GLCD - missing guide videos

Have my system up running now, and all seems to work seamlessly :-) 

I am now working on the GLCD. Got to the step 20 in the guide, but the video tutorials seems to be missing. Anyone know where I can find them?

http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/modules/emonglcd/buildguide13

Robert Wall's picture

Re: GLCD - missing guide videos

I suspect they got lost when the OEM site was transferred to the new server a few days ago.

What you need to do is make sure the backlight is facing the right way, i.e. the light will come out through the LCD display (OK, it sounds silly but it's best to make sure), then bend the leads back over the 'dark' side. The tricky part is bending the leads at a right angle to go through the holes in the PCB, where you bend is critical so that the light is in the right place. The end of the backlight furthest from the LED should lie exactly over the centre of the two big pads belonging to the USB socket, those nearest the edge of the board.

Don't solder it yet! Wait until the LCD is in place.

Then the LCD display:

Load up the tester sketch and have your programmer (or a power supply) ready, but disconnected/switched off. Insert the 20-pin edge connector of the LCD into the holes, and tip the display so that the leads jam in the holes and make contact. Forget the 2 groups of 3 leads on the other edge, they are there to mechanically support that edge.

Holding the LCD in position, apply power. The display should work. If you lose a connection, it's likely it will lock up and need to be powered down and back up again. Once you know it's working, you can continue.

N.B. Do make sure, as far as you can tell, that everything else is correct and working before you fit the backlight and LCD. It is all but impossible to correct anything once these are soldered in place.

I put the short spacers on the display side of the PCB, saving the long ones for the back, which allows the back to be fitted if you have a straight header for the programmer. Screw the front panel in place, push the display up against the front panel and solder just 4 pins at the corners. Check the position and the position of the backlight, then finish soldering the LCD. Push the backlight up against the display and solder it.

glyn.hudson's picture

Re: GLCD - missing guide videos

Sorry, video has now been re-added to the build guide. Hers's direct link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMlDqEKnQYQ

Lykke's picture

Re: GLCD - missing guide videos

Great! Thanks :-)

Lykke's picture

Re: GLCD - missing guide videos

I am struggling with the LCD display and whilst climbing the steep part of the learning curve, I hope someone can and will help me with a clue on where to look.

I have successfully run the tester sketch on the GLCD and also tested the backlight OK. Tried the LCD without soldering and got readable text which blurred after some time. I put the blur w. black stripes down to bad pin connections, but when I soldered in the many-pin side of the LCD the problem persist. After some time it goes off completely and requires a restart to show signs of life. I noticed that the LED's flicker and I am pretty sure they did not do that before I put the LCD in.

I am able to pull back the non soldered side of LCD (..and I realize this will not help aligning it when I get it to work..) After doing that, I have checked for soldering and build errors, but I have not been able to find any issues. 

I have also uploaded a different sketch, but same issue with the display.

 

Robert Wall's picture

Re: GLCD - missing guide videos

Check the orientation of the electrolytic capacitors. These are part of the voltage multiplier and if you have one the wrong way round, that can cause similar problems.

Lykke's picture

Re: GLCD - missing guide videos

Thanks Robert, good call :-)  I had made a less than optimal soldering job of one of the connections to one of the electrolytic capacitors, so LCD seems to work OK now.

Unfortunately the thing is not stable; When I start from "cold", i.e. after a few hours, everything will be working fine for some minutes. I almost put it together, but eventually it did start to corrupt with flickering diodes as a first sign ending in a complete blackout of the LCD. Nothing odd to see in the serial monitor though, but communication is lost when I get the blackout.

I have checked all and reworked some of the solders and I have rechecked the components. Voltage is still good, i.e. 3.3 volt

Any ideas? Hope that I will not have to use an old phone and a dashboard from emoncms.org in stead ;-)

Robert Wall's picture

Re: GLCD - missing guide videos

How long have you had your GLCD, i.e. which version is the PCB? Because on V1.3 & 1.4 there's a mistake on the PCB - I presume you saw the note in the guide and checked?

Are you still running the tester sketch?

That it is OK from cold and then dies points to either another electrolytic capacitor problem, or to an overheating problem.

Flickering LEDs. Those are driven by an I/O pin of the processor so those flickering possibly points to another soldering problem - have all the IC pins gone into their respective sockets?

Have you got a whisker of solder shorting somewhere? Look carefully on as much as possible of both sides of the board.

Is anything getting warm?

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