3.2" sainsmart TFT #HELPME

[apeman2020]

I an a NOOB. No two ways about it. But I do know that I dont want to depend on shields to get things added. That being said:
I have a 3.2" Sainsmart touch sensitive TFT display and I want to use it with my PI. this is proving to be next to impossible as all the guides out there dont do a very good job for someone at my skill level.
I am hoping to lean on this amazing community to help me with some answers. I need to know how to pin the display to my PI and what drivers I will need to push it. I am asking this as we are mentoring some kids this summer in all things STEM and I thought it would be a cool takeaway for all of them to build a miniature MAME gaming box (so a serial connection is out). Just a little something to bridge the gap! IF ANYONE could help I and the kids would be greatly appreciative. Just keep in mind any response will have to be VERBOSE as I am a noob .
Thanks in advance!

[Los Frijoles]

Following a few links down a google search got me this:

This display (http://www.sainsmart.com/arduino-compat ... -2560.html) is what I assume you have. Following down, I noticed it said the model number of the LCD. I see that it listed the driver chip as SSD1289. Luckily for you, there seems to be a similar topic about this LCD driver with a bit of discussion for the Raspberry Pi: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewt ... 64&t=33679. They discuss hooking it up and other things. It looks to a non-trivial process, involving shift registers and such, but I am sure it could be simplified. They also have links to what seems to be a software driver for it (I think they were trying to get it to be used as the screen).

[notro]

The Raspberry Pi rev.2 has 17+4 GPIOs available. This display needs 16 for the databus and one to latch in the data. In the thread mentioned in the previous post, they have reset tied high, and I believe CS can be tied low, when WR is used to latch in the data (or vice versa, the SSD1289 supports both).
But I haven't seen any framebuffer drivers that supports this setup.
It is also possible to use an 8-bit latch register.

If you go with a SPI interface circuit, I have a framebuffer driver on a prebuilt image that supports this circuit: https://github.com/notro/fbtft/wiki/SPI ... ce-circuit
See this post: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewt ... 64&t=44977

Another option is this $12 native SPI display: 2.8" 320x240
http://www.hotmcu.com/28-touch-screen-t ... -p-42.html
Forum thread: http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewt ... 64&t=34007

I will make a driver for this display when the headers I ordered has arrived. The header pins on this display is spaced 2mm apart.

[apeman2020]

Notro,
the board listed is not the same board. Mine has an sd card reader model number tft-320qvt
or
1982ay-cxh.
I am hoping to utilize all the onboard tech for the kids involved. We are thinking we are going to have to make some sort of custom built PCB to accommodate the functionality of the board as of the limited I/o on the PI.
Thoughts?

[apeman2020]

Notro,
the board listed is not the same board. Mine has an sd card reader model number tft-320qvt
or
1982ay-cxh.
I am hoping to utilize all the onboard tech for the kids involved. We are thinking we are going to have to make some sort of custom built PCB to accommodate the functionality of the board as of the limited I/o on the PI.
Thoughts?

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE PRODUCT :
http://www.sainsmart.com/sainsmart-3-2- ... -plug.html

[notro]

the board listed is not the same board. Mine has an sd card reader model number tft-320qvt or 1982ay-cxh.

What "board listed" are you referring to? The optional one I gave?

I am hoping to utilize all the onboard tech for the kids involved. We are thinking we are going to have to make some sort of custom built PCB to accommodate the functionality of the board as of the limited I/o on the PI.

The Sainsmart 3.2" display module has 3 "devices": TFT display, Touch panel with controller ads7843 and a SD card reader. The ads7843 and the card reader uses SPI. If you use a SPI interface circuit for the display, be aware that the Pi has only two SPI chip select lines.
For more details about RPi and SPI: http://elinux.org/index.php?title=RPi_SPI

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE PRODUCT :
http://www.sainsmart.com/sainsmart-3-2- ... -plug.html

The link you posted is for the LCD + Arduino shield.

[checkmateroby]

http://www.produktinfo.conrad.com/daten ... _KABEL.pdf

maybe this might help