USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

EL Wire/Tape/Panels, LEDs, pixels and strips, LCDs and TFTs, etc products from Adafruit

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
User avatar
darrenw
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:41 pm

USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by darrenw »

I have purchased the USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) from Adafruit, followed the assembly and test instructions successfully.

I can successfully connect to it with a Windows machine through USB using RealTerm and LCD Smartie. The issue I have is that it only displays text in the first column, the remaining columns remain blank.

Is there a setting I need to make to have it use all 16 columns to display a line of text?

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88092
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Make sure you have the right LCD setting in the LCD Smartie setup.

User avatar
darrenw
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:41 pm

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by darrenw »

I have been using the matrix.dll, is that correct?

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88092
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Matrix.dll should work. You also need to specify thye correct screen size.

User avatar
darrenw
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:41 pm

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by darrenw »

Thanks for the response. The size was set to 2 X 16 (there is no option for 16 X 2). I have tried changing most of the settings with no resolution. All other functions appear to work perfectly, such as adjusting the contrast, brightness and turning the backlight on and off. Could it be faulty?

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88092
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Sounds like possibly a defective display. Contact support @adafruit.com with a link to this thread and ask for a replacement kit.

banjax
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:58 am

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by banjax »

Defective? It's displaying the whole of the text, but scrolling bottom to top just in the first column.

banjax
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:58 am

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by banjax »

I guess I should probably add that when powering on, it displays text on the full screen just fine. I went back over my solder joints, thinking maybe there was a cold solder point, but everything looks good.
Also, I can turn the backlight on and off, but not change the color.

User avatar
darrenw
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:41 pm

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by darrenw »

Thank you for your assistance, I have made contact using the address provided.

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88092
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

It's displaying the whole of the text, but scrolling bottom to top just in the first column.
That wasn't how you described it in your initial post:
The issue I have is that it only displays text in the first column, the remaining columns remain blank.

User avatar
darrenw
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:41 pm

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by darrenw »

It's displaying the whole of the text, but scrolling bottom to top just in the first column.
was not my post, it was from another user. However it does equaly describe my issue.

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88092
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

was not my post, it was from another user.
Sorry, I didn't notice the hijack there.
However it does equaly describe my issue.
If it were a soldering problem, you would not be seeing text on the display consistently - if at all. I suppose it is possible that the problem is on the PC side and the wrong command sequences are being sent to the backpack. You might try just sending plain text to it and see how it behaves then.

User avatar
darrenw
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:41 pm

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by darrenw »

I have tried sending text from RealTerm with the same result that I get from LCDSmartie. Sending hex commands appear to work fine (although I have not tested them all).

adafruit
 
Posts: 12151
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:21 pm

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by adafruit »

do you mind posting up a photo of what you're seeing? its fairly easy to update the firmware on the backpack if necessary - we did test it with Smartie so not sure what would be amiss :)

User avatar
darrenw
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:41 pm

Re: USB + Serial Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB backlight negative LCD (item 784) not displaying full ine of text

Post by darrenw »

Please find attached sequential photos displaying a line of text sent from LCDSmartie (sorry about the quality, but they are good enough to see the problem). If this can be fixed by a firmware upgrade, that would be a great result.
Attachments
3/3
3/3
LCD display 3of3.jpg (30.46 KiB) Viewed 2107 times
2/3
2/3
LCD display 2of3.jpg (51.58 KiB) Viewed 2107 times
1/3
1/3
LCD display 1of3.jpg (30.62 KiB) Viewed 2107 times

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “Glowy things (LCD, LED, TFT, EL) purchased at Adafruit”