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DLP2000: Mirror flip frequency/synchronization

Part Number: DLP2000
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: DLP2010,

Hello,
I'm planning to use the DLP2000 or the DLP2010 for structured illumination in a special measurement setup (even though these these chips might not be designed for this purpose, they seem suitable for my application).
For this application it is required to project an image at a defined position within a certain sampling interval (= exposure time of a camera).
If the projected image is just "monochromic" (mirrors either "on" or "off") everything is fine. However, for intermediate values the mirrors are turned "on" and "off" for certain time interval (some sort of PWM or Delta-Sigma modulation I guess). This still does not disqualify these DLPs from being used in this particular application if I can ensure that the sampling interval is an integer multiple of the mirror flip frequency -- Otherwise I run into trouble due to aliasing.
The first thing I need to know is how fast mirror flip frequency of the DLP2000 / DLP2010 is, so I can determine possible sampling intervals and rates.
Next, I would like to know whether the individual mirrors are synchronized somehow i.e. if all mirrors are flipped "on" and "off" with a fixed frequency. Here it does not matter whether there is a delay between the individual lines or pixels as long as this delay is fixed for each line or pixel. The requirement of fixed delays comes from the fact that I need to derive a synchronization signal somehow (if there are any low price DLPs with a dedicated mirror sync output please tell me!). Since in my setup one region of the DLP will not be usable anyways, I could then derive a sync signal by permanently "displaying" an appropriate "pattern" (= color) in this section which I could detect via the combination of a laser- and a photodiode followed by a PLL or simply a discriminator and some logic in order to obtain the correct frequency and phase relation.

Thank You very much!

  • Hello Hansen,

    I will look into this further and get back to you within the next week.

    Thank you,

    Chris

  • Hi Hansen,

    I will try to answer each question separately:

    1. Micromirror flip frequency of DLP2000 / DLP2010

    The micromirrors on the DLP2010 and DLP2000 will have a nominal switching time of 1.5 us. More information on the characteristics of the micromirror arrays can be found in sections 6.11 of the DLP2000 and DLP2010 datasheets, which can be found here and here, respectively. 

    2. Individual micromirror operation and mirror sync

    The micromirrors will be turned "on" or "off" depending on the pattern/video data received. The datasheet for the DMDs will provide more insight on their operation, including the pin configurations and their functions. 

    In this case, it would appear that the light control chipset would be a more useful tool for you than the display chipset. The light control chipset provides more features for pattern generation and display. The EVM for the DLP2010 LC chipset can be found at this link: https://www.ti.com/tool/DLP2010EVM-LC

    Thank you,

    Chris