Whenever I've mucked with generic LCD modules, they've generally been HD44780 compatibles. I'm sure you've met them; they're quite widely used. Interface to them is much the same as the ST doofah: 4- or 8-bit bus interface, and a few control signals. In the mixing desk modification I did, I chose not to actually hook it up the the controller bus, as there were already TTL latches memory-mapped onto the bus to run the VFD multiplexer logic: 16 drives and 16 strobes. So it was less intrusive in terms of hardware modification to remove the level shifters for the VFD, hang the display bus lines off one 8-bit latch and use another to generate the control signals.
Cheers!
Ant.
None saved, unfortunately.
To be fair, the hardware tweaks were pretty small beer. The code disassembly and analysis, and the creation and patching in of the replacement driver was the major part of the project.... and.there's not much to see there. I guess I can share my reconstituted and modified source file if you wanted to see it?
Cheers!
Ant
Fixed that boom box I’ve been trying to build. I had the amp module up and running on the bench, and playing music. Finally without the dim bulb, variac, or oscillations after a few false starts. It would only work properly with Cdom about 2X what it outght to have been, but I was through arguing with it. Go to hook up the car CD player to it and it wouldn’t come up at all after 7 years of storage. Eff it. Buy another, they’re cheap. Put it all together on the dim bulb - sounds great. But every time you change tracks (on USB even) it draws current, drags the voltage down and resets everything. Get out the scope. RF/digital hash everywhere. Add some more RF suppression caps to the preamp board. Still does it. Ok, what’s the worst that could happen taking it off the dim bulb so it doesn’t drag down and reset? Change tracks - then huge burst of oscillation from the amp, goes into DC protect after running the BOFUs to maximum excursion for 50 milliseconds, and the whole place smells like “fresh oranges”. Predrivers, darlington outputs, vbe multiplier, emitter resistors, and the whole SOA circuit burnt to a crisp. Nearest I can figure all that damn digital hash getting into everything caused massive cross conduction in the output transistors. In an RF-free environment it was fine.
So what do you do? Install FASTER output transistors (and Everything they took out). Shouldn’t be necessary for fidelity, but eff it this thing has to work in the presence of digital garbage. Can’t buy just a basic mostly analog piece of equipment anymore - it’s gotta have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellphone connectivity, and a computer to run every single function. Swap out the TIP142/147 for Sanken D2560/B1647. Have to add freewheeling diodes and Rbe on the output darlingtons (since these only have the Rbe an the actual output and no diodes) on the back side of the PCB. It’s been working for the last 2 hours without a glitch.
So what do you do? Install FASTER output transistors (and Everything they took out). Shouldn’t be necessary for fidelity, but eff it this thing has to work in the presence of digital garbage. Can’t buy just a basic mostly analog piece of equipment anymore - it’s gotta have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellphone connectivity, and a computer to run every single function. Swap out the TIP142/147 for Sanken D2560/B1647. Have to add freewheeling diodes and Rbe on the output darlingtons (since these only have the Rbe an the actual output and no diodes) on the back side of the PCB. It’s been working for the last 2 hours without a glitch.
SatNav.
OK, I know it's an age thing and Google maps does a better job but my phone has a small screen.
Wouldn't get past initial boot screen.
Navman / Mio.
Went to website support & it said to download the software, connect the SatNav to USB & run.
Thought I'd picked the correct download - same model number but listed as Mio.
Didn't recognise the SatNav was connected but also didn't give any helpful error message.
Then realised I had the NavMan desktop app installed from years ago (which now seems to be only available from NavMan.au).
That did recognise it.
It installed something, then I connected it to a USB power source (connected to PC it didn't work as a SatNav).
Booted up but told me to reconnect to app to install product key.
Did that.
Then it told me no maps were installed.
Did that.
Now it works.
I need to check if the maps are up to date (no GPS signal in the house).
Also ordered some double sided tape to re-stick the magnetic holder.
I will make a contoured base as there isn't a flat surface on the dash and I prefer it RH top of the dash, not over the air vents as seems to be popular.
OK, I know it's an age thing and Google maps does a better job but my phone has a small screen.
Wouldn't get past initial boot screen.
Navman / Mio.
Went to website support & it said to download the software, connect the SatNav to USB & run.
Thought I'd picked the correct download - same model number but listed as Mio.
Didn't recognise the SatNav was connected but also didn't give any helpful error message.
Then realised I had the NavMan desktop app installed from years ago (which now seems to be only available from NavMan.au).
That did recognise it.
It installed something, then I connected it to a USB power source (connected to PC it didn't work as a SatNav).
Booted up but told me to reconnect to app to install product key.
Did that.
Then it told me no maps were installed.
Did that.
Now it works.
I need to check if the maps are up to date (no GPS signal in the house).
Also ordered some double sided tape to re-stick the magnetic holder.
I will make a contoured base as there isn't a flat surface on the dash and I prefer it RH top of the dash, not over the air vents as seems to be popular.
Been there. I had to pull the dash twice on my ex1996 Ford Ranger SuperCab. Both times for the heater core.
Something tells me I had do it once for my ex2001 F150 SuperCrew, but it wasn't for the heatercore.
I soon might have to pull the dash to fix the blend door in my current 2011 Ford Crown Victoria LX. The plastic hinge is known to break. Guys have been fixing the hinges with cheap metal parts from a hardware store.
The CPU cooler is not in the optimal position. It should be rotated and blow hot air towards the exhaust fan at the back of the case.
Fixed my Samsung SCX3600 MFP - it was pulling too many papers, and then getting jammed.
The root cause is a foam damping pad on a solenoid which turns gooey / sticky with age,
causing the solenoid to become "sticky".
The pad should be removed and the surface cleaned with IPA and q-tips , but the gotcha
is that the solenoid is buried deep inside the guts of the printer, needed significant disassembly.
Managed to fix it and no extra screws left over either and both printer and scanner work fine , so at
least I didn't do additional damage
These youtube videos (and others) were invaluable references -
The root cause is a foam damping pad on a solenoid which turns gooey / sticky with age,
causing the solenoid to become "sticky".
The pad should be removed and the surface cleaned with IPA and q-tips , but the gotcha
is that the solenoid is buried deep inside the guts of the printer, needed significant disassembly.
Managed to fix it and no extra screws left over either and both printer and scanner work fine , so at
least I didn't do additional damage
These youtube videos (and others) were invaluable references -
Congrats on your successful repair!
I use Brother printers. I have 4, all second hand - the oldest one in use, hung off my Netgear router's USB. The newer ones that connect via WiFi, sit in reserve. Will run till they die, but they NeVeR Do!
Have enough toner to last my printing needs for all eternity... My wife insists I print my ebay labels on the back of paper from useless docs they insist on mailing. If I need to print two, I have to flip the used paper sheet in order to get them both on the back side of one sheet.
My clean paper pack is still more than half, that I got at the State recycling place, which closed because of the pandemic, never to reopen. Got some good stuff there; so too bad. Like Joni said "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone".
Edit: Son comment; "cant we just have a printer with paper in it like a normal family!?!"
I use Brother printers. I have 4, all second hand - the oldest one in use, hung off my Netgear router's USB. The newer ones that connect via WiFi, sit in reserve. Will run till they die, but they NeVeR Do!
Have enough toner to last my printing needs for all eternity... My wife insists I print my ebay labels on the back of paper from useless docs they insist on mailing. If I need to print two, I have to flip the used paper sheet in order to get them both on the back side of one sheet.
My clean paper pack is still more than half, that I got at the State recycling place, which closed because of the pandemic, never to reopen. Got some good stuff there; so too bad. Like Joni said "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone".
Edit: Son comment; "cant we just have a printer with paper in it like a normal family!?!"