The most notable update is that my previous C30 building tutorials are now deprecated in favor of a new bash script that does it automagically. Check out the page for more details.

I bought a DLP-RFID1 USB RFID tag reader/writer from Digikey (Cat # 813-1013-ND). However, I was unable to locate sufficient libraries to develop software that uses it under Linux. So I have written a C++ library to do this. Read on for more information and to download it.

The DLP-RFID1 comprises an FTDI USB-Serial IC connected to a microcontroller. Therefore the library I have developed is based on libftdi. Currently, it is very basic and supports only polling for tags (not reading and writing tags). As I currently have no need for reading and writing tags I don’t plan to add this functionality unless someone asks for it.

The library can be downloaded from http://www.electricrock.co.nz/files/rfid1/librfid1-0.1.0.tar.bz2. Documentation is provided in the package.

This is my first time making a library package for Linux, so if you find any problems or have any suggestions please leave a comment and let me know.

Control 16 Regulator/IO Board

The pinout of the RJ-45 connector is as follows (pin 1 is on the left when looking into the connector, therefore on the right in the photo above):

While the above pinout may appear a little random at first glance, when using standard CAT5 cable it means that the pairs are RS422 in; RS422 out; +5v and GND; and +12v and GND.

Here is a schematic for a RS422 to RS232 converter, similar to what I am using myself (though I have been providing power from a lab power supply at this stage.)

Control 16 - Proprietary interface to RS232 adaptor

Please note that while I have successfully connected power and data to my control 16 without blowing it up, this information is only provided as a guide and I recommend double checking it against your actual hardware before connecting anything to your control 16.

T6963C Controller

The 50573 is based around a Toshiba T6963C controller IC.  Documentation for these is plentiful and there is plenty of software available to talk to them (e.g. LCD4Linux, serdisplib, etc.).  Given that the 50573 is based around the T6963C it makes it fairly similar to some of the other DMF LCDs for which datasheets are easier to find (e.g. the DMF-50136NF-FW). Beware though, the pinout is different.

Pinout

Pin descriptions

Most of these pins (\RESET, Dx, C/D, \CE, \WR, \RD)  connect directly back to the T6963C, so just have a look at the datasheet for more information.

Vdd and Vss are power supply, which is 5V.  Vee is the LCD driving supply, there is special timing and voltages for this, so check out the datasheet of a similar DMF display (e.g. DMF-50136NF-FW).  Basically, when the LCD is in a reset state (as it is at power up), then this should be Vdd. To actually display something on the LCD this needs to be -15v.

I have called pin 20 the page select pin, as this seems to be an appropriate name for its function, so far as I can tell.  If someone can correct me on this, then please do so.  This pin is connected to the most significant address pin of the LCD’s display RAM (which stores what is currently being displayed on the screen).  Therefore, using this signal it is possible to quickly change between ‘pages’ in this RAM.  To be honest, I haven’t used this feature yet and have just left it tied to either Vdd or Vss with no problems.

Internal Wiring

There are some connections to the T6963C chip which may be of interest. The table below details them and their meanings:

These pins configure the T6963C for the following:

• Lines 10
• Vertical Dots 80
• Columns 64
• Font 8×8