King_Xerxes

Beacuse I don't have the knowledge or eqipment to fashion an LCD, I'm thinking I'll spring for a MatrixOrbital. I'll probably go with the 40x4 but as I have read differing aco****s, I'll just post the quesiton here.

With MatrixOrbital serial displayes, is it as simple as taking it ouit of the package and plugging it into the serial port, or do you have to find some way to power it as well? I read one account of someone rewiring a serial cable in order to send 5 volts across it. Is this required? Basically, how does one power a MatrixOrbital display? Thanks!

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Meatballman

It comes with a little adapter to pull power from a standard drive connector from the power supply. You can also run power up one of the pins on the serial cable. You can pull that from the power supply or off the ps/2 port. Also note that the screen comes in a regular and a wide voltage version...the difference being that the former requires 5v and the latter requires 8-16v (I think.) I used 12 from the PS.

King_Xerxes

Okay. But how do I "pull" power from these places? Also, I read that the floppy drive connector is wired sifferently and can damage the display. Any thoughts on these isues?

King_Xerxes

Looking again at your post I have another question. Is it possible with the "wide voltage" screens to connect the power directly to the car's accessory line? If so, is there a power wire attached to the display or will I have to learn to use a soldering iron?

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