FTDI’s IC Can Be Integrated into The Monitor

A monitor is a display device that outputs visual information from a computer or other video source. It typically consists of a screen (LCD, LED, OLED, etc.), circuitry to process video signals and various input ports such as HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort and DVI.

Key Components of a Monitor

    • Display Panel

        The screen that shows the visual output

    • Input Ports

        Connectors for video signals (HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, etc.)

    • Controller Board

        Processes video signals and controls the display panel

    • Power Supply

        Provides power to the monitor’s components

    • OSD Controls

        On-Screen Display controls for adjusting settings

Using an FTDI USB Device with a Monitor

FTDI USB devices are typically used for serial communication, such as USB-to-UART, USB-to-SPI, or USB-to-I²C interfaces. While they do not directly handle video signals, they can be used to interface with a monitor’s internal components for tasks like debugging, controlling settings or updating firmware.

Example Application: Monitor Configuration Tool

Imagine you are developing a monitor configuration tool that allows you to adjust settings (brightness, contrast, etc.) via a USB interface instead of using physical OSD controls.

FTDI products can be integrated into various applications to allow for:

    • Port expansion

    • USB charging

    • USB connectivity to phone or PC

    • Data download

    • Synchronization to application software either on PC or system with USB Host

    • Firmware updates

    • Configuration and more!

FTDI IC’s have the following key features making it an ideal candidate for the application:

    • USB Full / High / SuperSpeed connectivity depending on the application requirements

    • Multiple data interfaces including UART, RS232, RS485, RS222, SPI, I²C, FIFO and GPIO

    • Entire USB protocol handled on the chip. No USB specific firmware programming required.

    • EEPROM for customization

    • Data transfer rates (up to): UART (12Mbaud), SPI (52.8Mbps), I²C (6.66Mbit/s), FIFO (40MBps for USB2.0 and 400MB/s for USB3.0)

    • Integrated receive and transmit buffers for high data throughput

    • FTDI’s royalty-free drivers eliminate the requirement for USB driver development in most cases

    • Battery Charger Detection which may be used by mobile devices to detect the presence of a charger on the USB port to enable higher current / faster charging of batteries

    • Low operating current and USB suspend current

    • Extended operating temperature range: -40℃ to 85℃ (Industrial), -40℃ to +105℃ (Automotive)

    • Available in various compact Pb-free from as small as 12 Pin DFN package (RoHS compliant)!

The block diagram below shows at a high level how FTDI’s IC can be integrated into the application.

The USB port of the application can be connected to a phone, PC, tablet or embedded processor. The application software controls the FTDI IC which may be connected to a processor inside the application and communicates via one of the supported protocols (UART, RS232, RS485, RS222, SPI, I²C, FIFO and GPIO). This could allow for configuration, data download, firmware updates, etc.

Another typical use case to integrate FTDI ICs into the application is to host the FTDI ICs with an MCU or embedded system which has a USB Host Controller allowing for port expansion and other various communications paths:

Recommended ICs:

All ICs