7
3
Software
The multiple communication protocols available and simple command structure of the GTT480272A
means that a variety of applications can be used to communicate with the display. Text is sent to the
display as a character string, for example, sending the decimal value 41 will result in an 'A' appearing on
the screen. A number of control characters are also activated. Advanced commands are merely values
prefixed with a special command byte, 254 in decimal. While many software programs are available to
communicate with the GTT480272A, a number of more common samples are detailed in depth below.
Table 21: Reserved Control Characters
Control Characters
7
Bell / Beep
10
Line feed / New line
13
Carriage return
3.1
GTT Support Tools
http://www.matrixorbital.ca/software/
, the GTT Project support tool provides a
simple graphic interface with the full library of GTT series commands. This program allows users to drag
and drop commands into a list that can be transmitted to the GTT, saved, and even loaded for later use.
Figure 8: GTT Support Tools
As you can see, each command added is displayed its name, any applicable parameters, and finally, a
byte by byte account of the information that will be sent in decimal notation. While this list of
commands can be saved and recalled later, it can also be converted into a binary file using the save as
feature. This will allow easy creation of AUTOEXEC startup files, and integration into application specific
code. Finally, the support tool provides a debug window that will display the information flow to and
from your GTT to ensure your command list executes exactly as it was envisioned.
3.2
Application Notes
Full demonstration programs and code are available for Matrix Orbital displays from Matrix Orbital
Application Note section at
. These programs are meant to showcase the
capability of the display and are not intended to be integrated into a final design. For additional
information regarding code, please read the “On Code” document also found on the support site.
