Screenkey switch features reprogram function
Foremost Electronics
TFT128 Screenkey switch
Foremost Electronics has released the TFT128 Screenkey, a push-button switch with a built-in full-colour high-resolution TFT graphics display.
The display is backlit by a white LED and the integrated TFT LCD display has a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels; each pixel colour can be chosen from a palette of 65,536 colours.
The TFT128 Screenkey is an intelligent device with an onboard microcontroller and graphical-display controller.
A fully implemented four-wire SPI interface with an expanded command set allows designers to use simple Ascii control, full bitmap graphic display or a combination of the two.
This smart switch supports downloadable display-content and minimises bandwidth requirements from a host controller.
This is useful in a multi-Screenkey environment.
Alan Cook, managing director of Foremost Electronics, said: 'Instead of having to have an individual switch for every function of a system, the TFT128 Screenkey can be continually reprogrammed to perform many functions in a control sequence and the display used to indicate the actual function at all times.
'The display may also be used to prompt operators to take action during a process or in an emergency.' The TFT128 Screenkey offers two operating modes.
High-level command mode simplifies integration into applications by using simple address codes such as 'text display', 'clear display' and 'report key press'.
High-speed mode implements a simple graphics-only interface and delivers up to 10 frames a second frame-refresh rate.
The TFT128 Screenkey measures 28.10 x 31.90 x 16.70mm and can be click-fitted into control panels without soldering.
A flex-tail cable terminated by a PCB connector connects to the host system.
The TFT128 Screenkey can be used in portrait or landscape mode, depending on the application.
The push-button switch has two functions, a conventional push-to-make electrically isolated switch and an internal switch-monitor that can report key activation to host systems for direct control or monitoring functions.
Operating temperature of the TFT128 Screenkey is -20 to +70C and life cycle is up to seven years.
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