9.8 Parallel 8080 Interface

The Graphic library “gfx”, which is downloaded as part of Install Harmony 3 Dependencies, is used to configure and generate code for the parallel 8080 interface graphics application. Below is the high-level system diagram.

The Parallel 8080 interface supports RGB565 16-bit color and is compatible with the AC320007. For more details, refer to the MAXTOUCH ®CURIOSITY PRO BOARD in Reference Documentation from Related Links. To connect an external LCD module to the Curiosity board, users must order 24-Bit passthtough adaptor. The application leverages the GFX library to generate all necessary code for graphics projects using the Parallel 8080 interface. For more details on the Harmony guide for graphics projects, refer to the Getting Started with Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS) Harmony in Reference Documentation from Related Links. Additionally, the recommendation for users is to go through Getting Started with a New Harmony Graphics Application to learn how to utilize the library to create projects. For more details, refer to the Getting Started with a New Harmony Graphics Application in Reference Documentation from Related Links.

Compared to the LCC approach, the Parallel 8080 interface uses an external display controller, which stores the frame buffer and handles screen refresh independently of the microcontroller. This means the microcontroller is primarily responsible for sending commands and data to the display controller, rather than continuously refreshing the display itself. The use of an external frame buffer offloads memory consumption to the external display.

Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS) Harmony Composer remains the recommended GUI design tool for creating widgets and configuring screens for Parallel 8080 projects. For more information about the MGS composer, refer to the Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS) Harmony Composer User Guide in Reference Documentation from Related Links.

The BLE Transparent Peripheral with Parallel 8080 application example is available in wireless_apps_pic32_bz6/apps/ble/peripheral_applications/parallel8080_peripheral_trp_uart. For more details, refer to BLE and Parallel 8080 Interface Transparent UART from Related Links.