With the ArtistaUSB controller, users can control VGA and SVGA TFT displays via a standard USB interface -- with no graphics card required. All you do is plug the controller into the USB interface on your computer to display brilliant images on your TFT LCD. The ArtistaUSB also makes it significantly more cost effective to add primary or secondary TFT monitors to POS, POI, medical, and measurement systems, and makes it possible to control more than 100 displays with different content from a single PC, SBC, or microcontroller.

Apollo Display Technologies currently offers the new controller integrated with 6.4, 6.5, 8.4, 10.4, 12.1 and 20.1 in. TFT LCDs. Optional 4-wire resistive touchscreens and backlight inverter are also available, with touch and brightness control possible through the USB controller.

The transfer of pixel data is carried out by optimal utilization of the USB transmission protocol and provides a very high transfer rate, even enabling video playback. Special graphics drivers embedded in the ArtistaUSB controller run displays as a virtual graphics card -- just like a typical monitor running under Windows 2000/2003/XP. The drivers can also be used to run a second, third, or fourth monitor, each with unique content. The controller can optionally be installed as a frame buffer device running under Linux.

Each ArtistaUSB controller unit can be run 16 ft (4.87 m) or more from the source, with data transfer rates up to 60 Hz/60 images per second via USB 2.0 (high speed) for VGA resolutions, and 30 Hz/30 images per second for SVGA resolutions. USB 1.1 (full speed) can run VGA resolutions at 2 images per second and 1.25 images per second for SVGA resolution displays. Supply voltage is 12 V; operating range 0-70ºC; storage temperature range, -25-70ºC.