By whygee on Friday 13 November 2009, 21:54 - Project
Tags : [HD44780] [JavaScript] [protocol] [RFC] [simulator] [Special Register]

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I have been very busy since august, unfortunately not with YASEP but I keep an eye on this project. Even though I can't dedicate days and weeks to this, I try to gather things here and there when they appear, like electronic parts, ideas, and ways to implement them.

For example I've been thinking about how to display informations with a simple FPGA kit.  I already have a nice collection of alphanumeric LCD modules that is expanding, so they are a good and cheap output peripheral.

From there, at least three things follow :

1. The modules I own have different resolutions : from 1x8char to 4x20 but there is no electronic means to distinguish them from the others. So I recently imagined a method, discussed a bit about it on USENET and decided that it was worth implementing it. I am writing a RFC about this now.
2. I'm going to add a set of Special Registers that support the parallel interface to a LCD module in nibble mode. This is going to provide automatic strobes, and ease application software development. This unit will also support readback of LCD resolution, supporting the protocol defined in 1. Contrast voltage is controlled by a simple PWM/PD circuit instead of a trimpot.
3. While looking around for more informations about the HD44780-compatible modules, wikipedia sent me to a JavaScript HD44780 simulator designed years ago by Dincer Aydin. He has done even crazier things like a graphic LCD simulator or a PIC assembler inJavaScript ! I asked if I could reuse the alphanumeric code and Dincer kindly accepted :-D I have not looked at the source code but I presume that it's going to need a lot of work (particularly for updating the display engine, because updates are "optimised out" in Firefox). Anyway the YASEP simulator is not even mature enough so there is no hurry... 

Everything seems to be in place for a future use of alphanumeric LCD modules. I have more than 20pc available, I have already used some of them on a past PIC project, and the JavaScript framework will support them. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but it's far easier than I thought !

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20200408:

The LCD RFC was translated in French and published as an article

"Détection de la résolution des modules LCD alphanumériques" in OS#4 (2011.10)