SGX-120L Bitmap Tool

The SGX-120L serial graphics display can store up to 17 full screen bitmaps in flash memory; two of the bitmaps make up the display's font, the other 15 can be displayed using the ESC-E instruction (or used as alternative fonts).

The most practical way to load bitmaps into the SGX has always been to create .BMP files on a PC (using the free Paint program included with Windows), but our conversion/downloading software has been pretty crude, to say the least. With the introduction of a new SGX coming up, we decided to freshen up the bitmap tool:

The program, which runs under '95 through Windows 7, is available for download here (New SGX Tools...).

SGX-120L Configuration Tool

The SGX-120L serial graphics LCD has several configuration settings that control the display's default startup behavior. You can set the SGX to start with the backlight on or off, blank or with a startup screen, with a particular font size, etc. Setting these options requires adding up the option numbers and sending them to the display using the ESC-W instruction (documented here).

Since we're getting ready to roll out a new version of the SGX, we decided to make a little GUI tool to make configuration easier.  It's available for download here (New SGX Tools...). Here's how it looks in XP dress (works with '95 through Windows 7):

SGX-120L Graphics LCD Upgrade Sneak Peek

We're getting ready to roll out version 2.0 of the workhorse SGX-120L serial graphics LCD. The new docs are online and offer a preview of the update.

New tools are also in the works to make it easier to configure the display and load bitmap graphics. In upcoming posts we'll introduce the new stuff and offer some tips on getting the most out of SGX applications.