Need technical help in changing LCD in farming equipment controller - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: markusb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 16, 2024, 10:52:36 am
content: HiBought a replacement LCD for our seeder. Same part number as the original, TM0141ADCW.The one I bought is from Ali, so support is not super easy. Ive already tried for atleast 5h chatting with them and sending dozens of pictures but still not solved.Problem is Pin numbers are backwards and also the pin functions seems a bit of.The new LCD also has pin lables thats not there on the mainboard of the seeder, and vice versa.Original have pins marked INH, VLC, SL1, SL2, A0 and so on that the new LCD is missing.The new LCD on the other hand has markings thats not on my board, for example RD, CD, FS, VEE.Can you guys help me sort this out? How do I wire this LCD to make it work?I can not find any datasheet for either of the LCDs, only the respective controller ICs on the boards.New LCD controller IC is - Toshiba T6963CFGOld LCD controller IC is - RAiO RA8835Above is the new LCD, below is the originalPin markings on main board of seeder controllerNew LCD and seeder main board.Also note the LCD is supposed to be turned 180 degrees and that makes LCD pin1 fit mainboard pin22, so its not a direct replacement despite the name being the same. Dont mind the red lines. It was just to show chinese support pin to pin is not possible. They still dont believe me....Am I on the right track here??The rest I can not figure out on my own Im afraid.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2024, 11:44:48 am
content: Not much help here.But VEE and VO appear to control the brightness of the display via a pot (R10 on the board if you follow the traces).Some guesses:FS == Font SelectCE == Chip EnableCD == Command/DataHere's a pinout I found for driving the LCD with an Arduino.Keep in mind you may not need to connect all the pins.Also, you the new LCD might not even be compatible.A quick Google search found some docs for the chips (not the boards) which might be helpful.-RAiO RA8835-Toshiba T6963CFG

author: markusb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 16, 2024, 12:36:01 pm
content: Thank You MarkF, this gives me atleast something to work from.Im also afraid it might not be compatible after all. Might be that no matter how much I try it may never show anything on the new display because of timing in software or whatever.Ill study what you provided and se how far Im able to make it.Thank again!

author: Swake
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2024, 10:52:47 am
content: You might want to try contacting Tianma for a replacement of the LCD or more information about the original screenhttps://www.tianma.eu/or in Chinawww.tianma.cnMouser seems to be distributing their products.Searching the web I found someone else with a similar issue saying the TM0141ADCW LCD module itself was a BG128128B from BoLymin. Specsheet attached, it references a 'T6963 controller'.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2024, 01:31:21 pm
content: @markusb you shoud try to post images here on eevblog, your images link(s) may expire in the future and the forum will loose them in this thread ...

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2024, 02:43:34 pm
content: The boards appear to be different. The original is a Samsung controller and the replacement has a Toshiba. I tried to read the Toshiba number and it looked like T6953CFG, which apparently doesn't exist. A T6963C does. Here's its datasheet:https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/LCD/Monochrome/Datasheet-T6963C.pdfThat has 2 chip select pins (labeled CD and CE), that control which half of the screen is being written to. Your board has two labeled RD and RE, which I assume correspond to CD and CE, respectively. Aside from that, as you also noticed, there are other discrepancies.My advice is along the same lines as others have said. The Ali board might be made to work,* but the best solution is probably to get the original equipment if it is available.Regards, John* I just received a different LCD from AliExpress that uses a different controller than yours. It is advertised as doing parallel plus serial SPI (4-wire) and I2C interfaces. Guess what? The board as shipped does not do serial. I had to modify it by removing several components and adding 10 small (size 603) resistors. I wouldn't be surprised if that situation is what you will face to make the Ali board work. At a minimum, it is not plug compatible. I am waiting for the additional components to arrive before I can find out whether my LCD works at all.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2024, 02:49:10 pm
content: its the "RES" line on the pcb who bothers me a bit, all pinout seems standard to a point, the t6963 supports itunder the blob could be epson, t6963, ks0066 or othersfor sure you need the right controller, and mostly the 2 chip select as mentioned, the display is driven into 2 sections

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2024, 02:55:35 pm
content: I didn't check that closely. RES is usually a power on reset rather than going through a Hitachi type of reset. I like ST drivers as they also have an RES pin. ST also have only one chip select even for a 192 bit wide screen.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2024, 12:35:15 am
content: Are you sure the old one has an RA8835? I see what looks like Samsung ICs on it. (S6B20??)The new one looks like someone just printed "TM0141ADCW" on a label and stuck that on it to scam you --- if you carefully peel that label off, it might have the actual part number underneath. I do see it has the TC6963CFG.According to the datasheets, a T6963CFG has an entirely different instruction set than RA8835, so you're unlikely to get that to work regardless of pinout.https://threefivedisplays.com/wp-content/uploads/datasheets/lcd_driver_datasheets/RA8835_REV_3_0_DS.pdfhttps://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf/215091/TOSHIBA/T6963CFG.html

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2024, 01:08:58 am
content: picture of the lcd attached ....place like this sells it, but i do see a toshiba driver on it?https://www.alcdshopping.com/products/new-compatible-for-lcd-display-module-tm0141adcwat winstar only theses 2 came out, and they have the toshiba equivalent driver on them RA6963https://www.winstar.com.tw/products/graphic-lcd-display-module.html?display_format=128%C3%97128&customfield_3=&customfield_4=&customfield_5=&customfield_6=&customfield_17=&customfield_7=&customfield_8=&customfield_19=&customfield_46=&sort=sand on Ebay we do see one with the RAIO ic ??https://www.ebay.com/itm/256361714807?

author: markusb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 18, 2024, 07:41:22 am
content: Here are the two boards side by side.RIGHT is old board with RAiO and LEFT is new with ToshibaThis is the place I bought it from, WINNI store on Ali.https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005227821657.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.65.28a31802qsfiC5Quote from: coromonadalix on March 17, 2024, 01:31:21 pmI just tried but no picture showed up. I uploaded, used the button "Insert image" but nothing.When I upload to imgBB I set it to never delete. Hope its ok.

author: markusb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 18, 2024, 07:47:09 am
content: Quote from: amyk on March 18, 2024, 12:35:15 amThe Samsung you see is just a segment driver. In the post above this I uploaded a pic of both boards so you clearly can se them side by side.Well if RAiO use another instruction set than Toshiba Im out of luck.I peeled of the label but nothing was hidden underneath.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2024, 10:23:41 am
content: Quote from: markusb on March 18, 2024, 07:41:22 amSmall correction. Left and right are reversed. Left is new board with Toshiba and cob's. That is obvious and doesn't cause more than a second of confusion.The problem of posting images inline is inherent in this forum. That insert in line button does not work. Just put image tags where you want the image to be.Code: Upload the image as you did. Then post, go to modify, copy the url for the uploaded image, paste that between the tags, and save. It's a pain, but it has been that way for a very long time.I prefer images on this site as off site postings can be difficult to access. Moreover the site you used gave a popup with unrelated, apparently sexually related material about being a champion in the bedroom.I did not check the instructions as the other member did. That's almost certainly a killer. J

author: markusb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 18, 2024, 10:50:45 am
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on March 18, 2024, 10:23:41 amThanks for noticing my error. Fixed it in previous post.Quote from: jpanhalt on March 18, 2024, 10:23:41 amI understand. I use uBlock and other adblocker so I never see suspicious ads. Ill try posting to the forum as you suggested next time.

author: djrm
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2024, 01:02:17 pm
content: I have use the T6369 controllers a few times.CD (command/Data) is sometimes referred to as A0 (address 0)CE (chip enable) is probably synonymous with CS (chip select)The reset line is active low, it needs to be high for the controller to run, it should be toggled by software but could just be a static line at Vcc.FG probably means Frame ground, i.e. the chassis / metalwork of the displayFS (font select) selects one of two inbuilt fonts, usually grounded.The data sheet for the RA8855 looks as if it is a clone of the T6369I'd say that if you get the connections sorted then there is a good chance it will work for you.hth David.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2024, 03:36:48 am
content: As the pictures above show, we're talking about a T6963CFG and an RA8835.Sorry, but I'd say the OP has been scammed. The two controllers have completely different instruction sets and the alleged "TM014A1ADCW" is actually not made by Tianma(天马) but 深圳市信盛液晶有限公司.RA8835 appears to have a similar instruction set to Epson SED1335, S1D13305, S1D1370x, etc. Thus finding a display of the same dimensions with one of those controllers may be better.(What's wrong with the original one? Couldn't fix it?)

author: markusb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 19, 2024, 06:34:52 pm
content: For the moment Ive given up on this. Boss wanted me to put it back together with the original LCD so he can use the seeder soon.The chinese told me they will refund the money so Im waiting on that.Quote from: amyk on March 19, 2024, 03:36:48 amDead pixel columns but still pretty usable for those who know how its supposed to look.Quote from: djrm on March 18, 2024, 01:02:17 pmThanks for the info!Some people say the protocol is different, some say it might work. At the moment I put it back the way it was. Maybe I take a look at it again after the seeding season.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2024, 07:17:41 pm
content: That's good news about the refund AliExpress seems to keep its sellers somewhat honest.I was worried when your planting season began. Ours is not quite, but it will be soon (Northern Ohio, about 41.2°N). I am surrounded by corn, soybeans, and pigs. My closest neighbor has about 600 acres in soybeans just for his pigs (plus plenty of field corn).That exact replacement shown earlier was reasonably priced, come the right time.John

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2024, 12:14:37 am
content: Quote from: markusb on March 19, 2024, 06:34:52 pmLikely to just be a bad connection; opening it up and cleaning the zebra strips may fix it. Column drivers rarely fail on LCDs of this type.

author: markusb
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 20, 2024, 09:38:08 am
content: Quote from: amyk on March 20, 2024, 12:14:37 amI did, two times but made no difference. Might still be a problem with the zebra strips or the drivers.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2024, 09:50:36 am
content: Some people have had good luck disassembling, cleaning, and rebuilding LCD zebra strips. My experience has not been as good. I suspect practice helps, but now does not seem like a good time to try it.