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16 x 2 LCD module question — Parallax Forums

16 x 2 LCD module question

paysonbadboypaysonbadboy Posts: 81
edited 2005-02-23 02:43 in General Discussion
I bought a 2 x 16 LCD display form ebay. Seemed a bargain at only $9.90

Here is the picture from the sale on ebay

6f_1_b.JPG

This is how·I got it...

021105_0380.JPG

I have to assemble it. But for $10 I can't complain.

But it has NO instructions and it looks like there is a DIP, a POT, and a occilator.

The DIP has the number AT89C2051-24PI

Is this a popular kit? I assume it's some sort of serial adapter.

Any ideas or links for building this thing like a schematic?

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http://www.paysonarizona.net/

Comments

  • PJMontyPJMonty Posts: 983
    edited 2005-02-12 08:25
    Paysonbadboy,

    First, always remember that if you can post a message to the forum, you can do a Google search. The next time you find an unfamiliar chip, try doing a Google search on it and see what comes up.

    Second, because I'm a nice guy (this time), I'll let you know that the almighty Google confirms my hunch that it's an Atmel microcontroller.

    Third, presumably this microcontroller has been programmed to act as a serial to parallel converter for LCDs.

    Fourth, the pinout, etc could be anything.

    Fifth, you did ask the seller for this information after you received the package, right?
      Thanks, PeterM

    PS - I did a more refined Google search using the following terms:

    lcd serial atmel AT89C2051

    I found a project using this micro and an LCD. If you look at the schematic, ignore the "Simmbus" pins and just concentrate on the "2051" (that's the Atmel CPU) pins and the LCD pins. Here's the URL:

    members.optushome.com.au/dontronics/vicuni/lcd.html

    PPS - Seriously, did you even bother trying a Google search before posting?

    Post Edited (PJMonty) : 2/12/2005 8:31:57 AM GMT
  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2005-02-12 14:54
    Can you give us a link to that auction to we can ask the seller to remove the image of our product.

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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax
    Dallas, TX· USA
  • WhelzornWhelzorn Posts: 256
    edited 2005-02-12 14:59
    sorry to butt in, but I just read this and found the auction: cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4661&item=3872540895&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

    Justin W.
  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2005-02-12 15:21
    Wow - I've never seen so many dead links on a website. I wouldn't buy anything from this Hong Kong outfit.
  • Jim McCorisonJim McCorison Posts: 359
    edited 2005-02-12 18:08
    Paysonbadboy,

    If you read the auction is says "Full details at...". Clicking on that link gives a description of the product. In that description is a line that says "Full Specifications" with a URL. Granted the guy hosed up the url with a \ instead of a /, but it's still pretty obvious. Following that link yields a full data sheet including pinouts, timing diagrams, and command set. Check out momentumfire.com/spec/lmb162a.pdf.

    Research time < 5 minutes.


    Jim
  • PJMontyPJMonty Posts: 983
    edited 2005-02-12 18:40
    Jim,
    Jim McCorison said...
    Research time < 5 minutes.

    Exactly why I can get cranky some times. It's not like you have some special Internet that has more information than the Internet other people have. Google is Google the world round. Same goes for Ebay, etc.
      Thanks, PeterM
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2005-02-12 19:59
    Say...

    That's an ordinary zip-lock bag isn't it?
    And no anti-static material to protect the DIP Ic, either?

    If I got any components like that from someone on an online auction, I'd give them negative feedback so quick...
    (I had over 50 positive feedbacks way back when I quit on eBay a few years ago because of all the fraud there)

    The lmb162 datasheet is for the LCD panel, and doesn't contain assembly instructions.
    What you need could be found in the FAQ
    http://momentumfire.com/spec/serial LCD.jpg
    As that is a single page, with only the wiring, no instructions, I really can't understand why the seller didn't include it in the package.

    In conclusion, give him a negative with a good description of your experience. Maybe you can save someone else...
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2005-02-12 23:55
    Thats why I never buy anything of an electronic nature on ebay unless they are willing to enter escrow.
  • steve_bsteve_b Posts: 1,563
    edited 2005-02-13 00:36
    What's escrow?

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    ·

    Steve
    http://members.rogers.com/steve.brady
    "Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2005-02-13 02:07
    Escrow is a special method of paying, usually involving a third-party service.

    The buyer sends the payment to this third-pary which alerts the seller that it has received the money,
    the seller then sends the goods, usually by a trackable service(most escrows insist on this)
    When the buyer receives the package and has verified that it is correct, he alerts the escros service and they release the payment to the seller.

    Some sellers don't like this because it takes longer for them to get their money, though, so will have a note about it in their auction. It is always best to ask the seller if he accepts escrow before bidding if it isn't mentioned.

    I only used it once, in a transaction with a bloke in Australia, though...
    Not because I didn't trust him, but because he didn't have PAyPal and a normal bank transfer was more expensive than the escrow service...
    (Here in Norway I don't need any such service as I can reach any point in 24Hours or so, so can deal with problems 'hands on')

    Post Edited (Gadgetman) : 2/13/2005 2:10:45 AM GMT
  • steve_bsteve_b Posts: 1,563
    edited 2005-02-13 02:19
    haha 'hands-on'....

    I once bought something over the Net where I had to send the money first and upon the seller getting the money, he would send the item.

    I was VERY nervous about this....but flipped a coin and took the gamble.· I was living near Toronto (CANADA) and this fellow was in Southern California (SanDiego if I recall).· Surprisingly it went without a hitch.

    The guy even 'marked-down' the item so that it would clear customs without costing me too much more (of course I'd have no insurance either).

    I had bought some HAM gear and still have it actually.· Not sure what I would've done if it hadn't worked out....but a road-trip might've been in order! yeah.gif

    HAM'ers do have their call-signs published online with their addresses....so that's one way to track them if it's needed.

    I refuse to use ebay now....WAY too many frauds.· Of course, Parallax's site is different as they are the manufacturer of the items.

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    ·

    Steve
    http://members.rogers.com/steve.brady
    "Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."
  • paysonbadboypaysonbadboy Posts: 81
    edited 2005-02-13 15:19
    WOW. I didn't think people would look THIS far into the matter LOL!

    I hadn't bothered to look up anything on it yet. It took almost a month to get it as well as some other things I have ordered lately.

    When it came and was in pieces I was just hmm, doesn't look like the PICTURE they used. But as I read back now it says "serial adapter board included".
    I just posted it here thinking maybe some of you would be like "oh, I've used that one" etc since the seller used a PBASIC controller in the selling picture with it! I was HOPING I'd hear people say they used this and LIKED it. :P

    Anyway. Thanks for all them links. That last one with the adapter wired in is perfect smile.gif
    I was busy yesterday helping a friend on his cars so I haven't looked up anything myself yet.


    So, as far as eBay goes for electronics I'll continue to buy if the price is right. (And for $9.90 what can you say?)
    Until this last month I've had EXCELLENT service. The flat touch screen monitor I ordered came from Hong Kong and arrived in less than a week. It was also over $100 cheaper than buying the SAME one from other online sellers.· This guys ships from Honk Kong but doesn't screw around!·· http://www.ex-audio.com/shop/index.php

    PC based car audio has started to be more popular lately. I had wanted to make one for a while. Have any of you built one yet?
    I've had my PC based entertainment/navigation working in my Dodge for over a month now and it's GREAT!
    Yesterday I even tried to open a entire folder of mp3's into one playlist and it didn't even spaz. I had 1,600+ songs in the playlist. I can either touch the screen or use my RF remote. I stopped using Windows Media Player in favor to try WinAmp again and it's better for that because it opens the next time with the same playlist. WMP opens EMPTY.
    When I went to my friends house Friday night, I was able to rip and burn one of his DVD's I didn't have (2001 Space Odyssey) on my truck PC system and at the same time as it was doing that my daughter was watching a DVD movie that I had ripped onto my hard drive. The GPS navigation has been cool too when needed. Now my 4X4 has more bells n whistles than a Lexus :-)

    Anyway, that's another thread I suppose. My point should be that so far I've had good luck with ebay. Everything was always really fast shipping until the last two purchases. Maybe it's because of TAX season. But I'm STILL waiting for my two PBASIC2 controllers to arrive :-(

    Thanks for all the help guys.

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    http://www.paysonarizona.net/

    Post Edited (paysonbadboy) : 2/13/2005 3:25:46 PM GMT
  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2005-02-13 16:38
    We have an employee whos job it is to protect our Copyrights and Trademarks. I have alerted her to this issue and she is on it -- this vendor has been a problem before. It may be tough, though, for us to force them to stop putting our product photos and names into their ads as the company is in Hong Kong, not the United States. When it doubt about a vendor who claims a relationship with Parallax, just ask.

    If you purchased BASIC Stamp controllers from us through an eBay auction they should go right out unless there's a payment problem. If you ordered them from an HK dealer (like your display), you may be impacted by the Chinese New Year where virtually every business shuts down for a couple weeks. We're waiting on some new products to arrive from a fab house in HK and the New Year has set things back a bit.

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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax
    Dallas, TX· USA
  • MacGeek117MacGeek117 Posts: 747
    edited 2005-02-13 19:04
    I'd have to agree with Gadgetman, zip-top bags are serial killers for ICs. You might want to try to use 2
    74HC595s in a cascading circuit to interface with the LCD.
    bugg

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    I think I know what I'm doing...
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2005-02-13 19:37
    Jon: good luck, PRC is notorious wrt copyright/trademark/IP violations and thier flagrant snubbing of both American and international laws on the subject. Just ask Goped, who secured pretty much the entire breadth of IP on the motorized scooter market, only to see the market flooded with cheap knockoffs only a few years later. They have been sueing those companies both in America and China, with no success as of this date (Chinese manufacturers also have a bad habit of not paying when they are found guilty). Thier only real hope for success is sueing the companies which distribute the cheap knockoffs in the US, who have been repeatedly warned thier distribution of those products is in violation of IP laws, but this really isn't an option in your case (other than asking/threatening ebay to ban the seller). The ironic thing is that one of the supposed reasons for admitting China into the WTO was to have the power to hold them more accountable for adhereing to copyright/trademark/IP law. But this supposedly business friendly administration appears to have no interest in trying to excercise this power. (I could go off on a tangent with the whole trade deficit/national deficit/international politics issue but I'll refrain from doing so)

    Post Edited (Paul Baker) : 2/13/2005 7:40:54 PM GMT
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2005-02-13 23:24
    Jon, you may not be able to get the seller to stop advertising on their website, but if you alert eBay and explain the situation, they may ban the seller. It may not sound like much, but it will mean that they lose their seller-history.

    Those motorized scooters...
    We're lucky here in Norway as the Public Roads Administration have banned them completely...
    Why?
    Because by our definition, they come in the same category as mopeds and therefore needs a type-certification, and none of the importers were willing to pay for it.

    smile.gif
  • paysonbadboypaysonbadboy Posts: 81
    edited 2005-02-14 05:29
    Well not to get anyone confused, I NEVER thought I was purchasing that LCD kit from Parallax. I knew it was some small time place 9cheap) smile.gif i just purchased it when i was purchasing several other things. No harm done. Just wondered if it was a popular kit or something. Evedentily NOT and that kinda sux.

    Oh, bugg, when you said "I'd have to agree with Gadgetman, zip-top bags are serial killers for ICs. You might want to try to use 2
    74HC595s in a cascading circuit to interface with the LCD.
    "
    What are "zip-top" bags? You mean the nice packaging with the plastic they came in or is that a slang name for the DIP IC itself? I'd LIKE to just solder up what I got if possible. It's just "hobby" stuff at this point.

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    http://www.paysonarizona.net/
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2005-02-14 05:48
    I think he meant ziplock (R) (since were talking about trademarks and such though Id indicate ziplock is a trademark of the Glad Corperation [noparse]:)[/noparse].

    It doesn't matter if you personally knew if it was a Parallax product or not, the way the law works is if the owner does not vigorously protect thier rights, it can be shown in a court of law that thier trademark was sufficiently diluted and therefore unenforcable. There are quite a few trademarks that have lost thier protected status because of this, Barbie and Aspirin are examples. If the product becomes synonymous with the trademark and all similar products are generally referred to by the trademarked name in the general lexicon, your in deep trouble as far as maintaining your protection. (Like Kleenex is in danger of become so, so Kimberly Clark sues anyone who produces facial tissues which make any reference to thier name, thus maintaining its protected status even though many americans refer to all facial tissues as Kleenex). This is also why most commercials use the phase "the leading brand" so they aren't taken to court by the company that makes the "leading brand".

    Though if only the picture of a stamp was used it may be a copyright violation which has a different set of rules.

    Post Edited (Paul Baker) : 2/14/2005 6:08:30 AM GMT
  • Jim McCorisonJim McCorison Posts: 359
    edited 2005-02-14 16:20
    Paul said...
    Though if only the picture of a stamp was used it may be a copyright violation which has a different set of rules.

    I am not a lawyer. I don't even play one on TV. But the ad for the LCD module seemed to be reasonable use of an image to me. After all, people will need to Stamp, or something like it, to use the product they are selling. Yes, MomentFire is getting business because they are relating themselves to the Stamp. But the more stuff out there that works and plays nicely with the Stamp, the more people will want to use the Stamp, and thus the more Stamps that Parallax will sell. They don't seem to claim that they are in anyway affiliated with the Stamp or Parallax. They're just stating that their product works with it. Kind of like showing your really neat new rims mounted on a Corvette. You're not claiming to have built the Corvette, just that your product works with it.

    Where MomentFire gets egregious is in their marketing of the RTC and Temp/Humidity sensor modules. For these products they have directly copied the digital images of the products that Parallax sells. That's pretty clear to be outright theft of what I'm sure is copyrighted material.

    But like I said, I'm not a lawyer. I'm just looking at this logically from an aware consumer's perspective.

    Jim
  • steve_bsteve_b Posts: 1,563
    edited 2005-02-14 16:55
    But also, if the product they sell (that nicely interfaces with a stamp) sucks....then that might dissuade the person from getting in to stamps any further.

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    ·

    Steve
    http://members.rogers.com/steve.brady
    "Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered."
  • Jon WilliamsJon Williams Posts: 6,491
    edited 2005-02-14 17:06
    Which is precisely our concern... We don't want our reputation tarnished by a company that refuses to deliver the same quality that we do. There is no guarantee that anything will change with this vendor, but we will be making contact and hoping for the best.

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    Jon Williams
    Applications Engineer, Parallax
    Dallas, TX· USA
  • Jim McCorisonJim McCorison Posts: 359
    edited 2005-02-14 17:21
    Steve_B said...
    But also, if the product they sell (that nicely interfaces with a stamp) sucks....then that might dissuade the person from getting in to stamps any further.

    I hadn't thought of it that way.

    So to claim that your product works with another companies product do you need the other company's permission to use their name? What happens when the two companies have a competing product? I'm not saying they'd do it, but since Parallax is part of the discussion, let's say company XYZ makes an LCD display that plugs into the App Mod header on the BOE. Would they need Parallax's permission to state that it does? And if Parallax didn't want the competition they could say no and XYZ would have to say something like "plugs into a header connector on a leading micrcontroller's prototyping board"?

    I'm not try to stir anything up. Heck, I'm not even working on anything that this would be applicable to. I'm just trying to understand what can and can't be said.

    Jim
  • paysonbadboypaysonbadboy Posts: 81
    edited 2005-02-15 02:13
    Honestly I'd just like to know straight out WHAT the particular product worked with. Maybe the IMAGE of the stamp was a bit much. But surely I'd think if someone MADE something that WORKED with the stamp, I'd like to know in a plain statement not something that was confusing.

    I haven't even had time to play with that LCD yet. Had a few ideas for it but just bought it on a whim when browsing eBay.

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    http://www.paysonarizona.net/
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2005-02-21 03:22
    Jon Williams said...
    Which is precisely our concern... We don't want our reputation tarnished by a company that refuses to deliver the same quality that we do. There is no guarantee that anything will change with this vendor, but we will be making contact and hoping for the best.
    If I'm correct, this same vendor is selling (on eBay) a device programmer that claims to (In the Auction Title) program the BASIC Stamp.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1504&item=3876032338&rd=1


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  • Jim McCorisonJim McCorison Posts: 359
    edited 2005-02-21 03:53
    Yeah.... right! There are a variety of vendors that pull that trick. They put "Basic Stamp" in the title to attract attention to their listing, even though their product has nothing to do with the Stamp. Kind of says something about their integrity in general doesn't it.

    Jim
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2005-02-21 09:08
    It is obvious that he put in the words 'Basic Stamp' only to attract those searching for Stamp related products as the only place it is mentioned in this auction is in the title itself.
    While the programmer is OK, it is NOT capable of programming a Basic Stamp.

    I hope Parallax' lets loose a couple of rabid lawyers and gets that seller banned from eBay because this is clearly a case of false advertising.
  • BorisBoris Posts: 81
    edited 2005-02-21 12:54
    Ahh what an interesting monday morning discussion. Sure as hell helps me pass time at work [noparse]:)[/noparse], hope my boss doesn't read this forum. In any case, here is my opinion about EBay. I think its one of the greatest marketplaces. I have been buying and selling different products for a while now and NEVER had any major problems. Buying, I always received the product promptly and it was just as described. Recently I bought a variety pack of electrolytic capacitors for $20, at Rat Shack, the same set would have probably cost me upwards of $100-$120, and even buying form Digikey would have been much more expensive. I also bought a bunch of transistors, very happy with price and delivery speed. Selling is a bit tougher, people seem to disregard the BIG disclaimer and SPECIFIC payment insructions listed on my page. For one sale it took me 1.5months to receive payment, but i got it at the end so im happy. Basically, when dealing with E-bay always look at seller's feedback. Also look at how the sales page looks. If it has HUGE font text and about 50 different rainbow colors, flashing border, etc.... then i would look more into the item. Ask seller some questions, if they know what they are selling they will be able to give you a direct and quick reply. And there is always somebody else selling a similar item, so if you dont like one seller go to another.
  • paysonbadboypaysonbadboy Posts: 81
    edited 2005-02-23 02:08
    Good point.

    As far as that programmer goe, it wouldn't need to be special at all just to program a stamp anyway right?
    as long as it gave power and connected the serial connection to the right pins it isn't doing anything magic at all.

    But still cheasy. like someone said, it mentioned "basic stamp" in the main title, but nowhere in the product info did it mention programming one. Tisk tisk!

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    http://www.paysonarizona.net/
  • Jim McCorisonJim McCorison Posts: 359
    edited 2005-02-23 02:43
    Actually, you don't need a "special" programmer for the stamp. And if you were to somehow manage to adapt a Stamp to a typical PIC programmer I'm not sure what would happen, but I don't think it would be good.

    Jim
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