Newbie question

[ml41782]

I have looked over the forum as well as the FAQ and I see reference to this question being answered but I can't find the answer.

I have the build your own PLC bundle with the EB061 and the ECIO40P. I also have the FlowCode 4 professional . I can't use the hex code that is associated with the individual modules for testing. I have a EB005 that doesn't display but on a rare occasion and when it does its very faint. I have contrast control from light to complete darkness. I have initialized the display and verified 5vdc on the V+ from the EB061 board to the EB005.

It seems that I had to write my own tests for the other boards to verify that they worked as well.

The ECIO work sheets don't reflect the bundle that I have.
I was hoping for a set of labs to work through and build upon to improve myself. There doesn't appear to be any kind of labs to do this.

Getting Started With Flowcode i did download and install this. All of the labs just show the same message.

Please note:

This document is not available in the free version of this course.

[Benj]

Hello,

Regarding your EB005 problem. It could be that your repeatedly clearing and resending values to the display which would cause the display to appear faint. If you add say a 100ms - 1s delay to your program after writing to the display then does this help with the readability of the text? If not then please attach your Flowcode program to the forum and I will see if I can spot where your going wrong.

Your right about our test routines, most of them assume you have a EB006 with a 16F877A chip available. However all of our boards are tested during manufacture so a faulty board is hopefully a very rare ocurance. Testing the board yourself using the ECIO may be a pain but you may learn something in the process you would have missed otherwise.

The free version of the Flowcourse software does not include the labs which are self programmed exercises but the course does include all of the learning content allowing you to learn from the source material and then make up your own exercises to try and gain familiarity with the software. There is also a wealth of knowledge and example programs on the forum to help you get started and get you up to speed.

The ECIO worksheets mainly show how to marry electronics and microcontrollers into a cohesive package. You could get a proto board EB016 or EB017 and order the electronics components bundle seperatley to allow you to do the exercises in the worksheets without having to purchase a second ECIO.

Mainly have fun with the software and the hardware, If you have specific requests or get stuck trying to do something then post on the forum and you should receive help fairly quickly either from us or from one of our customers.

[ml41782]

Attached is the test file for the display that I have been using. I have learned from looking at examples and reading about issues on the forum. I have initialized the display first and set cursor position then dispaly. I have also added in delays between each operation.

[Benj]

Hello,

Is the display still faint when running with your attached test program? Does varying the contrast potentiometer help at all?

[ml41782]

The display is so faint I can't see anything. I can vary the display from light to dark. I see flashes in the display when I run the program.

[Benj]

Hello again,

It is uncommon for a LCD to go wrong so I would think your board is probably ok. Are you supplying +V power to the LCD E-block via the screw terminals? It needs to be connected to the +V output terminal from a E-block programmer or another +5V supply.

[ml41782]

Im pulling 5vdc from the EB061. I have verified 4.99 vdc on the display V+ with a multimeter

[ml41782]

Im pulling 5vdc from the EB061. I have verified 4.99 vdc on the display V+ with a multimeter

[singhdeol]

I believe you can turn the little nobe on the lcd to turn the brightness up

[medelec35]

If you remove, then reconnect power to LCD eblock (without restarting hardware) so LCD is uninitialised. (or just disconnect all other data, EN & RS lines then remove and reconnect +V)
What do you see on the display if turn contrast from one end to the other?
On my display turning pot from fully counter clockwise, to clock wise, display goes from blank, to one row of black squares and finally shows two rows of dark (not faint) black squares.
I would say if you don't get the same, and you have measured this 4.99 V between both +v and GND on LCD eblock, then eblock could be faulty.
It's important not to have code changing data lines.
This is because if LCD is running code and it is a speed issue making display faint , then above test will eliminate/prove speed issue.
If you do get two rows of dark squares (don't leave on this setting as there will be too much contrast) , then problem could be o/c data, RS or EN line between ECIO and display.
You could set all of port B high for a few seconds, then low, and check with meter that pins on display rise and fall correctly. One of the jumpers on LCD might not be making contact.
I have got Eb006 programmer with 18F4455 and LCD. I only changed osc setting of your posted fcf to divide by 5 (since I have a 19.6 MHz xtal and not 4MHz) and LCD was displaying both 'BY YOUR COMMAND' OK. So nothing wrong with your flowchart.

[ml41782]

Thanks for the response. I have 4.99vdc from V+ to grnd not 4.99v on both.
The display behavior that you mentioned is just about what I have seen. I did test the pins on Port B based on a previous message on the board. That email if I remember also delt with the ECIO testing too. That was all good.

I recently placed an order for an additional display , key pad and EB006 base, and internet board.

my current board is the EB061-00-2 I t seems that I can't directly load the hex test code to test the modules. Heck of a way to do it , but this does give me now a second setup to work with too.

That is what ever year it arrives. Ordered on the 17 Jan and here it is the 2 Feb and the only thing I can find out is that its still not in the states. Damn terrist win again screwing up the mail service.