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@@ -12,167 +12,183 @@ of electronics.
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<para>
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The following hints might be helpful:
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</para>
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<sect2 id="ppt-check-wiring">
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<title>Check The Wiring</title>
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<para>
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Wiring errors can easily be made. If you are unexperienced
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with the soldering iron better have someone solder it for
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you. Display modules are sensitive to electro static
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discharges, so touch an earthed surface (computer case,
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water pipes...) before you handle these.
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Wiring errors can easily be made.
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If you are unexperienced with the soldering iron better have someone solder
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it for you.
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Display modules are sensitive to electrostatic discharges, so touch an
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earthed surface (computer case, water pipes...) before you handle these.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-power">
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<title>Power Source Unregulated / Noisy</title>
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<para>
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Make sure your power supply delivers steady 5 Volts with-
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out noise or interruptions. The bare wall plug in trans-
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former is not suitable, though you can make it stabilized
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by adding an 7805 and a few capacitors.
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Some noise induced in the supply lines my be tricky to
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track, even if you have an oscilloscope.
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Make sure your power supply delivers steady 5 Volts without noise or
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interruptions.
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The bare wall plug-in transformer is often not suitable, though you can
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make it stabilized by adding an 7805 and a few capacitors.
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Some noise induced in the supply lines my be tricky to track, even if
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you have an oscilloscope.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-GND-lift">
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<title>Ground Lift</title>
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<para>
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The power supply wires and especially the GND wires should
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be a little thicker than the other wires. If GND is not
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thick enough (or not existent, see 1) the resistance of the
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The power supply wires and especially the GND wires should be a little thicker
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than the other wires.
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If GND is not thick enough (or not existent, see 1) the resistance of the
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wire may cause differing GND potentials in the circuit.
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This may lead to strange display behaviour. It may also be
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wise to solder a 100nF capacitor directly to the GND and
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V<subscript>CC</subscript> pins of the display.
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This may lead to strange display behaviour. It may also be wise to solder
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a 100nF capacitor directly to the GND and V<subscript>CC</subscript> pins
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of the display.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-latchup">
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<title>Latchup</title>
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<para>
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Never let the supply voltage get much below the io signal
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voltage. It may lead to a latchup condition which will
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destroy the controller chip on the display.
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Never let the supply voltage get much below the io signal voltage.
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It may lead to a latchup condition which will destroy the controller
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chip on the display.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-contrast">
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<title>Contrast</title>
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<para>
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If you don't see anything on your display it may be that
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your contrast voltage is set wrong. Turn your contrast
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potentiometer all the way to the end connected to GND.
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If you don't see anything on your display it may be that your contrast voltage
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is set wrong. Turn your contrast potentiometer all the way to the end connected
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to GND.
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Contrast is highest then.
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</para>
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<note>
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<title>Beware</title>
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<para>
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The module you got so ultra cheap may be an
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enhanced temperature model which needs a negative
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contrast voltage for sufficient contrast - see chapter
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The module you got so ultra cheap may be an enhanced temperature model which
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needs a negative contrast voltage for sufficient contrast - see chapter
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99 on how to make negative voltage.
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</para>
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</note>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-voltage">
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<title>Parallel Port Voltage</title>
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<para>
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Many modern mainboards and especially notebooks will not
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nearly output 5V for a logic H as the older parallel ports
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did, because the operating voltage of computers is lower than
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5V these days. I have measured voltages between 2.5V and 4V
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for logic H, which is barely within specification of the
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HD44780. If you account RCL of your cable, this may not be
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enough and can cause unreliable operation.
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Many modern mainboards and especially notebooks will not nearly output 5V for
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a logic H as the older parallel ports did, because the operating voltage of
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computers is lower than 5V these days.
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I have measured voltages between 2.5V and 4V for logic H, which is barely
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within specification of the HD44780.
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If you account RCL of your cable, this may not be enough and can cause
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unreliable operation.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-signal-rise-timing">
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<title>Enable Signal Rise Time</title>
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<para>
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If you ever read the HD44780 datasheet you will notice that
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somewhere in the 'signal timing' table is written: 'Enable
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Signal Rise Time max. 20nS'. That means the Voltage on the
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HD44780 pin called 'Enable' has to rise from 0 Volts to 5
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Volts within 20 Nanoseconds and the other way round. They
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should better print that in big fat red letters, because
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most HD44780s are really picky about the enable signal rise
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time.
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If you ever read the HD44780 datasheet you will notice that somewhere in the
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'signal timing' table is written: 'Enable Signal Rise Time max. 20nS'.
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That means the Voltage on the HD44780 pin called 'Enable' has to rise
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from 0 Volts to 5 Volts within 20 Nanoseconds and the other way round.
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They should better print that in big fat red letters, because most HD44780s
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are really picky about the enable signal rise time.
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</para>
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<para>
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That is a Problem: If you count together the bad driving
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characteristics of the parallel port combined with the
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capacitance of flat ribbon cable you may easily get an
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order of magnitude slower rise time.
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Therefore you should only use really short cable ( shorter
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than 50cm) for connecting the display to the parallel port.
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It may also be useful to use pull-up resistors on the display
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module or a schmitt-trigger.
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That is a Problem: If you count together the bad driving characteristics
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of the parallel port combined with the capacitance of flat ribbon cable
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you may easily get an order of magnitude slower rise time.
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Therefore you should only use really short cable (shorter than 50cm)
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for connecting the display to the parallel port.
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It may also be useful to use pull-up resistors on the display module
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or a schmitt-trigger.
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</para>
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<note>
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<para>
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The rise time of a digital output can (usually) not be
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altered by Software.
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The rise time of a digital output can (usually) not be altered by Software.
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</para>
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</note>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-emi">
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<title>EMI</title>
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<para>
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The cable from the parallel port to the display may
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be sensible to electromagnetic interference and may emit
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electromagnetic radiation. If you place your cellphone near
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the cable, you may get unexpected display readings, on
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the other hand your house neighbour may not be able to listen
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to his/her favourite radio station any more - so better use
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shielded cable and put the display in a metallic case, perhaps
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a computer case.
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The cable from the parallel port to the display may be sensible to
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electromagnetic interference and may emit electromagnetic radiation.
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If you place your cellphone near the cable, you may get unexpected display
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readings, on the other hand your house neighbour may not be able to listen
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to his/her favourite radio station any more - so better use shielded cable
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and put the display in a metallic case, perhaps a computer case.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-black-lines">
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<title>One or Two Black Lines</title>
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<para>
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If you see one or two black lines on the display it means
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nothing more than that the display is powered and contrast
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voltage is present. If one or two black lines appear the
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controller has not been reset properly by the on chip power
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on reset generator. No need to worry - it will be reset by
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the <application>LCDd</application> software. But if the
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black line will not disappear
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although the wiring is working, the controller on the display
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may be defective.
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If you see one or two black lines on the display it means nothing more than
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that the display is powered and contrast voltage is present.
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If one or two black lines appear the controller has not been reset properly
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by the on chip power on reset generator. No need to worry - it will be reset by
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the <application>LCDd</application> software.
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But if the black line will not disappear although the wiring is working,
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the controller on the display may be defective.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-too-fast">
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<title>Software Too Fast</title>
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<para>
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If you have a super GHz computer it may happen that the signal
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timing generated by <application>LCDd</application> is too fast.
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Adjust DELAYMULT in the
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source file to a bigger value. Parallel port wirings usually
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don't permit to read back the busy flag of the controller chip,
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so timing must be adjust so that the controller never is busy.
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If you have a super GHz computer it may happen that the signal timing generated
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by <application>LCDd</application> is too fast.
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Adjust DELAYMULT in the source file to a bigger value.
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Parallel port wirings usually don't permit to read back the busy flag of the
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controller chip, so timing must be adjust so that the controller never is busy.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-backlight">
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<title>LED Backlight</title>
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<para>
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Check whether you need a resistor for your LED Backlight and
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which value it should have. If you forget the required resistor
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the backlighting LEDs might become hot and draw excessive
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current.
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Check whether you need a resistor for your LED Backlight and which value
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it should have.
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If you forget the required resistor the backlighting LEDs might become hot
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and draw excessive current.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-hd44780-compatible">
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<title>HD44780 Compatible</title>
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<para>
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The original HD44780 controller that we advertise to support
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has become the industry standard for alphanumeric character
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displays. The original HD44780 is out of production. It has
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many successors from many manufactures, which sometimes won't
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tell you that their chips are 'compatible'.
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The original HD44780 controller that we advertise to support has become the
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industry standard for alphanumeric character displays.
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The original HD44780 is out of production. It has many successors from many
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manufactures, which sometimes won't tell you that their chips are 'compatible'.
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</para>
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<para>
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To name a few: KS 0066, KS 0070, KS 0076, LC 7985, NT 3881,
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SED 1278, ST 7066 ...
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To name a few: KS0066, KS0070, KS0076, LC7985, NT3881, SED1278, ST7066 ...
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="ppt-misc">
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<title>Miscellania</title>
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<para>
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