Please, can someone identify this Serial LCD and which Driver/Library is required to interface it the Arduino? I purchased it from a Vendor on Ebay and the information provide was useless. It will power up and I have tried adjusting the brightness and contrast, but nothing. I have also tried both serial and Ic2 libraries.
What information did they provide you (hopefully more than the URL on the back)?
Otherwise, I would find someone who reads/writes/speaks chinese to help you navigate/translate the flamingoeda site in an attempt to find other documentation...
:-/
I used the Google Translator and visited every page on that site. Nothing. here is the information provided on the http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&item=190459043138&si=FG2Z2ZZHS5cWzyRfC0G8rl29RAE%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT.
int switchPin = 7;
int value = 0;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(switchPin, INPUT);
}
void loop() {
if (HIGH == digitalRead(switchPin)){
Serial.print("$CLEAR\r\n");
Serial.print("$GO 1 1\r\n");
Serial.print("$PRINT FunRobo.com\r\n");
Serial.print("$GO 2 4\r\n");
Serial.print("$PRINT Serial LCD!\r\n");
Serial.print("$CURSOR 1 1\r\n");
delay(1000);
}
}
I gave the vendor a negative rating, maybe they will respond in an attempt to get me to change the rating.
Sparkfun sells serial LCDs. I have one of them. Try this code:
/*
Connect the +V and Gnd lines of the LCD backpack
to the +V and Gnd of the Arduino. Connect the RX
of the backpack to the TX of the Arduino.
*/
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(115200);
//Change backlight value
Serial.print(0x7C,BYTE); // cmd
Serial.print(0x02,BYTE); // brightness
Serial.print(0x40,BYTE); // value between 0-100
//Run the built in demo
// Serial.print(0x7C,BYTE); // cmd
// Serial.print(0x04,BYTE); // demo
}
// Write the letters A to Z to the LCD.
// Wait 5 seconds. Clear the screen
void loop()
{
// Draw some boxes
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x0F, BYTE);
Serial.print(5, BYTE);
Serial.print(40, BYTE);
Serial.print(55, BYTE);
Serial.print(60, BYTE);
// Serial.print(0x01, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x0F, BYTE);
Serial.print(5, BYTE);
Serial.print(10, BYTE);
Serial.print(55, BYTE);
Serial.print(30, BYTE);
// Serial.print(0x01, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x0F, BYTE);
Serial.print(65, BYTE);
Serial.print(40, BYTE);
Serial.print(119, BYTE);
Serial.print(60, BYTE);
// Serial.print(0x01, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x0F, BYTE);
Serial.print(65, BYTE);
Serial.print(10, BYTE);
Serial.print(119, BYTE);
Serial.print(30, BYTE);
// Serial.print(0x01, BYTE);
// Move the cursor to X=15
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x18, BYTE);
Serial.print(10, BYTE);
// Move the cursor to Y=54
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x19, BYTE);
Serial.print(54, BYTE);
Serial.print("X= 14.5");
// Move the cursor to X=70
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x18, BYTE);
Serial.print(70, BYTE);
Serial.print("DX= -4.8");
// Move the cursor to X=15
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x18, BYTE);
Serial.print(10, BYTE);
// Move the cursor to Y=24
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x19, BYTE);
Serial.print(24, BYTE);
Serial.print("Y= 8.9");
// Move the cursor to X=70
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x18, BYTE);
Serial.print(70, BYTE);
Serial.print("DY= +3.6");
// Leave the letters in the screen for 5 seconds
delay(5000);
// Clear the screen
Serial.print(0x7C, BYTE);
Serial.print(0x00, BYTE);
}
See if it makes your LCD do anything.
Well - it looks like (maybe?) it has its own interpreter engine on-board, and you are suppose to send command strings via serial output to it to position the cursor, etc.
In other words, if you had it hooked up to the serial port on the Arduino (pins 0 and 1), with the sketch you posted loaded on the Arduino, and a switch connected to pin 7, when you pressed the switch, the Arduino would print the commands to the serial port, and the LCD serial driver would interpret them.
Two of the wires on that LCD connector have to be power and ground; I would guess the red and black wires for positive and ground respectively, but what voltage they are, I don't know (perhaps 5 volts?). The yellow and white likely go to the TX/RX pins 1,0 on the Arduino. But all of this is really one big fat guess...
Of course, the sample code assumes the Arduino is no longer connected to the PC via a serial connection (USB or otherwise); you could, though, use a software serial library instead, and hook the pins up appropriately (instead of to the hardware serial port, as the sketch shows).
Lastly - I wonder if those commands are it, or if other commands are available? If those are the only commands, that's a pretty poor command set for anything but basic stuff...
Thank you, I get nothing. Maybe this device is defective. Not worth sending back to China. :-[
BTW - did you purchase their "sensor shield", because that seems to be a component that its designed for...? Still, I think you might be able to make it work without it...
Yeah - looking at the photos on the "sensor shield" they sell, its connected to their "buckled com port" (LOL) - the RX/TX pins - not I2C or SPI or anything like that; but which pins go where? If you had the "sensor shield", that would make it easier, otherwise you need to make some educated guesses by tracing the lines (see what goes where on that serial backpack device, the power and ground should be fairly easy to figure out - the other two would be for the serial control, of course).
Rev. Ritchie, have you tried the provided sample program with your display? From the linked ebay page, it seems very straight forward.
It connects to their com port connector on their shield. Here some detail pictures of their shield which explain most things:
The display seems to go in the blue marked port. The cable then would be:
Black - GND
Red - 5V
Yellow - TX
White - RX (you probably don't need that one)
As for the driver, you don't need any. You control the display by writing to it with Serial at 9600 bps. What you can send to the display is documented on their ebay page, that's the $GO and $PRINT stuff. You might have to disconnect your USB if you want to use that display so that you don't have a conflict with the COM port. On a Arduino Mega you can use another serial port or on a regular Arduino you can use the soft-serial library and connect to another pin. As you're just sending data, you won't need the RX line either, the TX alone should be enough. At least, that's what I guess from the provided data.
All in all, a negative Ebay feedback isn't really warranted. The documentation might not be wonderful, but they seem to provide enough data in the context they sell that display - as an add-on to their shield.
Korman
Rev. Ritchie, have you tried the provided sample program with your display? From the linked ebay page, it seems very straight forward.
I think the main problem is he has the display, but not the sensor shield (unless he tells us otherwise)...
That is a very good possibility, I have a version 4 shield and this device my require a version 5.
I want a version 5 shield anyway so I will not give up hope. Thank you one and all. 
Happy Days, it is working. What I was doing wrong was, I did not disconnect the usb port, power off, then back on.
Wow. Going to change the rating on this vendor right now. ;D
Rev, TY
I had the same problem - I didnt disconnect the Serial LCD prior to sending the code to my Arduino. Seems kind of ass backwards having to disconnect a component to upload the code - It was never disclosed upon purchase - I am also leaving bad reviews on this ebay seller too.
The guy Emartee never returned a clear response, and stopped all communication after email number two. He was NO help.
He told me to download a schematic.
I replied back asking what LCD Shield pins should connect directly to the arduino Pins and asked what connection type is used in the code.
Then he replies "The LCD have four pins interface which is corresponding to Arduino I/O interface. Special Sensor Shield is just used to extend more I/O and make it is more convenient to connect other device with Arduino." Further email attempts to clarify the schematic we're never answered back from Emartee.
after several bad attempts to get my LCD to display something - I found all your posts here - Ty to ALL again.
BTW - My Negative EBay feedback isn't for poor documentation, it's for poor communication - the feedback wont be negative across the board, but only in the areas he fell short. I had asked a basic questions someone selling a component like this should automatically provide, and I did not receive a response back. If the vendor responded back with "I don't have that information" I would be fine with that - it's the NO-reply that bugs me.
All I need is to hook the LCD Shield up with jumper wires and connect them to the Arduino - take a picture of it all working - with the picture of the sketch / code on the monitor. Then provide explanation of the commands and switches utilizing examples of each. I cant find help with the commands and the /r/n switches - What do they do?
Again thank you all for the hard work helping us new 2 Arduino
-Joegeek