device applications and the like is provided only for your
convenience and may be superseded by updates. It is your responsibility to ensure that your application meets
with your specifications.
Images and graphics used throughout this document are for illustrative purposes only. All images and graphics
used are possible to be displayed on the 4D Systems range of products, however the quality may vary.
In no event shall 4D Systems be liable to the buyer or to any third party for any indirect, incidental, special,
consequential, punitive or exemplary damages (including without limitation lost profits, lost savings, or loss of
business opportunity) arising out of or relating to any product or service provided or to be provided by 4D
Systems, or the use or inability to use the same, even if 4D Systems has been advised of the possibility of such
damages.
4D Systems products are not fault tolerant nor designed, manufactured or intended for use or resale as on line
control equipment in hazardous environments requiring fail safe performance, such as in the operation of
nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation or communication systems, air traffic control, direct life support machines
or weapons systems in which the failure of the product could lead directly to death, personal injury or severe
physical or environmental damage (‘High Risk Activities’). 4D Systems and its suppliers specifically disclaim
any expressed or implied warranty of fitness for High Risk Activities.
Use of 4D Systems’ products and devices in 'High Risk Activities' and in any other application is entirely at the
buyer’s risk, and the buyer agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless 4D Systems from any and all damages,
claims, suits, or expenses resulting from such use. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise, under any
4D Systems intellectual property rights.
12. Contact Information
For Technical Support: www.4dsystems.com.au/support
For Sales Support: sales@4dsystems.com.au
Website: www.4dsystems.com.au
Copyright 4D Systems Pty. Ltd. 2000-2015.