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Sources and technical information related to our products

LVDS LCD panels are typically used for notebooks and have resolutions in the 800x600 and above range. Color depths is usually 24 bits (8 bits per color channel) or 18 bits per pixel (6 bits per color channel). These panels are widely available in eBay and notebook spare parts suppliers, so prices are pretty cheap. LVDS stands for Low-Voltage Differential Signals, and allows pretty long connection cable between LCD panel and controller due to differential signals. Below we will consider how to connect such panel to BeagleBoard/PandaBoard and others OMAP-based development boards.

LVDS interface transmits video information encoded inside serial channels. LCD panel with LVDS interface requires 4 or 5 serial channels, usually, referred as RXCLK+/- for clock signal, and RX0+/-, RX1+/-, RX2+/-, RX3+/- for data (pretty often you can find them denoted as D0+/- or Y0+/-, etc) . The most important thing is the bit assignments within the serial LVDS channels. Currently there are two common color depths in LVDS LCD panels, namely 18 bit and 24 bit. When connecting to 18 bit LCD there is a de-facto standard for the assignment of the color data bits on the LVDS serial data channels. For 24 bit LCDs there are two different formats: MSB and LSB (often referred as VESA and JEIDA by the names of associations) and it is important to know what your particular LCD panel expects. Some 24 bit LCD panels can be configured in either of the 2 formats which can be extremely useful, allowing you to design hardware that can drive either 18 bit or 24 bit LCDs with no hardware or software changes.

MSB (Most-Significant Bits are transferred in separate channel RX3) LCD panels expects the following data encoding inside serial channels:
RX0+/-: G0,R5,R4,R3,R2,R1,R0
RX1+/-: B1,B0,G5,G4,G3,G2,G1
RX2+/-: DE,VS,HS,B5,B4,B3,B2
RX3+/-: --,B7,B6,G7,G6,R7,R6

LSB (Least-Significant Bits are transferred in separate channel RX3) LCD panels expects the following data encoding inside serial channels:
RX0+/-: G2,R7,R6,R5,R4,R3,R2
RX1+/-: B3,B2,G7,G6,G5,G4,G3
RX2+/-: DE,VS,HS,B7,B6,B5,B4
RX3+/-: --,B1,B0,G1,G0,R1,R0

As you can see, 18-bits LSB panel can be connected to system with 24-bits LSB format, just by omitting data in RX3 channel. But you will see mess of colors on LCD if try to connect 18-bits panel to 24-bits MSB system.

Our v1 PCB was designed for 24-bits MSB panels. These panels are used mostly by very expensive industrial LCD panels. Current version of PCB (v2) we designed for 24-bits LSB and 18-bits panels, as they are used by most of cheap notebook panels.
Do you ship worldwide?
Yes, we ship worldwide!
How long does a shipment usually take?
We ship from Malaysia. Standard mail shipping usually takes 2-3 weeks. Sometime, it can take up to 4-5 weeks (during holidays, like NY, Christmas etc). DHL shipping takes 3-5 business days to most destinations.
Are shippings covered by insurance?
All DHL shippings with correct phone provided are covered by insurance, so in case of any damage/lost you can send us request for refund, and we will solve this issue with DHL. For standard mail we can't provide insurance, so it is on your own risk that parcel is delivered safely. Of course, we pack your parcel carefully to minimize risk of damage, but sometimes (rarely) shit happens.
How much does shipping cost?
The shipping costs vary depending on the quantity that you are ordering, the shipping destination, and the shipping method that you select. You can find estimated shipping cost after you place product to shopping bag, and before you pay your order.
Who pays custom duties and import taxes?
All duties and taxes for international shipments are the responsibility of the customer. Chalkboard Electronics is not responsible for any extra charges once the original package has been shipped. If the customer refuses to pay these extra charges, the return shipping and any additional fees will be taken out of the cost of the order, with any remaining funds being refunded to the customer. In the event that the extra charges exceed the value of the order, we may charge those amounts to the credit card originally used for the order.
When do you ship my order?
We ship orders every Monday. If you placed order on Monday-Friday - it will be shipped next Monday. If you placed order on Saturday-Sunday, it will be shipped on Monday in 1 week. Sometime, the shipping of your order can be delayed for 1 more week. This can happen after holidays, or after long out-of stock period, because we put max priority to DHL orders, and ship them first out of whole set of collected orders.
How can I track the parcel with my order?
For DHL please go to www.dhl.com. For standard mail please go to http://www.pos.com.my to track international parcel dispatch. After parcel is dispatched from Malaysia you should go to your local post web-site for tracking.
I didn't received email with tracking number! What's going on???
First of all, relax. Then check Spam folder of your e-mail, sometime our automatic email falls there. Still no email? Please, wait 2-3 days - we ship orders with help of local courier service, they provide tracking numbers in couple days after order is shipped. Finally, please drop us email.
How can I pay for my order?
You can pay by credit card or by PayPal. All orders are processed by PayPal. We have verified PayPal account.
I have coupon code. How can I use it?
You can enter coupon code during checkout and get instant discount or free shipping. Please, take note that coupon will expire 6 months after issue, unless otherwise stated.
Why shipping cost is not added to the total amount when I try to pay?
This is because your shipping address is unknown until you enter it on PayPal payment page. Just proceed with payment. After that you will get to confirmation page where you can see total amount with shipping cost before confirm your order.
Do you provide warranty for your products?
Yes, our standard return/replace window is 30 days after date of receiving parcel. We test all products before shipping, but rarely customer can meet problems with running product. In this case we can replace product or provide refund after getting back faulty product in original state. Warranty does not cover failures caused by mishandling - shorting the board against some piece of metal, dropping, cable damaging, board modifications, etc.
Do you have real company? I want to get real invoice and pay by bank transfer.
"Chalkboard Electronics" is a registered TM that belongs to real company registered in Port Klang, Malaysia. Please, send your purchase order to our sales department at sales@chalk-elec.com. We will e-mail real purchase invoice to you and provide our bank details for payment.
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