SK-Armadillo-43T - 4D Systems - Datasheet.Directory

Uncontrolled Copy when printed or downloaded.

Please refer to the 4D Systems website for the latest Revision of this document

Armadillo-43(T)

4.3” Linux based Display Module

Armadillo-43 (Non-Touch)

Armadillo-43T (Resistive Touch)

Document Date: 8th April 2015

Document Revision: 1.1

DATASHEET

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Contents

1. Description ............................................................................................................................. 4

2. Features ................................................................................................................................. 4

3. Pin Configuration and Summary .............................................................................................. 5

4. Getting Started ....................................................................................................................... 7

4D Systems Image (Recommended) ...................................................................................................... 7 4.1.

Standard Image (Not Recommended) ................................................................................................... 8 4.2.

Powering Up ........................................................................................................................................... 9 4.3.

First Start Up .......................................................................................................................................... 9 4.4.

Updating the System ............................................................................................................................ 10 4.5.

5. Configuring Peripherals ......................................................................................................... 10

GPIO ..................................................................................................................................................... 10 5.1.

SPI ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 5.2.

I2C ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 5.3.

PWM..................................................................................................................................................... 10 5.4.

Special PWM ........................................................................................................................................ 11 5.5.

Serial UART ........................................................................................................................................... 11 5.6.

Audio – On Board and External ............................................................................................................ 11 5.7.

Resistive Touch Screen ......................................................................................................................... 11 5.8.

USB Host ............................................................................................................................................... 12 5.9.

microSD Card Socket .......................................................................................................................... 12 5.10.

TFT LCD Display Backlight ................................................................................................................... 12 5.11.

6. How To… .............................................................................................................................. 13

Armadillo Configuration Tool ............................................................................................................... 13 6.1.

Connect to the Internet ....................................................................................................................... 13 6.2.

Setting the Serial UART for User Control ............................................................................................. 13 6.3.

Control the LCD Backlight..................................................................................................................... 14 6.4.

Calibrating the Touch Screen ............................................................................................................... 14 6.5.

Rotating the Display Orientation.......................................................................................................... 14 6.6.

The User Button ................................................................................................................................... 14 6.7.

Startup - X Windows or Terminal ......................................................................................................... 15 6.8.

Selecting Default X Windows ............................................................................................................... 15 6.9.

Changing the Resolution / Scale ......................................................................................................... 15 6.10.

7. Notes ................................................................................................................................... 17

8. Scribble Box .......................................................................................................................... 17

9. BCM2835 GPIO Pinout Information on Armadillo-43T REV 3.13 .............................................. 18

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

10. Mechanical Details .............................................................................................................. 19

11. Specifications and Ratings ................................................................................................... 20

12. Legal Notice ........................................................................................................................ 22

13. Contact Information............................................................................................................ 22

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

1. Description

The Armadillo is a complete Linux based computer

display module with build in 24bit colour 480x272

resolution TFT LCD display, and features a Resistive

Touch display (Armadillo-43T), or non-touch

display (Armadillo-43) on special request.

At the heart of the Armadillo is a Broadcom

BCM2835 System-On-Chip (SoC), which combines

an ARM1176JZF-S CPU Processor with a VideoCore

IV GPU in a single package. The Armadillo-43

features 512MB of RAM, which is shared between

the CPU and the GPU.

The Armadillo requires a microSD card loaded with

an appropriate image in order to start up, as it

features no on board Flash memory itself, and

uses the microSD card for booting and persistent

storage.

By default, the Armadillo has been developed to

utilise the Armadillian Operating System, which is

based on Raspbian which is based on Debian, and

is optimised for the BCM2835.

Raspbian is the operating system primarily used by

the Raspberry Pi* which has a large following and

development community. The Armadillo, which

uses the same SoC, can utilise a majority of

applications written for the Raspberry Pi.

The Armadillo features 14 GPIO, of which 2 can be

used for a single I2C Channel, 5 can be used for a

single SPI Chanel (with 2 Chip Selects), and 2 can

be used for a single Serial UART. There is also 2

PWM channels which are available for the User,

one of which is shared with the Mono Audio

output via the on board amplifier and mini speaker

(which can be disabled).

Each of the GPIOs feature clamping diodes which

protect the GPIO from accidental overvoltage,

typically if connected to 5V devices.

The Armadillo features a single on-board USB A

Socket, for connecting to devices such as

Keyboards, USB Storage, USB Hubs, WiFi,

Bluetooth, Ethernet etc.

Note*: Raspberry Pi is a trademark of the

Raspberry Pi Foundation, and all references to the

words ‘Raspberry Pi‘ or the use of its logo/marks

are strictly in reference to the Raspberry Pi

product, and how this product is compatible with

aspects of the product but is not associated with

the Raspberry Pi Foundation in any way.

2. Features

• High Performance 4.3” Linux based computer

display module

• 480x272 Resolution, RGB 16M true to life

colours, TFT Screen with integrated 4-wire

Resistive Touch Panel or a non-touch version is

available on special request, (subject to MOQ).

• Microchip AR1021 Resistive Touch Controller, on

a dedicated I2C Bus.

• Display output is the primary display of the

BCM2835 SoC.

• Capable of being powered off a PC USB Port

(typically current draw is ~400mA), 5VDC Barrel

Jack for use with a 4D Systems Power Adaptor,

or via the GPIO connector 5V pin.

• PWM controlled backlight brightness clocked by

PCM Clock with DMA, freeing up the Hardware

PWM.

• PWM mono audio output, available as Line Out

on H2 Header, or out of on board amplifier and

speaker. On-board amplifier can be disabled via

a GPIO.

• User Button connected to one of the GPIO,

enabling convenient on board button for

triggering specific User actions. Reset Button

which performs a hard reset of the system.

• 2x 10 way headers for Power, GPIO and Audio,

featuring 14 GPIO which can be configured for

SPI, I2C, PWM and Serial UART, along with a

mono Line Out Audio pin.

• 1x JTAG 10 way header

• Capable of full motion multimedia playback.

• Compatible with Raspbian Linux

• Module dimensions: 120.7 x 69.6 x 16.5mm

(including corner plates). Weighing ~ 100g.

• Display Viewing Area: 95.0 x 53.9mm

• 4x corner plates with 2.6mm holes for

mechanical mounting.

• Compatible with the 4DBEZEL-43 display bezel

surround.

• RoHS and CE Compliant.

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

3. Pin Configuration and Summary

I = Input, O = Output, P = Power

H1 Pinout

Symbol

I/O

Description

1

GPIO37

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as SPI0 MISO Pin

2

GPIO38

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as SPI0 MOSI Pin

3

GPIO39

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as SPI0 SCLK Pin

4

GPIO35

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as SPI0 CS1 Pin

5

GPIO36

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as SPI0 CS0 Pin

6

GPIO45

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as I2C1 SCL Channel

7

GPIO31

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant

8

GPIO44

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as I2C1 SDA Channel

9

GND

P

Ground Pin, System Ground

10

+5V

P

5V Supply Pin, can be used to power the Armadillo or source 5V from it.

H2 Pinout

Symbol

I/O

Description

1

LOUT

O

Line Out level Mono Audio Signal, Filtered PWM Signal

2

GND

P

Ground Pin, System Ground

3

GPIO41

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as a PWM (Shared with LOUT)

4

GPIO40

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as a PWM

5

GPIO34

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be used to disable the on board Audio Amplifier

6

GPIO46

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - also connected to the USER button

7

GPIO33

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as RX0 Serial UART

8

GPIO32

I/O

3.3V GPIO, 5V Tolerant - can be configured as TX0 Serial UART

9

GND

P

Ground Pin, System Ground

10

+3.3V

P

3.3V Supply Pin, used to source 3.3V from to power external devices

H1 Pin 1

H1 Pin 2

H1 Pin 10

H1 Pin 9

H2 Pin 1

H2 Pin 2

H2 Pin 10

H2 Pin 9

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Connecting J2 between pins 1 and 2 (Top and Centre pins) will allow the on board Audio Amplifier to be

enabled and any audio that is generated on the PGIO41 PWM signal (PWM1) will be amplified and played on

the on-board speaker.

Connecting J2 between pins 2 and 3 (Centre and Bottom pins) will allow the GPIO34 pin to control the on

Board Audio Amplifier’s shutdown pin. This will allow a User to write a script or piece of software to enable or

disable the on board audio amplifier as required. This can be useful for many reasons, such as power saving,

muting the audio, or for using the PWM signal for another reason – such as motor control. If the on board

Audio Amplifier is disabled the PWM signal can be utilised by the User for other applications, other than Audio.

Removing the jumper entirely (or placing it over 1 pin only for safe storage) will force the on board Amplifier to

disable. This can be useful for many reasons, as per connecting between pins 2 and 3, however with the added

benefit that GPIO34 is also freed up to be used as a GPIO for other purposes. This can be helpful if you wish to

use the PWM1 signal for something other than Audio, and also require the GPIO34 signal for something other

than Audio Enable.

The JTAG header is used in the factory to program the bootloader into the BCM2835 SoC. It can also be used to

connect to a compatible JTAG debugger, however should only be utilised by Advanced users who know what

they are doing. This header makes for good mechanical support when adding a Daughter Board onto the

Armadillo-43T, if nothing else.

Currently there is no information available that can be provided in order to utilise this JTAG header, such as

which JTAG debugger can be utilised by a User or what software is required.

NOTE: Do not electrically connect anything to this header unless you know what you are doing.

J2 Jumper Header

Symbol

Description

1

+3.3V

Pull Up to 3.3V

2

SHDN

Shutdown pin of the on board Audio Amplifier

3

GPIO34

GPIO34 Connection, to allow GPIO control of the on board Amplifier Audio Enable

JTAG Header

Symbol

Description

1

GND

Ground Pin, System Ground

2

TCK

Test Clock Signal

3

GND

Ground Pin, System Ground

4

TMD / TMS

Test Mode Select Signal

5

GND

Ground Pin, System Ground

6

TDO

Test Data Out Signal

7

GND

Ground Pin, System Ground

8

TDI

Test Data In Signal

9

GND

Ground Pin, System Ground

10

TRST_N

Test Reset Signal

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

4. Getting Started

The Armadillo is designed to use the Armadillian

Operating System, which is an image from 4D

Systems, built from source and specifically

customized to suit the Armadillo and touch screen

operation. Alternatively a standard Raspbian

image could be used, such as one from the

Raspberry Pi website. Using a standard Raspbian

image will require modifications of that image in

order to make it compatible for use with the

Armadillo, and not all features will be available.

4D Systems Image (Recommended)

4.1.

4D Systems has built and customised an image

from source to cater for the needs of the

Armadillo. It is very similar to Raspbian, and

includes changes such as a custom VC4 firmware

(start.elf), customised Kernel to allow for a driver

in the kernel for the Touch Screen, and then minor

modifications to optimise the display content to fit

on the 480x272 display, along with custom

applications such as Armadillo-config, which is

used to configure various aspects of the system

using the touch screen.

The latest image is available for download from

the Armadillo product page on the 4D Systems

website.

Once downloaded and extracted the zip archive,

the image inside should be loaded onto a 4GB or

higher capacity microSD card.

For Windows

Using the Win32DiskImager tool, available for

download from:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/

1) Insert the microSD card into your card reader

and check which drive letter was assigned.

2) Download the Win32DiskImager utility from

the Sourceforge Project page mentioned

above.

3) Extract the executable from the zip file and

run the Win32DiskImager utility; you may

need to run the utility as administrator. Right-

click on the file, and select Run as Admin.

4) Select the image file you extracted above.

5) Select the drive letter of the microSD card in

the device box. Be careful to select the correct

drive; if you get the wrong one you can

destroy your data on the computer's hard

disk! If you are using a microSD or SD card slot

with an Adaptor in your computer and can't

see the drive in the Win32DiskImager window,

try using a cheap microSD adaptor in a USB

port.

6) Click Write and wait for the write to complete.

7) Exit the imager and eject the SD card.

For Linux

(Credit - Instructions from Raspberry Pi website)

1) Run df -h to see what devices are currently

mounted.

2) If your computer has a slot for SD cards, insert

the card. If not, insert the card into an SD card

reader, then connect the reader to your

computer.

3) Run df -h again. The new device that has

appeared is your SD card. The left column

gives the device name of your SD card; it will

be listed as something like:

/dev/mmcblk0p1 or /dev/sdd1

The last part (p1 or 1 respectively) is the

partition number but you want to write to the

whole SD card, not just one partition.

Therefore you need to remove that part from

the name for example,

/dev/mmcblk0 or /dev/sdd as the device for

the whole SD card. Note that the SD card can

show up more than once in the output of df; it

will do this if you have previously written an

image to this SD card, because images

typically have more than one partition.

4) Now that you've noted what the device name

is, you need to unmount it so that files can't

be read or written to the SD card while you

are copying over the SD image.

5) Run umount /dev/sdd1, replacing sdd1 with

whatever your SD card's device name is

(including the partition number).

6) If your SD card shows up more than once in

the output of df due to having multiple

partitions on the SD card, you should

unmount all of these partitions.

7) In the terminal, write the image to the card

with the command below, making sure you

replace the input file if= argument with the

path to your .img file, and the /dev/sdd in the

output file of= argument with the right device

name. This is very important, as you will lose

all data on the hard drive if you provide the

wrong device name. Make sure the device

name is the name of the whole SD card as

described above, not just a partition of it; for

example sdd, not sdds1 or sddp1;

or mmcblk0, not mmcblk0p1.

dd bs=4M if=path_of_your_image.img

of=/dev/sdd

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

8) Please note that block size set to 4M will work

most of the time; if not, please try 1M,

although this will take considerably longer.

9) Also note that if you are not logged in as root

you will need to prefix this with sudo.

10) The dd command does not give any

information of its progress and so may appear

to have frozen; it could take more than five

minutes to finish writing to the card. If your

card reader has an LED it may blink during the

write process. To see the progress of the copy

operation you can run pkill -USR1 -n -x dd in

another terminal, prefixed with sudo if you

are not logged in as root. The progress will be

displayed in the original window and not the

window with the pkill command; it may not

display immediately, due to buffering.

11) Instead of dd you can use dcfldd. It will give a

progress report about how much has been

written.

12) You can check what's written to the SD card

by using dd from the card back to another

image on your hard disk, and then

running diff (or md5sum) on those two

images. There should be no difference.

13) Remove the SD Card from your PC, it is now

ready to use.

For Mac OS

(Credit - Instructions from Raspberry Pi website)

1) Connect the SD card reader with the SD card

inside. Note that it must be formatted in

FAT32.

2) From the Apple menu, choose About This

Mac, then click on More info...; if you are

using Mac OS X 10.8.x Mountain Lion then

click on System Report.

3) Click on USB (or Card Reader if using a built-in

SD card reader) then search for your SD card

in the upper right section of the window. Click

on it, then search for the BSD name in the

lower right section; it will look something like

'diskn' where n is a number (for example,

disk4). Make sure you take a note of this

number.

4) Unmount the partition so that you will be

allowed to overwrite the disk; to do this, open

Disk Utility and unmount it (do not eject it, or

you will have to reconnect it). Note that On

Mac OS X 10.8.x Mountain Lion, "Verify Disk"

(before unmounting) will display the BSD

name as "/dev/disk1s1" or similar, allowing

you to skip the previous two steps.

5) From the terminal run:

sudo dd bs=1m if=your_image.img

of=/dev/diskn

6) Remember to replace n with the number that

you noted before!

You should now have a SD card ready to use in the

Armadillo.

Standard Image (Not Recommended) 4.2.

A standard image of Raspbian for the Raspberry Pi

can be used for the Armadillo, with some

modifications made to it so it operates the on

board display.

Note, this is not specifically supported by 4D

Systems as 4D Systems has no influence over

images produced for the Raspberry Pi, and

therefore cannot guarantee compatibility.

Using a standard image will mean you miss out on

a number of benefits that come with the 4D

Systems image, however the module should still

be fully functional.

Simply download a Raspbian Image from the

Raspberry Pi website (Note: NOOBS is not

supported)

http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/

Follow the same 7 instructions as found in the

previous section, and image a microSD card, but

this time using the Raspberry Pi image.

Once you have an image on the card, you need to

replace some of the files so the hardware is able to

be used. Don’t attempt to boot the card in the

Armadillo-43T yet, it will not work.

Download the ‘Boot Files Pack’ and ‘Kernel Pack’

from the Armadillo product page on the 4D

Systems website.

To convert a standard Raspbian image for the

Raspberry Pi so it will function on the Armadillo-

43T you first have to replace the main boot file.

This file is usually called "start.elf" and is in the FAT

(DOS) partition of the image. It is possible this file

may be called something else (some images use

"start_x.elf"). Replace the file with the "start.elf"

file from the ‘Boot File Pack’ archive, renaming it if

necessary.

This will only allow the system to boot and operate

the display. It will not allow the use of the touch

screen. For this a different set of kernel drivers are

needed. You will need to manually replace your

current kernel with the version from the ‘Kernel

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Pack’ archive. Therefore you are likely to require a

USB Keyboard.

The kernel archive contains all the kernel modules

which need to be extracted from within a running

system since they need to go in the main

filesystem of the image (the ext4 partition).

The kernel archive also contains the kernel image

(boot/kernel.img) which is to be placed in the

same partition as the start.elf above, renaming it

to the same as the existing image. This should be

done last by manually copying the file as above

with the SD card connected direct to your

computer.

Once all the files have been installed the system

should be able to support the touch screen. The

drivers still need to be activated before they will

operate, however.

These two commands should be added to

/etc/rc.local:

chmod 777 /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-

0/new_device

echo ar1020_i2c 0x4d > /sys/class/i2c-

adapter/i2c-0/new_device

At this point the Armadillo can be rebooted, and

the touch screen should be functional.

Note: by using a Raspberry Pi Raspbian image, you

miss out on a number of benefits of the 4D

Systems Raspbian image. Armadillo-config is not

available, for example.

Powering Up 4.3.

The Armadillo can be powered up in 3 different

ways. It features a DC Barrel Jack, a microUSB

socket, and power pins on the H1 header (2.54mm

/ 0.1” pitch header). Any of these can be used to

power the Armadillo-43T.

The DC Barrel Jack is designed for a fine pitch DC

Jack, 2.35mm in diameter, with a centre hole of

0.7mm, and barrel length of 8mm or more.

A suitable 1 Amp 5.0V DC Adaptor is available from

the 4D Systems website. This DC Adaptor comes

with interchangeable heads so it can be used

around the world in a range of AC sockets and

voltages.

The Barrel Jack on board the Armadillo is a CUI Inc

PJ1-023-SMT, if more information is required.

The microUSB socket accepts a standard microUSB

cable, which can be connected to a PC or to an

AC/DC adaptor, such is commonly used on Cell

Phones, Digital Cameras and is also used for the

Raspberry Pi. At least 500mA is required, however

a 1A supply is recommended. Some PC’s may not

be able to supply the required current for the

Armadillo to boot up or to be stable, when

powered from USB.

The Power pins on the H1 Header are +5V and

GND, and can be connected to any smooth

regulated 5VDC Power source. The +3.3V and GND

pins can NOT be used to power the Armadillo as it

requires 5V for the system to operate. Connecting

Power to the +3.3V and GND Pins will result in

unpredictable results, and will not result in correct

operation with the TFT LCD. The +3.3V pin is an

Output, to power external devices only.

Applying power to any of these power points on

the Armadillo will power the Armadillo up, and it

will initiate the boot sequence from the microSD

card.

First Start Up 4.4.

Once power is applied, the Armadillo boot logo

should appear on the TFT LCD Display to show the

GPU has booted (Assuming the use of the 4D

Armadillian Image). Following that should be the

console prompts showing the Firmware, Kernel

and OS boot messages. When using the 4D

Systems image, a few startup questions will be

asked, which the answers can be entered from the

touchscreen display. Questions include the setup

of a Username/Password, Resizing of the microSD

partitions (if required), and selecting if you want it

to boot into the X GUI at startup. If you have a

WiFi dongle connected at first startup, it will

prompt you for SSID/Password so you can use Wifi

as soon as you load the X GUI.

It can be useful to have a USB Keyboard connected

to the Armadillo, until it is set up the way you

want it, as the touch screen by default can only

replace the left click of a mouse. With the use of

the Armadillo-config utility however, many aspects

of the system can be setup using the touch screen

alone, such as connecting to a WiFi network using

a USB WiFi dongle, inputting your SSID and

Password with the touch screen, selecting the

orientation of the display, along with many other

configurable features.

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Updating the System

4.5.

The Armadillo (when used with the 4D Systems

Image) is easily kept up to date using the standard

update calls from Terminal.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

These will update the modules use in the image,

without breaking the functionality of the

Armadillo.

If a standard Raspbian image is used, then doing

an update/upgrade could result in the Armadillo

not booting, due to the chance that things like the

VC4 Firmware (start.elf) being updated/

overwritten with a standard one. If this happens,

the ‘Raspbian Mod Package’ download should be

downloaded from the Product Page and the files

on your SD card should be overwritten.

5. Configuring Peripherals

The Armadillo-43T has a range of GPIO available to

the User, for use in a range of applications, such as

communicating to other devices over Serial, SPI or

I2C, or to trigger or receive digital signals via the

Digital inputs/outputs.

GPIO 5.1.

There are 14 GPIO available for the User, which

can be used as standard digital GPIO, or they can

be configured for alternate functions such as SPI,

I2C, PWM and Serial.

All the GPIO have clamping diodes and resistors on

them, which enable them to be connected to 5V

level signals. All GPIO are however 3.3V TTL level

signals, which means when set to output a logic

level 1 or HIGH signal, the voltage at the pin is

~3.3V. Due to the clamping diodes, these GPIO can

accept 5V TTL level signals when configured as

inputs, to provide the User with a greater flexibility

for end applications.

Note: Any devices that are interfaced to the

Armadillo need to be compatible with 3.3V logic.

SPI 5.2.

There are 5 of the GPIO which can be configured

to be SPI. This includes the 3 main SPI signals,

MOSI, MISO and CLK, and also includes 2 Chip

Select signals CS0 and CS1.

The signals can be found on the following pins:

Header

GPIO Number

Signal Name

H1 Pin 1

GPIO37

SPI0 MISO

H1 Pin 2

GPIO38

SPI0 MOSI

H1 Pin 3

GPIO39

SPI0 SCK

H1 Pin 4

GPIO35

SPI0 CS1

H1 Pin 5

GPIO36

SPI0 CS0

I2C 5.3.

There are 2 of the GPIO which can be configured

to be I2C.

The signals can be found on the following pins:

Header

GPIO Number

Signal Name

H1 Pin 6

GPIO45

I2C1 SCL

H1 Pin 8

GPIO44

I2C1 SDA

In addition to this, there is another I2C channel

which is dedicated to the Resistive Touch

Controller, the Microchip AR1021. This second I2C

channel is not available for the User on any of the

Headers as it is dedicated to the Resistive Touch

controller. This utilises the I2C0 channel.

PWM 5.4.

There are two GPIO which can be used for PWM or

GPIO, and one of the PWMs (when enabled) is

earmarked for generating Audio either to the

LOUT (Line Out) pin, and to the on board amplifier

and speaker.

In order to use PWM1 for anything other than

Audio, then the on board amplifier needs to be

disabled. Please refer to the J2 Jumper Header

information, found in Section 3.

The signals can be found on the following pins:

Header

GPIO Number

Signal Name

H2 Pin 3

GPIO41

PWM1

H2 Pin 4

GPIO40

PWM0

By default, PWM1 is set to PWM for the Audio,

and PWM0 is set to be a GPIO.

Note: Due to the nature of the Raspbian operating

system, any pin that is configured to be PWM can

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

be ‘taken over’ by the audio system, if audio is

started, such as playing a movie.

Please refer to section 5.7 “Audio – On Board and

External” for more information on using the PWM

for audio.

Special PWM 5.5.

4D Systems has developed a driver for the

Armadillo which has the ability to clock most of

the GPIO with a PWM clock generated by the

unused PCM clock on the BCM2835, coupled with

DMA.

One of these pins is allocated to the Backlight, to

allow the backlight to be dimmed. Please refer to

the “TFT LCD Display Backlight” section for more

information.

In regards to the additional PWMs, an Application

Note will be made available to detail how to use

these, and what the limitations are. This will be

available on the 4D Systems website, Application

Note page.

Serial UART 5.6.

There are two GPIO which by default are

configured to be a Serial UART. These can be used

as GPIO instead if required.

The signals can be found on the following pins:

Header

GPIO Number

Signal Name

H2 Pin 7

GPIO33

RX0

H2 Pin 8

GPIO32

TX0

This Serial UART can be used to log into the

Armadillo using a serial console application, an

example is Putty. By default the Baud Rate to do

this is 115200. This Serial UART can also be used

for many applications by the User. Some require

control to be removed from Linux so the Serial

UART can be used by the User or the Users

scripts/applications.

Please refer to the “How To” section, and the area

titled “Setting the Serial UART for User Control”.

The Serial port will no longer be used by Linux and

therefore you will no longer be able to log into the

Armadillo using the Serial UART, however this does

now allow your scripts/applications to use the

Serial UART instead.

Audio – On Board and External

5.7.

The Armadillo features an on board amplifier and

tiny speaker, which are connected to the line out

pin which is present on the H2 header.

The on board speaker is small and designed only to

provide a small level of audio capability to the

display module. If the audio level is raised too high

in software, it can cause the output to distort and

become inaudible. The on-board audio capability

of the Armadillo is mono only, and features only a

single (mono) line out signal.

If a more capable audio system is desired to be

connected to the line out signal, the on board

amplifier and speaker can be disabled, and an

external amplifier can be connected to the H2

Header, which would enable a more powerful

audio system to be connected.

If Stereo or better audio is required, both PWM

signals are available on the H2 header, and with

appropriate external filtering circuitry, a more

capable stereo audio system could be created

using these 2 signals. Alternatively, a USB

Soundcard can be connected to the Armadillo.

To disable, enable or control the on-board

amplifier with a GPIO, there is a 3 pin male jumper

header titled JP2, to the left of the speaker, above

the Display flex connector. Please refer to Section

3, “Pin Configuration and Summary” and the table

pertaining to “JP2 Jumper Header” for more

information on this Jumper and its settings.

Resistive Touch Screen 5.8.

The resistive touch screen on the Armadillo-43T is

a 4-wire variety, and interfaces to the BCM2835

SoC via a Microchip AR1021 resistive touch

controller, using the I2C0 bus.

A driver has been provided by Microchip for this

device, which has been integrated into the Kernel

shipped with the 4D Systems Raspbian Image,

which enables the resistive touch controller to be

used.

Inside the modified Kernel which is provided in the

4D Systems Raspbian Image, is a modified I2C

driver which directs the I2C channels to the

appropriate pins, for use by the AR1021 driver.

Calibration of the Resistive Touch is described in

the How To section.

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

USB Host

5.9.

The Armadillo features a single USB port which is a

USB Host.

The USB Host is capable of connecting to a wide

range of USB peripherals, such as a USB

Keyboard/Mouse, USB Hub, USB Hard Drive, USB

Flash Drive, USB Ethernet Dongle, USB WiFi Dongle

etc.

Using a USB Hub will enable additional USB

Devices to be connected together.

Since the Armadillo-43T utilises the same

processor as the Raspberry Pi, the following

website can be used to assist identifying possible

compatible and incompatible devices.

http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals

microSD Card Socket 5.10.

The microSD card socket on the Armadillo is used

to hold the image of the Operating System which

is to boot on the Armadillo. It is required and there

are no options to use the Armadillo without having

a microSD card installed.

4D Systems offers suitable microSD cards for use

with the Armadillo, and are ‘Industrial Grade’ Class

10 cards which have advanced firmware for

preventing Read Disturb which is common in

systems that do a lot of reading of data without

necessarily writing over that data. It also offers

wear levelling technology, which is useful in a

system like the Armadillo due to the microSD is

essentially acting as a Hard Drive.

If alternate cards are required you can refer to the

following website which provides information on

tested SD cards (not specifically microSD cards

however) which work on the Raspberry Pi, and

therefore will be the same on the Armadillo-43T.

http://elinux.org/RPi_SD_cards

The microSD card socket itself is connected to the

Armadillo on Bank2 of the BCM2835’s GPIO banks,

and is connected to the SD0 interface.

Signal Name

GPIO Number

Description

SD0_CLK

GPIO48

SD Clock

SD0_CMD

GPIO49

SD Command

SD0_DAT0

GPIO50

SD Data bit 0

SD0_DAT1

GPIO51

SD Data bit 1

SD0_DAT2

GPIO52

SD Data bit 2

SD0_DAT3

GPIO53

SD Data bit 3

TFT LCD Display Backlight

5.11.

The Armadillo features a DC/DC Boost converter

for driving the backlight, due to the backlight

requiring a much higher voltage than the

Armadillo’s input voltage.

It utilises the TI TPS61080 0.5A DC/DC Boost

Converter, which is configured in a way which

allows for a PWM input, to enable the backlight to

be dimmed if required.

Due to the BCM2835 SoC only having 2 hardware

PWM channels, the backlight driver does not

utilise any of these hardware PWM signals, as it

was opted to keep these available for the User for

Audio or alternative applications. Instead it uses a

standard GPIO which has a driver written to map it

to the PCM clock, which allows a hardware-like

PWM output to be generated. Please refer to

‘Special PWM’ section for more information. This

ensures that the backlight PWM is stable,

compared to if the PWM was software driven, as if

system load increases the backlight intensity may

change, which would be undesirable.

The backlight control signal is linked to GPIO43,

and can be set as a simple digital GPIO and only

used for On/Off control of the backlight, or it can

be used in PWM mode, and a range of 0-100%

duty cycle on the PWM will set the backlight

brightness. By default, the Armadillo controls the

backlight with a 130Hz PWM.

A Backlight driver has been written to simplify the

interface for controlling the backlight.

Please refer to the “How To” section, and the area

titled “Control the LCD backlight”, for more

information.

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

6. How To…

Here are a few examples of how to use the

Armadillo.

Note: Most instructions in this section are relevant

only for the 4D Systems Armadillian image, as

Armadillo-config is not supported on 3rd part

Raspbian distributions.

Armadillo Configuration Tool 6.1.

Built into the 4D Systems Image for the Armadillo,

is a custom 4D Systems tool called Armadillo-

Config.

This tool does a lot of the hard work in regards to

the configuration of some core settings, and

enables these settings to be configured from the

touch screen display, so an external

keyboard/mouse is not required.

To run Armadillo-config from the X GUI, simply

select it from the Start Menu.

To run Armadillo-config from Terminal, it needs to

be run as root, simply type:

sudo armadillo-config

Configuration of WiFi, Ethernet, Touchscreen

Calibration, Option to Boot to X Windows or to

Terminal, Configuring what the User Button does,

Adjusting the scaling (resolution) of the display,

Rotating the display, along with many other

features are possible from this neat tool.

Connect to the Internet 6.2.

The Armadillo does not feature any on board

peripherals to enable Internet Connection itself,

however it does offer a single USB Port which can

be used to connect to external network devices.

This USB Port can be used to connect to

networking peripherals such as USB Ethernet

dongles, USB Wifi dongles and various other

networking hardware.

Armadillo-config can be used to set up the WiFi

network, configured using the Armadillo’s touch

screen. This tool can be launched from the X GUI

or from Terminal, and is self-explanatory in its use.

Simply go to the WiFi or Ethernet sections of the

tool (if you have hardware connected to suit), and

enter the required information using the touch

screen display, or using an external

keyboard/mouse.

You will need to restart the Armadillo for these

changes to take effect.

To run Armadillo-config from the X GUI, simply

select it from the Start Menu.

To run Armadillo-config from Terminal, simply

type:

sudo armadillo-config

Setting the Serial UART for User Control 6.3.

By default the on board Serial UART on the

Armadillo-43T is used by the Linux system as a

debug console, and can be used to log into the

Armadillo-43T or for controlling the system, rather

than having a USB Keyboard connected. In order

to use this Serial UART for other purposes, such as

inside a Python application, the Serial UART needs

to be disconnected from the linux system, so it is

available to the User.

This can be achieved by editing the cmdline.txt file

which is found on the DOS/FAT partition of the

microSD card.

From terminal, launch leafpad (or your chosen

editor) with root:

sudo leafpad /boot/cmdline.txt

Remove the following text (LEAVE everything else

intact):

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

kgdboc=ttyAMA0,115200 console=tty1

Save the file, overwriting the existing one.

Navigate and edit /etc/inittab using the same

method above

sudo leafpad /etc/inittab

Comment out the bottom line by putting a '#'

symbol at the start of it, where the bottom line is:

T0:23:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyAMA0

115200 vt100

Save the file, overwriting the existing one.

Reboot the Armadillo.

When rebooted, the Armadillo will have its Serial

UART available for the User.

Control the LCD Backlight 6.4.

In order to control the backlight on the Armadillo,

the backlight driver needs to be enabled, which is

enabled by default on the 4D Systems Armadillian

image.

The backlight can be controlled from the terminal,

or from a bash script. The following command can

be used to set the backlight from 0 to 100%.

echo 80 > /sys/class/backlight/gpio-

backlight.0/brightness

The above will set the backlight to 80%. Simply

change the ‘echo 80’ to be anything from 0 to 100.

Calibrating the Touch Screen 6.5.

The touch screen on the Armadillo is controlled

using a Microchip AR1021 Resistive Touch

Controller, which is interfaced to the BCM2835

using I2C. This controller is connected to the I2C0

channel of the BCM2835.

Calibration is easiest launched using the Armadillo

Config tool, which can be found in the ‘start’ menu

of the 4D Systems Armadillian OS, or can be

launched via Terminal by typing:

sudo armadillo-config

Simply click on the icon titled ‘Touch Calibration’

and follow the on screen prompts.

Rotating the Display Orientation

6.6.

It is possible to rotate the display in order to

satisfy various mounting configurations, such as

Portrait, Landscape, Reverse Portrait and Reverse

Landscape.

This is very simple to do by using the Armadillo-

config tool, which can be found in the ‘start’ menu

of the Armadillian OS, or can be launched via

Terminal by typing:

sudo armadillo-config

Simply click on the Rotate Screen Option, and

select the orientation of your choice.

Once this has been selected, click Save, and Exit

the tool. You will need to restart the Armadillo for

the changes to take effect.

The User Button 6.7.

On the back of the Armadillo is a tactile push

button labelled User. This button can be

configured by the User to perform a set action, or

multiple actions, dictated by a bash script which is

executed when the button is pressed.

By default, the button is set to execute a script

called ‘Killthem’, which simply searches for specific

processes running and kills them if they are

running. This is used to kill applications which do

not have touchscreen control and typically require

a keyboard, so the application can be exited

without the need for a keyboard to be connected

to the Armadillo. This script can be edited to suit,

or can be replaced entirely with a different script

for a different purpose, such as safely shutting

down the Armadillo for example.

The User Button is connected to a GPIO on the

BCM2835 SoC, and therefore if the GPIO is to be

used for another purpose, then the User Button

can no longer be used.

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

The User Button is connected to GPIO46.

To edit which script is executed when the User

Button is pressed, simply run the Armadillo Config

tool, which can be found in the ‘start’ menu of the

Armadillian OS, or can be launched via Terminal by

typing:

sudo armadillo-config

Simply click on the User Option, and select the

Script of your choice.

Startup - X Windows or Terminal 6.8.

It is possible to enable the Armadillo to boot up

into X Windows, or to the Terminal, using the

Armadillo-config tool, which can be found in the

‘start’ menu of the Armadillian OS, or can be

launched via Terminal by typing:

sudo armadillo-config

Simply click on the Startup button, and select Yes

or No as required. Selecting Yes will boot into X

Windows by default, and Selecting No will boot to

the terminal.

Selecting Default X Windows 6.9.

On the 4D Systems Armadillian Image, are two

different X Windows for the User to select.

One is LXDE, which is the ‘normal’ X Windows

found on the Raspbian Operating System. The

other is called ‘Enlightenment’, which is an

experimental environment which is more suited

for touch screen applications, such as the

Armadillo, however has some issues and is still

under development.

The default X Windows can be selected using the

Armadillo Config tool, which can be found in the

‘start’ menu of the Armadillian OS, or can be

launched via Terminal by typing:

sudo armadillo-config

Simply click on the Desktop icon, and then select

either LXDE or Enlightenment, as required.

This can be changed again by going back into the

Armadillo Config tool, and selecting the other one,

as required.

Changing the Resolution / Scale 6.10.

A neat feature which is available on the Armadillo,

is the ability for the display output to be scaled to

enable larger windows to display fully, since the

4.3” display can be on the small side when dealing

with some of the default windows found in the X

Windows environment.

Using the Armadillo Config tool, which can be

found in the ‘start’ menu of the Armadillian OS, or

can be launched via Terminal by typing:

sudo armadillo-config

Selecting the ‘Screen Resolution’ icon, will take

you to a page which enables you to change from

the default 480x272 resolution, up to much larger

resolutions. Note however, the actual resolution of

the display is fixed, this cannot be changed, but

the scaling that is output from the frame buffer

can be modified which makes the resolution of the

display appear to change. The limitation of this

however is the larger resolution you select, the

harder things are to read and make out of the

screen, since there are only so many pixels on the

actual display.

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

By default the resolution is 480x272. From testing

at 4D Systems, resolutions up to about 672x380

are perfectly usable, and anything beyond that

requires knowledge of the system and a good eye,

as fine text and icons can be difficult or impossible

to read, especially when dealing with the higher

resolutions.

This functionality is only usable to a certain extent,

but with a little bit of scaling, such as 576x326, it

can make the X Windows environment somewhat

easier to use, due to some windows default to be

larger than the resolution of the Armadillo, making

navigation in some areas tricky without scaling.

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

7. Notes

__________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Scribble Box

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

9. BCM2835 GPIO Pinout Information on Armadillo-43T REV 3.13

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

10. Mechanical Details

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

11. Specifications and Ratings

ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM RATINGS

Operating ambient temperature ................................................................................................... -20°C to +70°C

Storage temperature .......................................................................................................................... -30°C +80°C

NOTE: Stresses above those listed here may cause permanent damage to the device. This is a stress rating only

and functional operation of the device at those or any other conditions above those indicated in the

recommended operation listings of this specification is not implied. Exposure to maximum rating conditions

for extended periods may affect device reliability.

RECOMMENDED OPERATING CONDITIONS

Parameter

Conditions

Min

Typ

Max

Units

Supply Voltage (+5V)

Stable external supply required

4.5

5.0

5.5

V

Operating Temperature

-20

--

+70

°C

GLOBAL CHARACTERISTICS BASED ON OPERATING CONDITIONS

Parameter

Conditions

Min

Typ

Max

Units

Supply Current (ICC)

5V Supply

--

400

--

mA

Display Endurance

Hours of operation, measured to

when display is 50% original

brightness

--

20000

--

H

Touch Screen Endurance

Number of touches/hits with a

12.5mm tip at a rate of 2x per

second with 250gf force

--

1M

--

Touches

Slide stylus on screen, 100gf force,

60mm/s speed with a 0.8mm

polyacetal tip stylus pen

--

100K

--

Slides

Touch Screen Transparency

96

--

%

Touch Screen Operational

Force

Only use Finger or Stylus, do not

use anything sharp or metal

20

--

100

gf

LCD DISPLAY INFORMATION

Parameter

Conditions

Specification

Display Type

TFT Transmissive LCD

Display Size

4.3” Diagonal

Display Resolution

480 x 272 RGB 24Bit

Display Brightness

5V Supply

480cd/m2

Display Contrast Ratio

Typical

350:1

Display Viewing Angles

Above Centre

35 Degrees

Below Centre

15 Degrees

Left of Centre

45 Degrees

Right of Centre

45 Degrees

Display Viewing Direction

12 o’clock Display

(Optimal viewing is from above)

Display Backlighting

White LED Backlighting

5x2 Parallel LED’s

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Pixel Pitch

0.198 x 0.198mm (Square pixels)

Pixel Density

Number of pixels in 1 row in

25.4mm

128 DPI/PPI

ORDERING INFORMATION

Order Code:

Armadillo-43 (Non Touch Model)

Armadillo-43T (Resistive Touch Model)

Packaging: Module sealed in an antistatic foam padded 4D Systems box

4D SYSTEMS Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

Armadillo-43(T) – Linux based Computer Display Module

12. Legal Notice

Proprietary Information

The information contained in this document is the property of 4D Systems Pty. Ltd. and may be the subject of

patents pending or granted, and must not be copied or disclosed without prior written permission.

4D Systems endeavours to ensure that the information in this document is correct and fairly stated but does

not accept liability for any error or omission. The development of 4D Systems products and services is

continuous and published information may not be up to date. It is important to check the current position with

4D Systems. 4D Systems reserves the right to modify, update or makes changes to Specifications or written

material without prior notice at any time.

All trademarks belong to their respective owners and are recognised and acknowledged.

Disclaimer of Warranties & Limitation of Liability

4D Systems makes no warranty, either expressed or implied with respect to any product, and specifically

disclaims all other warranties, including, without limitation, warranties for merchantability, non-infringement

and fitness for any particular purpose.

Information contained in this publication regarding device applications and the like is provided only for your

convenience and may be superseded by updates. It is your responsibility to ensure that your application meets

with your specifications.

Images and graphics used throughout this document are for illustrative purposes only. All images and graphics

used are possible to be displayed on the 4D Systems range of products, however the quality may vary.

In no event shall 4D Systems be liable to the buyer or to any third party for any indirect, incidental, special,

consequential, punitive or exemplary damages (including without limitation lost profits, lost savings, or loss of

business opportunity) arising out of or relating to any product or service provided or to be provided by 4D

Systems, or the use or inability to use the same, even if 4D Systems has been advised of the possibility of such

damages.

4D Systems products are not fault tolerant nor designed, manufactured or intended for use or resale as on line

control equipment in hazardous environments requiring fail – safe performance, such as in the operation of

nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation or communication systems, air traffic control, direct life support machines

or weapons systems in which the failure of the product could lead directly to death, personal injury or severe

physical or environmental damage (‘High Risk Activities’). 4D Systems and its suppliers specifically disclaim

any expressed or implied warranty of fitness for High Risk Activities.

Use of 4D Systems’ products and devices in 'High Risk Activities' and in any other application is entirely at the

buyer’s risk, and the buyer agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless 4D Systems from any and all

damages, claims, suits, or expenses resulting from such use. No licenses are conveyed, implicitly or otherwise,

under any 4D Systems intellectual property rights.

13. Contact Information

For Technical Support: support@4dsystems.com.au

For Sales Support: sales@4dsystems.com.au

Website: www.4dsystems.com.au

Mouser Electronics

Authorized Distributor

Click to View Pricing, Inventory, Delivery & Lifecycle Information:

4D Systems:

SK-Armadillo-43T Armadillo-43T SK-Armadillo-43T-2