Questions & thoughts  from a Beginner  while dissecting electronics  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Seaofdep
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 01:45:49 am
content: I'm still reading up and taking things apart ,how things work phase and I have so many thoughts ideas questions...I.E.... while looking inside this epson stylus rx595, i noticed the display has the same connection as my Sony block camera. If i could fimd the display pinout Is there any possibility of using the display for the camera (maybe making a breakout board sort of thing)?And if not what is worth salvaging in the printer, what should I look for and salvage from any part (components , ICs , capacitors resistors etc.....). I have seen eevblog videos on the subject and seems more for advanced with decent stockpile . As a beginner I want to solder desolderd rework as much as i can.

author: Seaofdep
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 01:47:06 am
content: Added pics

author: djnz
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 06:59:00 am
content: I like the motors used in printers and old floppy drives.

author: Seaofdep
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 07:03:36 am
content: I also enjoy them well apl motors ,, not sure what ill use flopyfloppy drives for....I figure desoldering circuit boards is good practice for me and might as well use some of the components . Which ones are the questions

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 08:10:21 am
content: Quote from: Seaofdep on July 30, 2017, 01:45:49 amThat's unlikely to work, I'm afraid. Even if the connectors were exactly the same, that does not mean that they carry the same signals and are functionally compatible.With today's complex components or modules, your first step if you want to use something salvaged from a commercial device is to find a data sheet for that component. This data sheet describes the component's I/O signals and behavior. More often than not, this will include digital data transfer over one or multiple serial lines, and quite possibly a set of commands which control the component's behavior. Sometimes you find such a data sheet -- based on a part number on the component, or based on somebody else's project published on the internet. Sometimes you don't, which often puts a stop to your project idea.If you have a well-documened salvaged component, the most realistic approach is to use it in a device which you design yourself (i.e. where you have full control of the behavior of the "host"). If you design a microcontroller or FPGA-based device, you can make it talk to the component in exactly the way that the component expects. In contrast, if your "host" is an existing commercial product, e.g. your camera, it is very unlikely that you can make it "play nice" with the added component -- unless you do an awful lot of reverse engineering, and can modify the product's firmware.If you want to try a "component re-use" project as a beginner, I would suggest that you start with a complete project that is documented on the internet. That will give you a significant headstart in a non-trivial project, and will give you a feel for how this is approached. Re-using LC displays salvaged from various commercial products is quite a common theme. While I could not find any published project using the Stylus RX595 display, maybe the same is used in other Epson printers. If you can find any part numbers on the display, I would recommend Googling for those.Have fun with your further exploration of electronics!

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 08:12:54 am
content: As mentioned above: just because the connectors are the same, it doesn't mean it will work.Are the displays marked with part numbers? Have you Googled them? If they're the same, it's quite likely they'll work, assuming they have the same firmware.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 02:54:29 pm
content: Quote from: ebastler on July 30, 2017, 08:10:21 amEven if you don't have a datasheet, some RE with a logic analyser or scope will often reveal how to use the component.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/reverse-engineering-lcd-from-ipod-nano-v6/

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2017, 02:58:38 pm
content: Quote from: amyk on July 30, 2017, 02:54:29 pmTrue in principle -- but this is the Beginner's forum, right?Even with a datasheet, integrating a complex salavaged component from scratch (i.e. without the benefit of a pre-made suitable library or such) is challenging for a beginner. I would not venture into reverse engineering for a while, and would not assume that a logic analyser is at hand.

author: Seaofdep
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2017, 08:46:20 pm
content: Thank you for your advice , researching at times can be a bit confusing and don't always get the exact answers on what your looking for . I appreciate your feedbackSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk