[SOLVED] HD44780 problem

[wolfie]

Hey.
Basically when I boot my LCD screens line 1 (or line 1 and 3 if I'm using 20x4) are blacked out. This fades once windows starts but re-appears when I set up LCDsmartie( if I load the hd44780 driver and set it to LPT1).
If I load a plugin which uses custom bitmaps ( such as winamp or big num) then random chars appear on the blacked out lines but you can only seem them if you look at it at a shallow angle.

I messed with the BIOS settings and it set it to EPP 378. The black lines only appar when I set LCDsmartie to this also so the port sems to be in order. Maybe a driver issue?

Software:
LCdSmartie v5.4
port95nt
WinXP pro

Hardware:
Green/black 2x 16 and 4x20 HD44780 LCD screens attached via printer cable.
LPT port integrated into the mobo.

[EDIT]

I'm trying to find my webcam to take some pic's.

[caesar]

Black lines are ok, they appear when the LCD is powered up (even without connection to LPT).

They must not disappear before starting LCDSmartie, only after starting smartie and the LCD will show the screen defined in smartie.

There seems to be a program running that uses the LPT port and it is started up with Windows. That could explain why your display fade. Or the contrast pin isn't well taken care of (directly to ground or a 10k pot between +5V and ground with the wiper connected to the LCD contrast pin).
What wiring method did you use?

[wolfie]

It's wired directly to a printer cable with a molex patched in to supply the power. So it would be directly to ground on the LPT port.

Can you make any suggestion as to what is using the port? It's a clean install so I can't imagine it's anything other than windows junk. Would it be worth killing spoolsv?

I tried it on my brothers windows computer ( he was out ) and on my linux computer. on the windows computer it acted exactly the same down to being blank after windows loaded and black lines appearing when LCDsmartie started. On the linux pc it acted similar under LCDproc, but started with black squares at booting interestingly it seemed to have a cursur flickering over it during booting.

Btw, is there a support IRC channel?

[caesar]

Hmm, do you have a default LPT printer installed?

From what you said, it seems that you got the contrast setting messed up a little, check its wiring!

PS: post some pictures too. after start, while booting and after starting smartie.

[wolfie]

No, no printer installed at all. Let me find a camera.

sorry bluetooth is being a bit odd, I'll carry on trying to get some pic's

while I'm doing that here's the order of the printer cable wires on the lcd
PIN 1
black/white
pink
grey
purple
blue
green
yellow
orange
red
brown
black
white
brown/white
red/pink (salmon?)
green/white
PIN 16

[wolfie]

Booting at POST screen:


Windows booting:


Later in windows booting and before lcdsmartie is run.


Once LCDSmartie is run, you can't make it out but there is some random chars being displayed on the blacked out squares.


Actually if you look closely enough you can see there are letters.

And the whole set up:

[caesar]

If you can get hold on a multimeter, please note down the pins on the printer cable end. The colors are not standard and are not helping.

Have a look at these circuts, the first one is the one you need.
http://lcdsmartie.sourceforge.net/circuits.htm

[wolfie]

After some multimetering...
*pulls out connector and flips it over*
seems I'd connected it upside down.
*slams head repeatedly and violiently against wall*

I'd been worried it would blow if I connected it the wother way and just assumed it was right since it was lighting up!

Thanks for all th help!!

[caesar]

So it works fine now?

Strange things happen even to the best

[wolfie]

Yeah, thanks