X-Board with Noritake VFD

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kalbanowski
LCD?
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:02 am

X-Board with Noritake VFD

Post by kalbanowski »

Hi folks: I've just picked up an X-Board for use with a spare Noritake VFD I had laying around. I'm having a little trouble, and was wondering if I could bounce it off y'all.

Specifically this is a CU40025SCPB-U1A 2x40 VFD, taken from an old SliMP3 music player (a while ago SlimDevices had an upgrade program for these devices, which let you take out the original Noritake character VFD to replace it with a graphical VFD -- I'm sure I'm not the only one with one of these VFDs as a spare part).

The X-Board configuration process appears to work, bringing up the various prompts on the screen, and responding to the reset, type, and size phases with visible prompts on the screen.

After configuration, there's nothing visible on the screen: no text, no startup screen.

As far as I know, the VFD interface should be compatible, and its certainly compatible with the X-Board during the setup phase. I just can't get anything else out of it.

I've tried various serial communications, but nothing I've tried has prompted any response, including obvious tests (set VFD brightness, clear screen).

There's a copy of the VFD datasheet within the SliMP3 server software, also visible at <http://svn.slimdevices.com/*checkout*/t ... f?rev=4743>.

It's not a major thing if I can't get the X-Board working with this screen -- I plan to add an SX microcontroller to the project I'm working on, so a custom parallel VFD interface shouldn't be too difficult, but I'm curious if anyone can identify why the VFD doesn't fully work.

Clearly the interface is able to talk to the display (and the display is functional), given that the setup process works and displays text, but something must be different in normal display mode which is preventing either display or communication.

Thanks for any ideas!

- K

Raquel
Matrix Orbital
Matrix Orbital
Posts: 796
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2004 3:37 pm
Location: MO Office

Post by Raquel »

Hello kalbanowski,

I wonder about the cable that you use to power and communicate with the Xboard.
Raquel Malinis
Design and Development
Matrix Orbital

kalbanowski
LCD?
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 1:02 am

Post by kalbanowski »

I'm using the "Communication and power cable" sold as an accessory for the X-Board: a DB9 and a floppy power jack connected to a four-pin header plug. Judging from the various wiring diagrams, the connector was properly constructed.

I have loop-back on my serial port, and am reasonably sure that it is working properly.

I'm using 19200, N81 communications (I've also tried 9600).

The board is set to RS-232 signal levels, not TTL.

Isn't the screen supposed to boot up with a "Matrix Orbital" screen, even before you can communicate with the screen? The documentation implies this. Since I'm not getting any such screen, I'm suspicious that the VFD is not being properly initialized for normal operations.

- K

Raquel
Matrix Orbital
Matrix Orbital
Posts: 796
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2004 3:37 pm
Location: MO Office

Post by Raquel »

Hi kalbanowski,

This is a reply to your old post, I thought you might like to know that now that we have re-designed the Xboard, it is working with the 2x40 VFD Noritake# CU40025SCPB-U1J
Raquel Malinis
Design and Development
Matrix Orbital

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