

Reading the code, there are several commands available.
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You can use simple calls to clear the screen, draw text, lay down images, and draw “progress bars” that the stock software uses as a meter.
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The software can find the serial port automatically, which seems to work well, or you can specify a port number. There are several versions of the display, and you do need to know which one you have: mine is a revision B. The Python software is pretty simple to use. On the other hand, the device does have two normal UARTs, so it would be possible assuming you could reflash the controller. The different ports are there so you can route the wire based on your mounting preference.įrom the software standpoint, the thing looks like… a serial port! I was hoping the USB conversion occurred outside the chip since a logic-level RS232 LCD display would have been very cool, indeed! Alas, no. You can only use one of the ports at a time, though. There are two USB-C ports and a connector to hook up to a motherboard’s internal USB port. There’s a 3.3 V regulator and a handful of small components on the board. It should be possible to crack into it and reprogram the whole thing, but that seems like a lot of work. A cheap CH552T CPU is an 8051 with a USB core. The hardware is super simple - at least, the variant I have. Taking out the two screws reveals this neat layout. Inside Hardware There’s not much behind the metal cover. Even better, there is an example of using the library for your own purposes. As you might expect, though, someone has reverse-engineered the protocol, and there is Python software that will replace the stock Windows software the devices use. Two of the main makers of these screens are Turing and XuanFang, although you rarely see those names in the online listings. Like a lot of this cheap stuff, these screens are sold under a variety of names, and apparently, there are some subtle differences.
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But how to drive it? Turns out, it is easier than you think and the hardware looks reasonably hackable, too. But a 3.5-inch IPS LCD screen for $15 or less probably has some other uses. I don’t run Windows, and if I did, I wouldn’t be keen to put some strange service on just so I could see tiny displays of my system information. Of course, this requires sketchy Windows software. A business-card-sized LCD hooks up via USB and shows your CPU speed, temperature, and so on. Ostensibly, these are being sold as system monitors. That’s the case with the glut of “smart displays” you can find at very low prices. Other times, you see things and wonder who is buying them and why - a shrimp pillow? But sometimes, you see something that probably could have a more useful purpose than the proposed use case. Sometimes, you see things at ridiculously low prices.

Browsing the Asian marketplaces online is always an experience.
