Spark Fun LCD COM-09230 -- Simple Fix

Using Arduino LEDs and Multiplexing
1

I got this display -- old stock from a Sparkfun/Arduino retailer -- the COM-9230

If I had know it was old and had problems.... but that's another story. There is a simple fix for the scrambled display that appears.

In the setup routine I send the Display five blanks as the first "data set". That seems to force out any garbage in buffer and allow the following commands to present data correctly.

/*  Arduino sketch for Sparkfun LCD
 COM-09230
 The display gets scrambled occasionally. 
 A cure is in the setup routine.
 Start the display and sen it five "blanks".
 WillR April 01, 2011
 
 Display should be as follows (where the Underscore "_" is a blank.
 42__
 AbCd
 12:34
 
 Hope this helps a few people.
 
 I know they have discontinued this display.

  There is nothing fancy here. No incredibly brilliant code here.
  Sorry about that!
  You DO NOT need that fancy Reset Line trick -- I was going to try that
  This simple fix lets me use the [ Vcc, Gnd, Serial line ] three wire cable.
 
 */


byte myLine1[] = {
  0x04, 0x02, 0x78, 0x78, 0x78};
byte myLine2[] = {
  0x0A, 0x0B, 0x0C, 0x0D, 0x78};
byte myLine3[] = {
  0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x04, 0x78};


byte myBlank[] = {
  0x78, 0x78, 0x78, 0x78,0x78,0x78};

byte myDotsOff[] = {
  0x77, 0x00,0x00,0x00};
byte myColon[] = {
  0x77, 0x30,0x00,0x00};



void setup (void){

  Serial1.begin(9600);
  Serial1.flush();

  delay(1000);

/// KEY LINES BELOW -- FIVE BLANKS SENT

  for (int i=0; i<5; i++)
  {
    Serial1.print(myBlank[i]);
  }
  delay(1000);
  for (int i=0; i<2; i++)
  {
    Serial1.print(myDotsOff[i]);
  }
  delay(1000);

}

void loop(void) {

  for (int i=0; i<2; i++)
  {
    Serial1.print(myDotsOff[i]);
  }

  for (int i=0; i<4; i++)
  {
    Serial1.print(myLine1[i]);
  }
  delay(2000);


  for (int i=0; i<4; i++)
  {
    Serial1.print(myLine2[i]);
  }
  delay(2000);



  for (int i=0; i<2; i++)
  {
    Serial1.print(myColon[i]);
  }

  for (int i=0; i<4; i++)
  {
    Serial1.print(myLine3[i]);
  }

  delay(2000);
 
}

Hope this helps a few people.