>its slightly darker , but the characters are supposed to be white on mine.

Okay, that doesn't sound too good. I think before we go any further, you 
really need to put the resistor/pot in. The worst that can happen is you 
eliminate a potential problem here, as it is the recommended approach (i.e 
it's not going to add to the problems) I tend to just try thing and worry 
about why they work/don't work afterwards :-)

What is the exact model number?

With stuff like this that can be different for different models, it's always 
good to have the datasheet handy for your paticular model. It will probably 
have some data on the conterast range and maybe an example of setup and 
initialisation also. 


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