What Is a Prisma TFT Controller and How Does It Drive an Industrial Display?
June 7, 2017
A Prisma TFT controller is the board that sits between a system’s video output and the display panel. It takes VGA, DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort in, drives the panel’s LVDS interface (or eDP and V-by-One on the 4K boards), and handles power sequencing, backlight dimming and the on-screen menu. Prisma is the in-house controller family of FORTEC Integrated (formerly Distec), our sister company in Germering, Germany, within the FORTEC Group. We supply, configure and support Prisma boards from Ronkonkoma, New York, on their own or as part of a complete display assembly.
What can a Prisma controller be configured to do?
Almost everything that differs from one panel or application to the next is set in software rather than in custom firmware. Each board has a configuration tool (MarsRover for the Prisma-IIIA, MStarRover for the current MStar-based boards) that sets LVDS timing, power sequencing and backlight control for the panel it drives. On top of that, the Prisma family has gained features over the years that matter to equipment builders:
- Unused inputs can be disabled, so they no longer appear in the OSD menu and operators see a cleaner menu.
- The output frame rate can be fixed or limited to a range, which avoids artifacts and jerky content when input and panel rates differ.
- Custom video modes and a 4- or 6-button keypad are set by board configuration, with no custom firmware needed.
- A 4-digit password can lock the OSD menu against unauthorized changes, and several points of ambient light versus backlight brightness can be set when an ambient light sensor is fitted.
- Operating hours counters for power-on and display-on time, and Sync-on-Green for VGA sources.
- Multilingual OSD menus: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Danish, and other languages on request.
Which Prisma controllers are current?
Six Prisma boards cover most new designs today, from VGA and DVI sources to UHD panels. All are listed on our TFT controller series page with their datasheets.
| Board | Inputs | Panel output | Max. resolution | Operating temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prisma-IIIA | VGA, DVI/HDMI, composite, S-Video, component | LVDS single/dual, 18/24/30-bit | 1920 x 1200 | -20 to +70°C |
| Prisma-V | VGA, DVI/HDMI | LVDS 1, 2 or 4 channel | 1920 x 1200 | -20 to +70°C |
| PrismaECO-V | VGA, DVI/HDMI | LVDS single/dual | 1920 x 1200 | -20 to +70°C |
| PrismaMINI-HDMI-DP-II | HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort | LVDS single/dual | 1920 x 1200 | -20 to +70°C |
| PrismaMediaECO-II | HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2a, VGA | LVDS single/dual | 1920 x 1200 | -20 to +70°C |
| Prisma-4K-Advanced | HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4 | eDP 4/8-lane, V-by-One | 3840 x 2160 at 60 Hz | -20 to +60°C |
The PrismaMINI-HDMI-DP-II is built for tight spaces and supports panels with 3.3 V, 5 V or 12 V supply. It is also the most customizable: the PCB shape, the interfaces and the feature set can be defined with the developers for a project. The Prisma-IIIA remains available, and its page names the Prisma-V as its successor, with a migration guide.
Which Prisma boards are discontinued?
Several boards announced here between 2014 and 2017 are end-of-life. Fielded designs that use them still need a plan, so here is where each one stands:
- PrismaECO-IV: discontinued. It was specified for -30 to +80°C (-22 to +176°F) in 2017 for outdoor use. Its named, mechanically compatible successor is the PrismaECO-V, which is rated -20 to +70°C, so check the temperature range before switching.
- Prisma-IIIE: discontinued. It extended the Prisma-IIIA design to -35 to +80°C and added RS-232, I²C and 8 GPIOs for switches, relays and touch.
- PrismaMOBILITY-II: discontinued. Built for buses, trucks and trains, it took a 9 to 36 V supply, offered RS-485 remote diagnostics (panel and backlight current, temperature, fan) and met EN 55022 without a housing. It made the Industry Award 2015 best-of list.
- PrismaECO-slim-II and PrismaECO-III: no longer in our catalog.
Where a board in your product reaches end-of-life, our obsolescence management covers last-time buys and finding drop-in or compatible replacements, with mechanical, electrical or firmware changes where the system needs them.
Can a Prisma controller be supplied with the display?
Yes. We supply Prisma boards as tested kit solutions with a display from our range and all the cables, configured to that panel before delivery, so the assembly is plug-and-play. When no standard board fits, the Group develops customized TFT controllers for special requirements. For more on how this shortens integration, read how Prisma TFT controllers simplify display integration.
Tell us which panel and video source your design uses and where it has to work, and we will take it from there. We match the controller to the panel, configure it, supply it with the display and cables, and stay with the project from first samples to series production, backed by our technical services.
