mini graphical LCD from mp3 player

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) Hardware Interfacing
#1

i salvaged this mini graphical LCD from a mp3 player

it has 8 pins to drive it, no chip that i can see, RGB backlight (driven separately on own wires), the graphical resolution was quite good also, tho i have no idea on the pixel dimensions

the board has on it: s442s1lcdv1.2

but googling it has come up with nothing useful.

the mp3 player was powered by 1 AAA battery.

any theories on how it is driven? it would make an awesome project display if i can run it from an arduino board.

any help would be nice :)

#2

Without some kind of datasheet its really difficult :-)

#3

i know but there is no info at all on it XD

and looking at the thing i cannot see a single chip

the screen part itself seems to be connected to the board via 30 or 31 contacts, also there are 9 capacitors on there and what looks like a resistor, tho its under a blob of hot glue that's holding the screen to the board.

i wish i had more info :S

wil try and get some macro shots of it.

#4

here are the pics..

front and back showing the screen and its mounting board with RGB wires and 8 pin interface to the main player board it was soldered to..

#5

My guess is that there is a COB (Chip On Board) Ic under the display.

It's one of those IC's that looks like a black "blop".

#6

It's one of those IC's that looks like a black "blop".

Rawr I hate those :P. You can almost never tell what it is :(.

#7

Rawr I hate those . You can almost never tell what it is .

Indeed... And it indicates custom circuits, for custom code, that only who made the device know how. I´m right?

It have a black and a red wire at least :P Maybe wiring Vcc, Gnd and start applying signal to each contact or 2 contacts at once in the all possibilities, maybe some pixel starts show up.

Or if you know how to speak chinese make a call to the producer and ask? (this one was silly) :o

Good luck !

#8

Maybe wiring Vcc, Gnd and start applying signal to each contact or 2 contacts at once in the all possibilities, maybe some pixel starts show up.

Or maybe you fry the thing :P.

I have no idea if that will hurt the board, but what can it...hurt..? If you can't figure out how to work the darned thing, I would just go with the "Guess and Poke" method haha. ;D

#9

Or maybe you fry the thing .

You´re right.
A multimeter and start measuring resistance between the all wires sounds a way to go. And start applying 1,5 volts e.g.

“Guess and Poke” method is good… well, funny at least so if makes it smoke you know you dont need keep trying :’(

---- EDITED ----

Oh snap! He said it´s 1 AAA battery thing, so well, dont go for aything higher infact …

#10

hehe thnx..

well i managed to carefully remove the glue and under the screen there is no blob, and no chip at all O_o

the wires only power the rgb backlight and are isolated from the board itself.

the only interface for the screen is the 8 pins..

is it some kind of multi/char-plexed display? O_o

so to recap:

8 interface pins, no driver chip, 28 contacts on the screen part itself that are connected (one my or may not be tho), 9 smd caps, 2 smd resistors. thats it..

#11