Chapter 3

Display Devices & Interfacing

Introduction
 What is CRT?

 A display screen, a video display terminal (VDT) or video display unit

(VDU), the monitor is the component of computer system that displays
messages, & data being processed & utilized by computer’s CPU.

 Display technologies:-
 CRT

 Flat Screen
 Active (Gas discharge(Plasma))
 Passive (LCD)
 CRT:-
A CRT works by moving an electron beam back & forth across the screen.
Each time the beam makes a pass across the screen, it lights up phosphor dots on the
inside of the glass tube, thereby illuminating the active portions of screen.
 LCD:-
LCD displays utilize two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution
between them.
An electrical current passed through the crystals to align so that light cannot pass
through them.
 PLASMA:-
Plasma is flat-panel display that works by sandwiching a neon/xenon gas mixture
between two sealed glass plates with parallel electrodes deposited on their surfaces.
When a voltage pulse passes between two electrodes, the gas breaks down &
produces weakly ionized plasma, which emits UV radiation.
The UV radiation activates color phosphors & visible light are emitted from each
pixel.
Comparison between CRT, LCD, LED
Parameters CRT LCD LED
Technology Mature New Latest
Visual Performance Slower Faster Faster
Image Flicker Yes No No
Variable Bright, More bright,
Image Brightness
uneven uniform uniform

Image Sharpness Moderate High High

Power Consumption High Low Lowest
Weight Heavy Light Light
Color Range Excellent Very Good Excellent
Cost Low Moderate High
CRT Monitor

 A CRT monitor is an analog computer display with a large, deep

casing.
 This type of monitor uses streams of electrons that activates
dots or pixels on screen to full image.
 There are two types of CRT monitors:
 Monochrome CRT Monitor
 Colour CRT Monitor.
Block Diagram of Monochrome CRT Monitor
 In block dig the video adapter giving three signals to a
monochrome monitor are:
 Video Signal
 Horizontal Synchronization (horizontal sync.)
 Vertical Synchronization (vertical sync.)

 Block dig has following main blocks:

 Video Processing
 Vertical Sync Processing
 Horizontal Sync Processing
 Power Supply Section
 Video Processing Circuit
 Containsvideo signal from display adapter card fed to
video amplifier circuit
 Video signal controls the brightness of the beam as it is
scanned
 Signal have only two brightness levels ON or OFF
 Video signal is sent to the video amplifier where the
signal is boosted so it can drive tube
 The amplified video signal is sent to video driver
 Video drive drives cathode of tube & controls the
number of electrons that reach the screen & display
the output
 Vertical Sync Processing
 Vertical sync signal informs the monitor that an entire
screen has been displayed & that it is time to deflect
the beam back up to top of the screen
 Vsync pulses are given to vertical oscillator which
generates the required frequency for vertical scanning
 Verticalsync stage detects the incoming vertical sync
pluses & controls the vertical deflection of beam to
maintain the correct timing
 Horizontal Sync Processing
 Horizontal sync signal from the video adapter card
informs the monitor when each scan line has been
displayed & that it is time to deflect the beam back to
the left hand side of the tube.
 Detect the incoming sync pulse & uses this to control
the frequency of the horizontal oscillator.
 Horizontaloscillator is used to generate the required
frequency for horizontal scanning.
 The output of horizontal oscillator is used to generate
the high voltage needed by the picture tube.
 This high voltage is called the Extra High Tension (EHT).
 Power Supply Section
 This section generates the different voltages for
different circuits
Block Diagram of Colour CRT Monitor
Working of Colour CRT Monitor

 Working of Colour CRT Monitor is same as monochrome

CRT monitor, only difference is three electron guns for
three colours.
 Circuitry within the monitor is grouped into 3 categories :
 Video signal processing & amplification
 Vertical deflection & synchronizing
 Horizontal deflection & synchronizing
 Power Supply
 Video Processing & Amplification
 Transmissionlines carries video signal such as RGB from host
computer to the monitor.
 RGB video signals are voltage peak to peak signal, so they
requires amplification before the signal can be applied to
the CRT’s cathode.
 The CRT video amplifier is second stage amplifier amplifies
the signal strong enough to approximately 40V to control
emission current from the driver.
 Video driver drives the cathode of the tube & controls the
number of electrons that reach the screen, & then display
the output
 Vertical Deflection& Synchronizing
 Vertical sync signal informs the monitor that an entire
screen has been displayed & that it is time to deflect
the beam back up to top of the screen
 Vsync pulses are given to vertical oscillator which
generates the required frequency for vertical scanning
 Verticalsync stage detects the incoming vertical sync
pluses & controls the vertical deflection of beam to
maintain the correct timing
 Horizontal Deflection & Synchronizing
 Horizontal sync signal from the video adapter card
informs the monitor when each scan line has been
displayed & that it is time to deflect the beam back to
the left hand side of the tube.
 Detect the incoming sync pulse & uses this to control
the frequency of the horizontal oscillator.
 Horizontaloscillator is used to generate the required
frequency for horizontal scanning.
 The output of horizontal oscillator is used to generate
the high voltage needed by the picture tube.
 This high voltage is called the Extra High Tension (EHT).
 Power Supply Section
 This section generates the different voltages for
different circuits
Characteristics of CRT Monitor
 Dot pitch
 It is a measurement that defines the sharpness of a monitor’s
display.
 It measures the distance between the dots that display the
image on the screen
 Resolution
 It is expressed in number of horizontal & vertical picture
elements or pixels.
 Horizontal Scanning Frequency
 The frequency at which the monitor rewritten the horizontal
lines that make up an image.
 Vertical Scanning Frequency
 It is also called as refresh rate. It represent number of frames
displayed on the screen per second.
 Interlaced Scanning
 In this image is broken up into two fields: all odd lines (lines 1,3,.)
are imaged in the first field & all even lines (lines 2,4,..) are
imaged in the second field.
 This method of scanning is called 2:1 interlaced.
 The CRT gun scans from top to bottom, left to right with each
complete scan displaying ‘frame’.

 Non-Interlaced Scanning
 A non-interlaced scanning display is a cathode-ray tube display in
which the lines are scanned sequentially from top to bottom of
the screen in a single scan.
 Non-interlaced scanning produces a more stable picture & more
expensive.
Difference between Interlaced & Non-Interlaced

Interlaced Non- Interlaced

It uses two passes to generate It uses only one pass to generate
image image

Image quality is not good Image quality is good

Image flickring is there Less chance of image flickring

It produces less stable

It produce a more stable picture
picture.

The cost is less The cost is more

 Aspect Ratio
 The aspect ratio of display is the proportional relationship
between the width of a display & its height.
 The aspect ratio is expressed as two numbers separated by
colon (x:y).
Advantages of CRT related LCD

 Lower cost compared to LCD.

 Contrast ratio allows the perception of true black. Darks
& darker.
 Ability to adjust image.
 Work better at multiple resolution.
 Displays full motion video better.
 Strong glass screen can withstand routine handling, & is
not easily damaged by causal touch.
Disadvantages of CRT over LCD
 Larger size takes up more desk space; the bigger the
screen, the bigger footprint.
 Heavy weight.
 Heavier size limits easy & convenient movement.
 Expends more energy & throws off heat.
 LCD Monitor

 A LCD is a thin, flat display device made up of any number of

color or monochrome pixels arrayed in front of a light source or
reflector.
 Each pixel of LCD typically consists of a layer of molecules
aligned between two transparent electrodes, & two polarizing
filters.
 The surface of electrodes the are in contact with liquid crystal
material are treated so as to align the liquid crystal molecules in
particular direction.
Functional Block diagram of LCD

LCD module with 4 lamps (backlight)

Inverter Interface Board

Power

Control Board

R, G, B, H/V Sync
AC Power in D-Sub
 Interface Board:-
 Function of interface board is to convert an input signal into a digital
RGB signal with the help of ADC.
 Control Board:-
 It controls the user operation. Main part of control board are
push button, & LED.
 Push Button
 It is a simple switch function pressing it for “ON” to do auto
adjustment, releasing it for “OFF” to do nothing.
 LED
 It indicates the DPMS (Display Power Management Signaling) status of LCD.
 (enables power saving behaviour of monitors when the computer is not in
use)
 Inverter:-
 Function of inverter is to convert AC voltage in required DC
voltage for LCD module & interface board.
 LCD module:-
 Function of this is to display image, data, or text on screen.
 It is used to control of backlight of LCD
Advantages of LCDs:-

 Light weight.
 Smaller footprint on desk leaving, freeing up the work
area on the user’s desk.
 Flicker free screen.
 Easy adjustment, storage & movement.
 Energy efficiency using only 1/3 to ½ the electricity of
CRTs & they do not generate heat.
 Disadvantages of LCDs:-
 Fragile screen; may result in both screen & backlight lamp
damage if touched or handled.
 Contrast ratio causes darkness to not be displayed true.
 Designed only for one optimum resolution; can not adjust
images.
 Best view of screen is straight-on, limiting clarity & colors of
information for those viewing from an angle.
 Backlight is the potential weak link & its failure can be costly.
LCD Types:-

 LCD display uses two types of matrix:

1) Passive Matrix

2) Active Matrix
 Passive Matrix:-
 It uses grid of vertical & horizontal wires to display an image on
screen.
 Horizontal wires of electrodes on display glass is called scan lines
or scanning electrodes. & vertical wires of electrodes is called
data lines or signal electrodes.
 When two pieces of glass are assembles into a display, the
intersection of row & column form a pixel controlled by two
transistors.
 When a voltage is applied between the two points, changes the
light transmission properties of the liquid crystal.
 By repeating this process, scanning through the pixel an image
can be formed on display.
Drawback:-

 Notably slow response time & imprecise voltage control.

 Response time refers to the LCD’s ability to refresh the image
displayed.
 Imprecise voltage control hinders the passive matrix ability to
influence only one pixel at a time.
 When voltage is applied to untwist one pixel, the pixels around
it also partially untwist, which makes images appear fuzzy &
lacking in contrast.
Active Matrix:-

 Passive matrix display suffers from fundamental problems

leading to poor performance.
 Active matrix addressing solves these problems. By
placing an electronic switch device in each LC (Liquid
Crystal) pixel.
 It uses a matrix of thin film transistors(TFTs) & capacitors
to control the image produced by the display.
 The brightness of each pixel is controlled by modifying the
electrical charge of the corresponding capacitors.
 Each pixel’s color is controlled by altering the charge of
individual capacitors that emit red, green, blue light.
 Active matrix is active in nature due to the capacitors in
display.
 Unlike passive matrix display, which must charge full rows
of wires to alter individual pixels, an active matrix display
can control each pixel directly.
 Due to this pixels can change state much more rapidly.
Important characteristics of LCD:-

 Resolution:-
 The horizontal & vertical size expressed in pixels (e.g.,
1024x768).

 Refresh rate:-
 It is the rate which the electronics in the monitor addresses
(update) the brightness of the pixel on the screen.
 Terms related to LCD monitor:-
 Response time:-
 The minimum time necessary to change a pixel’s color or brightness.
 Dot pitch:-
 Distance between the centers of adjacent pixels.
 Viewable size:-
 The size of an LCD panel measured on the diagonal.
 Matrix type:-
 Active or Passive.
 Color support:-
 How many types of colors are supported.
 Brightness:-
 The amount of light emitted from the display.
 Contrast ratio:-
 The ratio of the intensity of the brightest bright to darkest
dark.
 Aspect ratio:-
 The ratio of the width to the height.
 Input ports:-
 E.g., VGA.
 Touch screen display:-
 A touch screen is an Electronic Visual Display that can detect the
presence & location of a touch within display area.
 Or it is a display that responds when it detects a touch on its
surface.

 Components of touch screen:-

 A basic touch screen has three main components:
 Touch sensor
 Controller
 Software driver
 Touch Sensor:
 It detects the location of touches within display area.
 It is a clear touch sensor panel with a touch responsive surface
placed over the display.
 Sensor generally has an electrical current or signal going
through it & touching the screen can cause a voltage or signal
change.
 This change is used to determine the location of touch to the
screen.
 Controller:-
 The controller is a printed circuit board (PCB) that is the interface
between the sensor & the display.
 The controller takes information from the touch screen & translate it
into information a computer or microprocessor can understand, such
as cursor control, right & left clicks etc.
 The controller is usually installed inside the monitor.

 Software Driver:-
 A computer program that allows the computer OS & the
controller to communicate & helps the controller recognize
input.
Plasma Display:-
 In plasma display each pixel on screen is illuminated by a
tiny bit of plasma or charged gas.

 Features of Plasma Display:-

 Plasma displays can be made upto large sizes like 150 inches
diagonal.
 Very low luminance “dark-room” black level.
 Very high contrast.
 These display panel has a thickness of about 2.5 inches,
which makes the total thickness not more than 4 inches
Working of Plasma Display

Fig:- Structure of Plasma display