SainSmart 3.2'' TFT LCD doesn't do anything

Hi,

I bought the 3.2'' LCD TFT display from SainSmart to experiment a little bit with it. As far as I know it uses the SSD1289 controller.

In order to get it work I looked around the web for useful information and found on a discussion page this package containing information about pinout and some examples.

So I picked one example (the source code is at the end) and wired it up. The example says, that "DB9-DB16 to pin D0-D7" should be connected. But in the pinout diagram there is no pin DB16 but a pin DB8 on the same side. So I connected DB8-DB15 with pin D0-D7 (for data communication a 8 bit connection is needed). This makes for me sense. Then I uploaded the sketch onto the Arduino successfully and nothing happens - the screen remains white.

I rewired everything and tried it again: only a white screen. The I checked all the connections and they are right. So now I'm run out of steam and I have no idea how to solve this problem.

So could you help me a little bit?

I'm using the Arduino Uno R3 and the Arduino IDE 1.0.5.

Greetings,
mythbu

/*
The demo is in 8 bit mode,
DB9-DB16 to pin D0-D7 ; DB0 – DB8 to GND ; LDEA to 3.3V  ; VCC to 5V ; GND to GND
RESET to A2
CS    to A3
WR    to A4
RS    to A5
*/

#define Bus_16   
#define LCD_RS   19         
#define LCD_WR   18     
#define LCD_CS   17       
#define LCD_REST 16

void Lcd_Writ_Bus(char VH,char VL)
{
  unsigned char i,temp,data; 
  data=VH;
  for(i=0;i<8;i++)
  {
    temp=(data&0x01);
    if(temp)
      digitalWrite(i,HIGH);
    else
      digitalWrite(i,LOW);
    data=data>>1;
  }	 
  data=VL; 
  for(i=8;i<16;i++)
  {
    temp=(data&0x01);
    if(temp)
      digitalWrite(i,HIGH);
    else
      digitalWrite(i,LOW);
    data=data>>1;
  }	
  digitalWrite(LCD_WR,LOW);
  digitalWrite(LCD_WR,HIGH);
}


void Lcd_Write_Com(char VH,char VL)  
{   
  digitalWrite(LCD_RS,LOW);
  Lcd_Writ_Bus(VH,VL);
}

void Lcd_Write_Data(char VH,char VL)
{
  digitalWrite(LCD_RS,HIGH);
  Lcd_Writ_Bus(VH,VL);
}

void Lcd_Write_Com_Data(int com,int dat)
{
     Lcd_Write_Com(com>>8,com);
     Lcd_Write_Data(dat>>8,dat);
}

void Address_set(unsigned int x1,unsigned int y1,unsigned int x2,unsigned int y2)
{
      Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0044,(x2<<8)+x1);
      Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0045,y1);
      Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0046,y2);
      Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x004e,x1);
      Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x004f,y1);
      Lcd_Write_Com(0x00,0x22);							 
}

void Lcd_Init(void)
{
       digitalWrite(LCD_REST,HIGH);
       delay(5); 
       digitalWrite(LCD_REST,LOW);
       delay(15);
       digitalWrite(LCD_REST,HIGH);
       delay(15);
	
        Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0000,0x0001);    delay(1);  //????
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0003,0xA8A4);    delay(1);   //0xA8A4
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x000C,0x0000);    delay(1);   
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x000D,0x080C);    delay(1);   
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x000E,0x2B00);    delay(1);   
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x001E,0x00B7);    delay(1);   
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0001,0x2B3F);    delay(1);   //??????320*240  0x6B3F
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0002,0x0600);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0010,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0011,0x6070);    delay(1);        //0x4030           //??????  16?? 
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0005,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0006,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0016,0xEF1C);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0017,0x0003);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0007,0x0233);    delay(1);        //0x0233       
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x000B,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x000F,0x0000);    delay(1);        //??????
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0041,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0042,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0048,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0049,0x013F);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x004A,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x004B,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0044,0xEF00);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0045,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0046,0x013F);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0030,0x0707);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0031,0x0204);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0032,0x0204);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0033,0x0502);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0034,0x0507);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0035,0x0204);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0036,0x0204);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0037,0x0502);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x003A,0x0302);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x003B,0x0302);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0023,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0024,0x0000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x0025,0x8000);    delay(1);
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x004f,0);        //???0
    Lcd_Write_Com_Data(0x004e,0);        //???0
    Lcd_Write_Com(0x00,0x22);	

}

void Pant(char VH,char VL)
{
  int i,j;
  digitalWrite(LCD_CS,LOW); 
  Address_set(0,0,239,319);
  for(i=0;i<320;i++)
  {
    for (j=0;j<240;j++)
    {
      Lcd_Write_Data(VH,VL);
    }
 
  }
  digitalWrite(LCD_CS,HIGH);  
}

void setup()
{
  for(int p=0;p<20;p++)
  {
    pinMode(p,OUTPUT);
  }
  Lcd_Init();          
}
 
void loop()
{
   Pant(0x0, 0x0);
   delay(500);
   Pant(0xff, 0x00);
   delay(500);
   Pant(0x00, 0xff);
   delay(500);
   Pant(0xff, 0xff);
   delay(500);
}

I have mine running perfectly.

This is the Demo I wrote for the Sainsmart Mega 3.2 TFT Touch screen . Steps through the /images folder in the SD card and shows it on the screen. Has custom event handler for the touch screen from modified demo code that doesn't use Utouch which I had no sucess with.

SainDumb sent me two 3.2 inch TFT displays without the proper antistatic packaging. A friend of mine had ordered 3 more, all three of his and both of mine are damaged in different ways.

They shipped me four 2.4GHz transceivers stuck in staticky white packing peanuts wrapped in standard packing tape, in a regular bubblewrap envelope. None work.

I suspect that many people are being discouraged, thinking they just can't figure out how to program an Arduino, when in fact they are getting boards that have been partially or fully disabled by static discharge.

I had an emailed conversation with someone at Sain Smart about ESD protective packaging. They seem to know nothing about it. I will not be ordering anything from them again.