Thread: VFD feedback

Originally Posted by AngryMan

check my port settings?

I dont think you understand, pic 1 is of the LCD WORKING with one program called LCDcenter. Then the pic two is what happens when I close lcdcenter and start up centrafuse. nothing else changes. the settings within CF are the same as within LCDcenter. (LPT1)

CF is TRYING to init the LCD at least. See, what happens when I run lcdcenter and then close it, is that you get a nice little "thanks for using lcdcenter" screen on the lcd. this stays until something else inits the LCD. So when I fire up CF, it clears this text and replaces it with the test blocks.

I have tried changing my printer port from ecp+epp to just ecp, and just epp, as well as spp. (doesnt help)

I would like to know what wiring diagram people went with who got the lcd to work. I know I went by the "industry standard" one, but I am wondering if there might be another schematic out there right now.

anyone?

Hummmmm.
Very dumb question but have you enable the VFD option in CF by pressing the button ON ....i've made this fault

Cheers

Originally Posted by AIR-V

Very dumb question but have you enable the VFD option in CF by pressing the button ON ....i've made this fault

I have _exactly_ the same symptoms as AM. To that point, I can say "yes, I have VFD enabled".

In fact... I can say that CF _is_ sending something to the panel. When you leave LCDCenter, it puts a message on the panel "Thank you for using LCD Center 2.0". When I then go into CF, that message is cleared.

If I disconnect and reconnect the panel with CF running, then I get the square blocks like AM has shown.

I know why !!!!!!
You LCD is compatible with CF only if you use the wodden man .... you need to stick it in your car... and after that it works

C U

Originally Posted by AIR-V

I know why !!!!!!
You LCD is compatible with CF only if you use the wodden man .... you need to stick it in your car... and after that it works

C U

HOLY ****! I THINK HE IS ONTO SOMETHING!

lol

hey David, Ill mail you my green one for testing. msg me an address.

Well I had 4 VFD I used for testing and they all 4 worked in Centrafuse and LCD Smartie...

AngryMan was kind enough to mail me a unit that was not working and it doesn't.

The problem is I can't even get AngryMan's LCD to work in LCD Smartie either...

The problem might be that I am not installing Port 95/NT driver, but Centrafuse uses inpout32.dll, which LCD Smartie uses as well if Port95/NT driver is not installed...

I can't find LCD Centrer really supported anywhere on the web... The units should work with LCD Smartie...

Getting closer, might just be a driver issue that some VFD's don't like with inpout32.dll... I use to use Port 95/NT, but it has to be installed, requires reboot, and has licenses...

david

I just installed the Port 95/NT drivers, dlportio.dll, and LCD Smartie still doesn't work with the VFD that was sent to me...

So I assume not the driver, I still have all my old dlportio.dll VFD code so I could have made that an option on which driver to use to talk with the device..

I also downloaded 2 seperate VFD HD44780 test programs and neither worked as well...

This LCD Center might, but I can't find their website... Maybe they are using different wirings because every VFD I have works in Centrafuse and I have never seen LCD Smartie not work with a VFD...

Or I guess the VFD could have been damaged, but it's coming on with the bars across just like the pictures...

david

Originally Posted by veetid

This LCD Center might, but I can't find their website...

LCDCenter can be found a couple of different places, Google shows...

http://www.techwarelabs.com/download...on=file&id=195

LCDCenter is no longer supported - it pretty much migrated into LCDSmartie. The website that was behind it now looks like a modeling agency of some sort.

Originally Posted by veetid

I can't find LCD Centrer really supported anywhere on the web... The units should work with LCD Smartie...

My display works with LCDSmartie & LCDCenter, but not with CF.

fwiw, I think this is the schematic that most of us wired to...
http://www.geocities.com/krebnarb/lcdguide.htm

And more LCD apps and info:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1026134744

Strange...

AngryMan, did you ever have the VFD/LCD you sent me working with LCD Smartie? If so did you set any special settings?

I guess it could have been messed up in shipping, but it appears to be working and the wiring looks fine...

I use LCD Smartie for all my initial testing for VFD/LCD displays, so if it doesn't work there then I pretty much stop...

Hopefully I will get it figured out what is different between what chips/wiring are being used...

I have multiple people that have them working fine in house, interal testers, and no one has said it doesn't work over at digital-car...

I will figure it out, just was hoping this display would work in LCD Smartie and not CF and then I would have had a clear path to finding the solution...

david