C# - OLED 64x48 Bricklet

This is the description of the C# API bindings for the OLED 64x48 Bricklet. General information and technical specifications for the OLED 64x48 Bricklet are summarized in its hardware description.

An installation guide for the C# API bindings is part of their general description.

Examples

The example code below is Public Domain (CC0 1.0).

Hello World

Download (ExampleHelloWorld.cs)

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using System;
using Tinkerforge;

class Example
{
    private static string HOST = "localhost";
    private static int PORT = 4223;
    private static string UID = "XYZ"; // Change XYZ to the UID of your OLED 64x48 Bricklet

    static void Main()
    {
        IPConnection ipcon = new IPConnection(); // Create IP connection
        BrickletOLED64x48 oled = new BrickletOLED64x48(UID, ipcon); // Create device object

        ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT); // Connect to brickd
        // Don't use device before ipcon is connected

        // Clear display
        oled.ClearDisplay();

        // Write "Hello World" starting from upper left corner of the screen
        oled.WriteLine(0, 0, "Hello World");

        Console.WriteLine("Press enter to exit");
        Console.ReadLine();
        ipcon.Disconnect();
    }
}

Pixel Matrix

Download (ExamplePixelMatrix.cs)

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using System;
using Tinkerforge;

class Example
{
    private static string HOST = "localhost";
    private static int PORT = 4223;
    private static string UID = "XYZ"; // Change XYZ to the UID of your OLED 64x48 Bricklet
    private static int WIDTH = 64;
    private static int HEIGHT = 48;

    private static void DrawMatrix(BrickletOLED64x48 oled, bool[][] pixels)
    {
        byte[][] pages = new byte[HEIGHT / 8][];

        for (int row = 0; row < HEIGHT / 8; row++)
        {
            pages[row] = new byte[WIDTH];

            for (int column = 0; column < WIDTH; column++)
            {
                pages[row][column] = 0;

                for (int bit = 0; bit < 8; bit++)
                {
                    if (pixels[(row * 8) + bit][column])
                    {
                        pages[row][column] |= (byte)(1 << bit);
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        oled.NewWindow(0, (byte)(WIDTH - 1), 0, (byte)(HEIGHT / 8 - 1));

        for (int row = 0; row < HEIGHT / 8; row++)
        {
            oled.Write(pages[row]);
        }
    }

    static void Main()
    {
        IPConnection ipcon = new IPConnection(); // Create IP connection
        BrickletOLED64x48 oled = new BrickletOLED64x48(UID, ipcon); // Create device object

        ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT); // Connect to brickd
        // Don't use device before ipcon is connected

        // Clear display
        oled.ClearDisplay();

        // Draw checkerboard pattern
        bool[][] pixels = new bool[HEIGHT][];

        for (int row = 0; row < HEIGHT; row++)
        {
            pixels[row] = new bool[WIDTH];

            for (int column = 0; column < WIDTH; column++)
            {
                pixels[row][column] = (row / 8) % 2 == (column / 8) % 2;
            }
        }

        DrawMatrix(oled, pixels);

        Console.WriteLine("Press enter to exit");
        Console.ReadLine();
        ipcon.Disconnect();
    }
}

Scribble

Download (ExampleScribble.cs)

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using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Threading;
using Tinkerforge;

class Example
{
    private static string HOST = "localhost";
    private static int PORT = 4223;
    private static string UID = "XYZ"; // Change XYZ to the UID of your OLED 64x48 Bricklet
    private static int WIDTH = 64;
    private static int HEIGHT = 48;

    private static void DrawBitmap(BrickletOLED64x48 oled, Bitmap bitmap)
    {
        byte[][] pages = new byte[HEIGHT / 8][];

        for (int row = 0; row < HEIGHT / 8; row++)
        {
            pages[row] = new byte[WIDTH];

            for (int column = 0; column < WIDTH; column++)
            {
                pages[row][column] = 0;

                for (int bit = 0; bit < 8; bit++)
                {
                    if (bitmap.GetPixel(column, (row * 8) + bit).GetBrightness() > 0)
                    {
                        pages[row][column] |= (byte)(1 << bit);
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        oled.NewWindow(0, (byte)(WIDTH - 1), 0, (byte)(HEIGHT / 8 - 1));

        for (int row = 0; row < HEIGHT / 8; row++)
        {
            oled.Write(pages[row]);
        }
    }

    static void Main()
    {
        IPConnection ipcon = new IPConnection(); // Create IP connection
        BrickletOLED64x48 oled = new BrickletOLED64x48(UID, ipcon); // Create device object

        ipcon.Connect(HOST, PORT); // Connect to brickd
        // Don't use device before ipcon is connected

        // Clear display
        oled.ClearDisplay();

        // Draw rotating line
        Bitmap bitmap = new Bitmap(WIDTH, HEIGHT);
        int originX = WIDTH / 2;
        int originY = HEIGHT / 2;
        int length = HEIGHT / 2 - 2;
        int angle = 0;

        Console.WriteLine("Press enter to exit");

        while (!Console.KeyAvailable)
        {
            double radians = Math.PI * angle / 180.0;
            int x = (int)(originX + length * Math.Cos(radians));
            int y = (int)(originY + length * Math.Sin(radians));

            using (Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bitmap))
            {
                g.FillRectangle(Brushes.Black, 0, 0, WIDTH, HEIGHT);
                g.DrawLine(Pens.White, originX, originY, x, y);
            }

            DrawBitmap(oled, bitmap);
            Thread.Sleep(25);

            angle++;
        }

        Console.ReadLine();
        ipcon.Disconnect();
    }
}

API

Generally, every method of the C# bindings that returns a value can throw a Tinkerforge.TimeoutException. This exception gets thrown if the device did not respond. If a cable based connection is used, it is unlikely that this exception gets thrown (assuming nobody plugs the device out). However, if a wireless connection is used, timeouts will occur if the distance to the device gets too big.

Since C# does not support multiple return values directly, we use the out keyword to return multiple values from a method.

The namespace for all Brick/Bricklet bindings and the IPConnection is Tinkerforge.*.

All methods listed below are thread-safe.

Basic Functions

class BrickletOLED64x48(string uid, IPConnection ipcon)
Parameters:
  • uid – Type: string
  • ipcon – Type: IPConnection
Returns:
  • oled64x48 – Type: BrickletOLED64x48

Creates an object with the unique device ID uid:

BrickletOLED64x48 oled64x48 = new BrickletOLED64x48("YOUR_DEVICE_UID", ipcon);

This object can then be used after the IP Connection is connected.

void BrickletOLED64x48.Write(byte[] data)
Parameters:
  • data – Type: byte[], Length: 64, Range: [0 to 255]

Appends 64 byte of data to the window as set by NewWindow().

Each row has a height of 8 pixels which corresponds to one byte of data.

Example: if you call NewWindow() with column from 0 to 63 and row from 0 to 5 (the whole display) each call of Write() (red arrow) will write one row.

Display pixel order

The LSB (D0) of each data byte is at the top and the MSB (D7) is at the bottom of the row.

The next call of Write() will write the second row and so on. To fill the whole display you need to call Write() 6 times.

void BrickletOLED64x48.NewWindow(byte columnFrom, byte columnTo, byte rowFrom, byte rowTo)
Parameters:
  • columnFrom – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 63]
  • columnTo – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 63]
  • rowFrom – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 5]
  • rowTo – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 5]

Sets the window in which you can write with Write(). One row has a height of 8 pixels.

void BrickletOLED64x48.ClearDisplay()

Clears the current content of the window as set by NewWindow().

void BrickletOLED64x48.WriteLine(byte line, byte position, string text)
Parameters:
  • line – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 5]
  • position – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 12]
  • text – Type: string, Length: up to 13

Writes text to a specific line with a specific position. The text can have a maximum of 13 characters.

For example: (1, 4, "Hello") will write Hello in the middle of the second line of the display.

You can draw to the display with Write() and then add text to it afterwards.

The display uses a special 5x7 pixel charset. You can view the characters of the charset in Brick Viewer.

The font conforms to code page 437.

Advanced Functions

void BrickletOLED64x48.SetDisplayConfiguration(byte contrast, bool invert)
Parameters:
  • contrast – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255], Default: 143
  • invert – Type: bool, Default: false

Sets the configuration of the display.

You can set a contrast value from 0 to 255 and you can invert the color (black/white) of the display.

void BrickletOLED64x48.GetDisplayConfiguration(out byte contrast, out bool invert)
Output Parameters:
  • contrast – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255], Default: 143
  • invert – Type: bool, Default: false

Returns the configuration as set by SetDisplayConfiguration().

void BrickletOLED64x48.GetIdentity(out string uid, out string connectedUid, out char position, out byte[] hardwareVersion, out byte[] firmwareVersion, out int deviceIdentifier)
Output Parameters:
  • uid – Type: string, Length: up to 8
  • connectedUid – Type: string, Length: up to 8
  • position – Type: char, Range: ['a' to 'h', 'z']
  • hardwareVersion – Type: byte[], Length: 3
    • 0: major – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]
  • firmwareVersion – Type: byte[], Length: 3
    • 0: major – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]
  • deviceIdentifier – Type: int, Range: [0 to 216 - 1]

Returns the UID, the UID where the Bricklet is connected to, the position, the hardware and firmware version as well as the device identifier.

The position can be 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g' or 'h' (Bricklet Port). A Bricklet connected to an Isolator Bricklet is always at position 'z'.

The device identifier numbers can be found here. There is also a constant for the device identifier of this Bricklet.

Virtual Functions

Virtual functions don't communicate with the device itself, but operate only on the API bindings device object. They can be called without the corresponding IP Connection object being connected.

byte[] BrickletOLED64x48.GetAPIVersion()
Output Parameters:
  • apiVersion – Type: byte[], Length: 3
    • 0: major – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 1: minor – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]
    • 2: revision – Type: byte, Range: [0 to 255]

Returns the version of the API definition implemented by this API bindings. This is neither the release version of this API bindings nor does it tell you anything about the represented Brick or Bricklet.

bool BrickletOLED64x48.GetResponseExpected(byte functionId)
Parameters:
  • functionId – Type: byte, Range: See constants
Returns:
  • responseExpected – Type: bool

Returns the response expected flag for the function specified by the function ID parameter. It is true if the function is expected to send a response, false otherwise.

For getter functions this is enabled by default and cannot be disabled, because those functions will always send a response. For callback configuration functions it is enabled by default too, but can be disabled by SetResponseExpected(). For setter functions it is disabled by default and can be enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_WRITE = 1
  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_NEW_WINDOW = 2
  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_CLEAR_DISPLAY = 3
  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_SET_DISPLAY_CONFIGURATION = 4
  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_WRITE_LINE = 6
void BrickletOLED64x48.SetResponseExpected(byte functionId, bool responseExpected)
Parameters:
  • functionId – Type: byte, Range: See constants
  • responseExpected – Type: bool

Changes the response expected flag of the function specified by the function ID parameter. This flag can only be changed for setter (default value: false) and callback configuration functions (default value: true). For getter functions it is always enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_WRITE = 1
  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_NEW_WINDOW = 2
  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_CLEAR_DISPLAY = 3
  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_SET_DISPLAY_CONFIGURATION = 4
  • BrickletOLED64x48.FUNCTION_WRITE_LINE = 6
void BrickletOLED64x48.SetResponseExpectedAll(bool responseExpected)
Parameters:
  • responseExpected – Type: bool

Changes the response expected flag for all setter and callback configuration functions of this device at once.

Constants

int BrickletOLED64x48.DEVICE_IDENTIFIER

This constant is used to identify a OLED 64x48 Bricklet.

The GetIdentity() function and the IPConnection.EnumerateCallback callback of the IP Connection have a deviceIdentifier parameter to specify the Brick's or Bricklet's type.

string BrickletOLED64x48.DEVICE_DISPLAY_NAME

This constant represents the human readable name of a OLED 64x48 Bricklet.