LCD 4X40 Futurlec

[Brock]

I mainly use Optrex displays and never have problems with them.
Maybe I've been lucky, but I just thought I would mention it.

[Bill Legge]

Brock,

Thanks for your reply. I will have a look at Optrex LCDs.

I have had a reply from Futurlec and they acknowledge that the spec-sheet on their US site was the wrong one. They also sent me the correct specification but I have yet to test it out. I presume they have also changed their web-site? Thank you Futurlec for a good response to me query.

The new specification does have two ENABLE pins.

Regards Bill Legge

[Archangel]

Hello Bill Legge,
I am curious, as I have not used these 40 x 4 LCDs, do you have to Define which Ebit to use before the LCDOUT statement when you change lines, since they seem to use the same address values?

[DaveC3]

Here is some code I used to control the 4x40 display. This is just the LCD part that demonstrates the enable selection

'**** LCD *******************************************************
'Set LCD Data port
DEFINE LCD_DREG PORTB
'Set starting Data bit (0 or 4) if 4-bit bus
DEFINE LCD_DBIT 4
'Set LCD Register Select port
DEFINE LCD_RSREG PORTB
'Set LCD Register Select bit
DEFINE LCD_RSBIT 0
'Set LCD Enable port
DEFINE LCD_EREG PORTB
'Set LCD Enable bit
DEFINE LCD_EBIT 3
'LCD RW Register PORT
'DEFINE LCD_RWREG PORTB
'LCD read/write pin bit
'DEFINE LCD_RWBIT 5
'Set LCD bus size (4 or 8 bits)
DEFINE LCD_BITS 4
'Set number of lines on LCD
DEFINE LCD_LINES 4
'Set command delay time in us
DEFINE LCD_COMMANDUS 2000
'Set data delay time in us
DEFINE LCD_DATAUS 50

LCD1_Disable    var portb.2
LCD2_Disable    var portb.1
'*** Program variables *****************************************



lcdcnt     var  byte
lcdlen     var  byte
lcdline var byte
lcd var byte
lcdfunction var byte


'***************************************************************

' Initialize LCD
input LCD1_Disable 
input LCD2_Disable 
LCDOut $fe,1   'clear lcd
pause 100
LCDOut $fe,2   'home
LCDOut $fe,$0c 'Curser off
LCDOut "              USB 4X40 LCD   "
LCDOut $FE,$C0
LCDOut "              DAVE CUTLIFF    "
low LCD1_Disable 
input LCD2_Disable 
LCDOut $fe,1   'clear lcd
LCDOut $fe,2   'home
LCDOut $fe,$0c 'Curser off
LCDOut "         Highspeed USB Project  "
LCDOut $FE,$C0
LCDOut "             August 2005    "   
pause 100
goto idleloop

[Bill Legge]

1. Joe S. I have not been able to get my 4X40 LCD to work - so I'm hardly the fellow to give you advice. However, I think you are right and the 4X40 is built like two 2X40 displays that have separate ENABLE pins and the rest are common. I presume one simply swaps from ENABLE1 to ENABLE2 according to what needs to be displayed.

2. The new pin-out from Futurlec is NOT the correct one (Futurlec sheet is for a device 4004 and mine is a JHD404A1 with a different number of pins.) Adjusting/guessing the connections has yielded only fleeting black blobs - and yes, I do know that black boxes may be caused by too high contrast setting.

3. I'm a bit irritated that Futurlec is selling a $40 odd LCD device and can't publish the correct spec sheet - and it's not to be found on the internet. There are quite a few different pin-outs for other 4X40 LCDs but none seem to work on the JHD404A1.

4. Anyone go it to work? Futurlec must have sold a fair number of thes LCDs

Regards Bill Legge

[rhino]

Bill - If it does happen to have 2 controllers, here is an excellent way to control it.
http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=626

Hope it helps.

[Bill Legge]

Rhino,

Thanks for the info. I have got a different 4X40 (DisplayTech LTd closing down sale for $5, how's that for a bargain) and - IT ALL WORKS OK - along with the code/circuits for driving two ENABLE pins.

I would still like to track down the pin-out for the Futurlec JHD404A1 if anyone out there has the info.

Regards Bill Legge