phatbenny

I have access to a couple of industrial PCs with PCM-5864/E/L board in them as detailed on the following page.

http://www.compactpci-cards.co.uk/pd...9ad2ea5671b685

They have flat panel displays which plug into the Flat Panel Display Connector. My question, does anybody know if any of the Via mini-itx boards have such a connector.

Thanks Anyway

Ben

MP3Car.com

 

Motorcity

some of the Epia boards have the LVDS option.
this connector is located near the floppy connector.
to use the lvds, you need to buy the seperate lvds or rgb module, then a cable to fit your panel.
the lvds is nice, as you can run a 15ft. cable with no signal loss.
the rgb board uses ttl signals, and is only good for about 18".
cables for this are not available through via. they refer you to "your panel side" meaning see the lcd panel vendor.
I have been working on cables for the rgb board, but they are very expensive and time consuming to make. Given the fact that there are so many different connectors and pin assignments, bios settings, etc. it is not likely for a company to mass produce cables any time soon. Even using common panels like NEC, LG, and Sharp, there are still differences that require at least 3 different calbes to cover about 35 panels. My cost to build a single cable is close to 55.00.
hope this helps.

phatbenny

Thanks motorcity

I think I have all the cables I need.

Looks like the ribbon cable and the power and the power for the lcd come from a small circuit board which plugs into a 44pin connector on the mpotherboard. Is this going to be the LVDS module?
What is an LVDS module?
I noticed that the VIA boards have LVDS as an option. Is this the name of the connection point on the board?
Is it an option as in you have to specify you want it or does it come on certain models?
If so does anyone know which models it comes on?

Sorry about the flow of questions. Just trying to learn

Cheers
Ben

Motorcity

Ben,
LVDS stands for Low Voltage Differential Signal.
the are 2 types of signals that lcd panels use.
LVDS as mentioned, and TTL.
lcd panels require controllers to seperate these signals into readable images.
on a mainboard that has a built in lcd controller, you simply connect a pre-configured cable from the board to the panel.
LVDS is great for distance, and TTL is less costly, but limits the distance between panel and controller.
the 44 pin connector on your board is the lcd controller connector, but is most likely TTL level signals. It may be LVDS, but I did not look at the specs of the board you mention.
the lvds option is the connector that goes to the lvds (or rgb) module, that then connects to the lcd panel via a cable.
here is a link to an epia with the lvds option onboard:
http://www.directron.com/epiam10000l.html

here is a link to the lvds module that attaches to the board:
http://www.computergate.com/products...odcd=B7VLVDS01

here is a link to the rgb module, which I am currently making cables for:
http://www.computergate.com/products...rodcd=B7VRGB01

here is a link to a press release of a company who has the deep pockets to make the cables:
http://news.designtechnica.com/article2422.html

you can bet that they won't sell a cable without a panel, and I am sure they will be expensive.

phatbenny

Thanks agin for all the info. So assuming that the signal is TTL, do Via boards have lcd controllers and lcd controller connectors?
Cheers
Ben

Motorcity

some do, some don't. the lvds is an option, as I pointed out in the links. Like you mention, the specs for some via boards show lvds as an option. you have to buy the via mainboard that specifies that the option is on the board.
the signal type is irrelevant, as you can buy either board for the via lvds.
think of it this way....you have the via mainboard in hand with the lvds option on it.
if you want to use a panel that is TTL, you buy the RGB module and connect a cable between them.
if you want to use a panel that is LVDS, you buy the LVDS module and connect a cable between them.
the fact that the via boards are available with lvds only means that you can spend more money and connect an lcd panel direct without using a conventional lcd controller and using the vga connector as you would a regular monitor.
see this link for an example of how people connect lcd panels to mainboards:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW
(shameless self promotion)

zootjeff

Motorcity,

I'm the Electrical Engineer that implements the LCD panels in Highend O-Scopes for Tektronix. I haven't made a car computer for a while but I am looking back into it.

I was wondering, Have you implemented a LVDS panel on an EPIA mainboard?

Do know of any documentation on how the BIOS deals with the LVDS riser card? LCDs can only run at one resolution and one refresh rate. For XGA it's 65 Mhz pixel clock (60hz refresh) for an 18 bit panel. How does the EPIA fix the display to this rate? Is that a setting in the BIOS?

-Jeff

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