Nuvoton Technology recently announced the release of its new LCD simulation software, NuTool-LCDView.

NuTool-LCDView is a software tool that supports the development of TN-LCDs using Arm-based microcontrollers (MCUs). It visually emulates the LCD layout and hardware design planned during development, improving communication between developers and engineers.

Nuvoton provides microcontrollers for TN-LCDs, and emphasized that TN-LCDs have advantages such as simple usability, low cost, and low power consumption compared to complex and expensive pixel addressable displays.

Additionally, the newly released software allows designers to work with simulations and make quick modifications even when actual display hardware is not available, reducing LCD development time and cycle times.

■ NuTool-LCDView, equipped with hardware emulation function

NuBoton stated that NuTool-LCDView provides a user-friendly and visually intuitive platform for developers to interact with, design and optimize TN-LCDs.

The graphical user interface includes icons, buttons, and menus, allowing developers to easily navigate and manipulate complex designs. It displays a real-time LCD simulation on a PC, even without a physical LCD screen. Additionally, NuTool-LCDView's simple drag-and-drop functionality reduces developers' learning curve for the interface, thereby improving productivity.

This tool can directly generate LCD generation code and transfer it directly to microcontroller hardware. NuTool-LCDView enables developers to simulate, debug, and complete LCD projects more easily and quickly.

■ MCU compatibility and IDE integration

NuTool-LCDView supports various microcontroller architectures, including the ML54/ML56 microcontroller series with the NuMicro 1T 8051 core and the NuMicro M254/M256/M258/M2354 microcontroller series based on the Arm Cortex M23 core.

This software integrates various engineering modules to provide comprehensive control and customization. NuTool-LCDView can be used as a standalone tool, as an IAR plugin, or within the popular Keil IDE for Arm Cortex-based chips.

In standalone mode, you can connect to the MCU via the Arm standard SWD (Serial Wire Debug) interface and monitor changes to the MCU COM/SEG pin configuration in real time. Using the NuTool-LCDView tool within the Keil IDE during debugging can improve system designers' debugging efficiency and shorten development timelines.

Meanwhile, NuTool-LCDView helps developers develop and verify products without constantly using development hardware and actual LCDs. This simplifies product development and verification, enabling more flexible iterative testing and improvements.