Hi.

Ivan Petrushev wrote:
> Hello,
> For over a week I have been trying to interface that pic mcu with that
> display - Ampire 204 (4 lines x 20 characters). It has KS0066U
> controller.
> All hardware wiring is correct (I have seen data signals flying over
> the lines with an oscilloscope).
> RB0-RB7 is data line, RC1 is RS, RC2 is RW and RC5 is E.

Normaly you do not have any need for the RW line.
Just tie it to GND and save a I/O pin...

> I'm doing the initialization routine according to the datasheet
> (sending command words, delays according to the time diagrams), but
> 'it doesn't work'.

Note that the delays in the datasheets are minimum delays.
Try to use much longer delays.

  What happens when I turn on my board:
> - lcd backlight is lightened brightly green (btw, is 180 mA current
> normal for that backlight?)

Yes, probably.

> - the backlight flickers for a moment (changes its lightness from 100%
> to 90%)

Thats weird...

  - note: when I power up the display with no source loaded, it
> does not flicker in that manner - is that a part of the initializing
> procedure?

The backlight has nothing at all to do with the main LCD controller.
The controller doesn't even know if there is an backlight or not !
The backlight has it's own connections which are logicaly separeted
from all connections to the controller (apart from the power supply,
maybe).

> - nothing is displayed - not even a black squares - should I see black
> squares/lines if the display is correctly initialized?

When the controller has gone throught it's power-on selftests,
and if the contrast is correctly adjusted, one can normaly
see some lines with inverted (grey) blocks and some blank
lines. That is, even without any PIC connected...

> What if I had
> not send "clear screen" command?
> First I thought that contrast is low - there is a 10K pot for contrast
> adjustment. I have tweaked that pot a bit, but nothing did appeared.

Is there any change to the display at all when turned
between 0V and 5V ?
> 
> I've read a lot about these displays and it seems that they run from
> the first try.

Link to datasheet ?
> 
> Should I see black squares at some time?

Yes, after the selftest and if the contrast is correctly
adjusted.

> Is there another debug tool
> to see what is happening inside the display?

No, not realy...

Jan-Erik.
> 
> Regards,
> Ivan
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