Hi guys,
I have a Bosch laser rangefinder and I would very much like to extract the measuring data from it in real time. The device has a 128x128 dot matrix lcd which is connected to the pcb with a flexible flat cable with 6 conductors.
I don't have a logic analyzer (never used one!) and I don't know much about LCD's and protocols... Is it feasible to pull the data out the device through that way?
A little guidance is very much appreciated 
Is it feasible to pull the data out the device through that way?
It can be done but you need to be able to analyze the protocol used. Probably it is a parallel data (8 or 4 bits) clocked into the LCD. There should be a clock line which indicates that the lines are valid to read. You better read through the lcd library to get a feeling how an LCD protocol works.
Things to determine:
Step 1,2,3 are imho the easiest part (a protocol analyzer is almost mandatory and not too difficult - there are even duino based P.A.'s so the costs are not high)
however it may take quite some time.
step 4 is not so difficult either as depending on the buswidth (4 or 8 bytes) there are only a few ways to combine the bits.
step 5 is mostly educated guesswork, which could be easier if you know if the used LCD is compatible with some known LCD.
That is approx how I would approach it, does this help ?
Thanks a lot for your reply
robtillaart:
- speed of the interface, if it is too high an Arduino cannot capture it (end).
There is a 10MHz crystal supposedly driving the stm32 microcontroller, so is it fairly safe to assume that this is within the capabilities of the arduino to decypher?
robtillaart:
Step 1,2,3 are imho the easiest part (a protocol analyzer is almost mandatory and not too difficult - there are even duino based P.A.'s so the costs are not high)
Would something like the Bus Pirate be sufficient for this task?
I have included a few pictures of the LCD in case someone here can recognize it. I haven't had any luck with google 
