Electronics Issues with 1x16 display, software, or hardware?(LCD NOW STUCK)

Bixie_62,
Hope that JohnH is correct. But didn't you inform that you managed to get
the full 16 lines when using the Crystalfontz program?

Anyway, heres a simple connection table I did for you, based
on the schematic in the LCD Smartie website:

Printer Port pin connected to LCD pin
=========== =======
1 6
2 7
3 8
4 9
5 10
6 11
7 12
8 13
9 14
14 5
16 4

Printer port pins 18 to 25 connected to ground.
Rest of the pins leave unconnected.

LCD :
pin 1 connected to ground
pin 2 connected to power (+5V)
pin 3 is contrast control. Connect to 10K trimpot as
in schematic or connect direct to ground for simplicity.
pins 15 & 16 is for the backlight (leave it for now).

Use the PC's 5V line for power. I use the floppy power
connector, or use the molex connector. 5V is the red
wire, ground is black.

Some hints:
Best use multicolor wires as it's easier to trace
the connection (I use ribbon cable).
To avoid solder shorts, especially at the printer
port, heatshrink each connection.

ARM

 

hey
ive checked and double checked the wiring, including using your wiring scheme, the only difference was the pin 14 i think it was, which should've been connected to pin 5 on the lcd, i grounded that pin.
what i'll do is see if it makes and difference using a different printer cable.

does it matter that im using a PRINTER cable and ive just chopped off the useless end and soldered that to the lcd (checking pinouts and everything of course!)
thanx

 

Hi again,

The Crystalfontz test software will work correctly as, as far as I can tell, all of their 1x16 displays are actually arranged as a 2x8 display as can be seen from this extract from their test software :

DISPLAY_PARAMS_STRUCT
display_codes[10]=
{
{ 8,2,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x00,0x00}}, //0: 8x2
{12,2,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x00,0x00}}, //1: 12x2
//16x1 is a special case: right half looks like second line of 8x2
{ 8,2,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x00,0x00}}, //2: 16x1
{16,2,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x00,0x00}}, //3: 16x2
{20,2,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x00,0x00}}, //4: 20x2
{24,2,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x00,0x00}}, //5: 24x2
{16,4,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x90,0xD0}}, //5: 16x4
{20,4,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x94,0xD4}}, //6: 20x4
{40,2,1,{0x80,0xC0,0x00,0x00}}, //8: 40x2
//40x4 is a special case: top half looks line 1st 40x2 bottom half
//looks like 2nd 40x2
{40,2,2,{0x80,0xC0,0x80,0xC0}} //9: 40x4
};

That means that if you have a display that is arranged in a similar fashion the Crystalfontz sotware will drive it correctly. If you wish to try out Crystal Control version 1 (the original sofware they provided to drive their modules) it can be obtained here : http://www.crystalfontz.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=625
This software will allow you to display the 'normal' things such as temperatures, fan speed, song title, artist etc.

There is also a version 2 of Crystal Control but some users appear to be having problems when using it with a parallel port connected device (I have not tried it so I cannot comment further). Of course, on the other hand, you might be lucky and will work correctly.

Good luck,


JohnH

 

hey
ive tried a few versions of crystal control, no luck.
well it looks like im in the market for a character LCD!!
so if anyones got one going that they're willing to sell, ive got cash waiting and the above mentioned 1x16 display too!
thank you!

 

If you used a printer cable, BE WARNED, the pins are often connected weirdly, or some aren't connected. Did you check every that every pin is connected with a multimeter? Did you check that no pins were connected together inside the cable (this sometimes happens on cheap printers. I would suggest building a cable from scratch.

 

hey all
@fishcake, checked and double checked with multimeter, all connections are isolated from each other, no crossing, no cross soldering. im fed up of this!

looks like i may be purchasing a 4x20 Seiko LCD, using the HD44780 controller, model number L2014(something like that) for the grand sum of......£7! lol. yup

so for now....thank you everyone at bit for the help!

 

LCD Problem: solution

use the driver for 2x16
and dont address line 2
problem maybe solved like this

then send a bug report to the software vendor include your designs
and code

 

tried that, have already stated what happens if i dont use the second line, it still only acts as a 1x16 and only the first 8 are used.
did i mention that the 'test' signal is only the first 8 blocks
perhaps this may point to somethng?
thanx

 

the member above points out a config file

try to add a line to it

16,1,1,{0x80,0x00,0x00,0x00}}, //2: 16x1

can you tell me the type of lcd display

so i can have a quick look at the data sheet or its controller

take it its a hd44780 ??

the address range for the blocks is line 1= 80-8F as one range
a stupid question is your bios set to ecp or epp etc
you need to set it to normal

maybe there is a problem with the lcd its selt or its pcb print
or the port has a problem buffer output

 

hey
its a SEIKO M1641 display, a 1x16 display, and yup, its a hd44780
which config file?!
and what do i use to edit it?
thanx

 

cure

lcd smartie site instructions
link to site page
maybe the last point applies ???

as for other programs maybe there is a similar thing
like to modify there config file .cfg or .ini to add the type as i mentioned above

maybe this would fix it


Configure the settings for your display:

Port: the address of your parallel port (usually 378, but 278 and 3BC are also common).
Driver boot delay (s): Only change this setting if you are having trouble with LCD Smartie using your display too quickly after booting.
Timing multiplier: If your display fails to work or displays random characters then your display may need longer to process our commands - try setting it to 5.
>>>>>>>>>> Use alternative addressing:
Use this if your display is a 1x16 and only half of the display is working.




i think this little app is quite good

and i have a spare 40x4 so maybe ill wire up a cable

i learned a few things about it the version they quote and display on there instructions page is different from the release as the menu items are in different places
and now i know why
there main download is not the beta for release its the older version and
dosnt have this feature leading to confussion

download the later version beta now and see if this fixes it
download here

 

thank you thank you thank you!!
will try it out when i get home, am still gna purchase that 4x20 display tho.
is there any way that i can run 2 displays at the same time?off the same parallel port?
THANK YOU!!!!(once again bit comes through!)
suggestion: once ive tried that program and/or the settings change out, is it possible to perhaps add this to the sticky, the fact that some 1x16 displays may behave like this. may help someone else!

 

' >>>>>>>>>> Use alternative addressing:
Use this if your display is a 1x16 and only half of the display is working.'

Good find Vsmlibs.

Bixie_62,
Hope this cures the problem. And good luck on your new LCD.

ARM

 

rightio
cant believe it was so damn simple!lol
yup, it works!
and the new lcd, not happening, the company i was gna buy off has a minimum order value of 50quid, ive asked and they wont make an exception. o well.
(still in the market for a cheap lcd by the way!so if anyones got one going, or seen a good deal let me know!)

is there any way that a 'question' could be added to the FAQ in the sticky, something like,
'ive got a 1x16 display and only the first 8 blocks are being used'
a: select alternative addressing.
still cant believe it was so simple!
now.....to backlight it!lol
thanx again all

 

nice one... a happy ending..

Well i am glad it worked after a sore head

what i do is just dont take no for an answer
going by this rule
where there is a will there is always a way

hum i get my lcd's from maplin
here in glasgow scotland your limited to sending for them
either to england or central europe

but maplin aint so expensive
a 4X20 costs £38 inc vat {about 70 euro's/$ }
delivered to your door or call your local store and
ask if one is in stock,
here is the code N30AZ / EVP, 4X20chars supertwist


they also sell the 4x40 and 4x80chars i think the 4x40 is £48 and 4X80 £68

be warened they have a new catalogue out
so check it out first
you may find they have stopped suppling them
if this is the case
ask them to do a store search
but dont leave it too long as there stocks will disappear quick
i get sick of maplin
every year the real good bits they sell get replaced
by imported eastern plastic junk, high turnover stuff,
at the expence of the electronic components stock levels.

so it becomes craper and craper

 

Tell me about it.. Maplin used to be useful because you could go and get some components without having to wait for an order to arrive, but now they hardly sell anything, and what they do sell is really expensive. Just yesterday I was in there trying to buy some 1k resistors, she gave me some and I said they weren't 1k because the colour code said 1.1, then theres a huge argument about whether they are 1k or not. Eventually the multimeter comes out and it turns out that someone had put the 1.1s in the box for the 1s... why are people working on the component desk that don't even know the resistor colour code!

 

maplin is pretty useless for bits ye...

however i never find resistors a problem
the way i get past this is just visit maplin as a last resort

also do all development in proteus vsm and visit my site
for some extra models and libs and links to others or ask labcenter
VSMLIBS

i only buy most stuff direct
from component suppliers in epe /electronics world /circuit magazine's adverts

seems the only way to get quality, quantity and price
most often maplin just dosnt have it in stock

or they start a teath backdraft routine and grasp for a catalouge or wag there head at a monitor and say next week or there computer is slow

localy in glasgow is an RS componets but man
you need to win the lottery and work for trump to buy stuff out there shop
or even get served


best stick to proteus vsm for development unless you actualy need a physical unit

its just about as cheep as buying thestuff
to find an old p1/2 and run a session of proteus all the time on it

 

Anyone buying resistors from Maplin should be aware that the resistors they sell mostly seem to use the 5 band colour system as opposed to the more common 4 band system- for example a 1K resistor in the 4 band system is brown, black, red then a gap and the tolerance colour (normally silver or gold to signify 10% and 5% respectively) whilst in the 5 band system that same resistor would be brown, black, black, brown followed by a tolerance band, which for 10% is brown. This can be confusing as it is only too easy to start reading from the wrong end - but a good link to a tool that helps overcome this potential problem is:
http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-colorcode.htm.

Also, if anyone is looking for LCDs a good place to start is: http://www.watercoolingshop.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=62 - blue/white 4x20 for £21.99 (inc VAT)

 

21.99 = £22 + postage of £4.50

= 26.50

i suppose its better

however the ones they supply arent supertwist
so if your off angle you cant see them brilient

i looked at lots of places to find them cheep

usa is the best but again as soon as you get it in the uk
you pay an import tax ... around £1 per 10$ value

ill need to investigate the market in the uk for cheep ones

i did find some places that are good like auctions

you can buy 100 units that have the same display
with a little work youll get a good lot deal {10 -20 quid for up to 50 units}

scrap them for lcds and sell them in ebay to cover any costs
youll still make a few hundred quid for a few hours work

and youll have heeps of components left over

forinstance job lots of old sat navs {tosh 6369 controller}
usualy 128 by 128 dots

or taxi gandalf displays {customer address display 80chrs 4 lines} etc

esp old casio or toshiba typewriters you find these in charity shops
the display in these is a standard hd44780 or sed chip

maybe i should keep this type of info top secret

however this is exactly what surplis companies do
then sell it to us... so cut out the middle man
and make his money