So you want to add a display to your product? You look at the i.MX RT series table and see that the i.MX RT1010 device does not have an LCD interface, so you immediately write it off. Not so fast! Did you know that you can add a display to your i.MX RT1010 design through the I2C module? What’s great about the i.MX RT1010 is that we didn’t skimp on peripherals to hit that $1 price point. Even the pin muxing takes into account maximum usability for a variety of applications. But say you are working on a thermostat application and need the I2C module to connect to a variety of sensors instead. Based on yesterday’s blog, hopefully you immediately think of the FlexIO module. Below is an example block diagram on how the i.MX RT1010 MCU could be used in a thermostat application. The i.MX RT1010 device can connect to your sensors via the I2C, a speaker via I2S, a keypad via the on-chip keyboard I/F, and the LCD display using the FlexIO module. Based on the configuration of the i.MX RT1010 device, I would estimate that your max screen resolution would be about QVGA before you would want to jump to a higher end i.MX RT device.
By offering a rich set of peripherals, the i.MX RT1010 MCU can enable a wide variety of use-cases, including those requiring the use of a simple QVGA LCD display. So you don’t have to be shy about putting it all out on display.