LCD displays - Character display query - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jjoko
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 02:44:26 am
content: hello ForumAsking all learn-ed forum members please! ( I know zlich about LCD displays - I know how to swap components such as an LCD Panel -My question is - I have an Air conditioning Controller that has Broken LCD panel.Unfortunately there are no longer any spare Controllers out there - except one! - so Im looking to see if I could replace the LCD Panel from another spare Controller - the catch - the other Controller is the exact same Model but it displays Japanese characters (controller was used overseas in Japan).....can I use the Japanese character displaying LCD panel and swap it to my English Character displaying Controller- would it be able to display English Characters?!?

author: Kim Christensen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 02:55:39 am
content: If it's just a dot matrix display then most likely yes.Do you have a picture of the one functioning and displaying Japanese characters?

author: jjoko
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 02:59:40 am
content: Only can find a character LCD test pattern for the english display version - as attached

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 03:05:01 am
content: There is no way it will display English characters, but the display is likely to work and at least will restore functionality. You will just have to learn some Japanese.The text is just a single "segment" from the display point of view, it does not know or care what characters it displays, so there is no way to change that.

author: Kim Christensen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 03:16:43 am
content: Quote from: jjoko on October 17, 2023, 02:59:40 amYea, that's not a dot matrix, so your replacement LCD would display using Japanese characters.

author: jjoko
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 03:24:25 am
content: EDIT - I think this is a picture from a different unit -

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 03:25:51 am
content: The picture is broken. But back side would not change things.Edit: it is fixed now.If the number of pins on the displays match, then it is likely to work as a replacement. Just be careful soldering them, they are quite fragile.

author: jjoko
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 04:02:23 am
content: Well Well Well !I just took a look at my existing Controller with the broken LCD Display - Interesting - no soldering

author: jjoko
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 04:03:16 am
content: circuit board

author: jjoko
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 04:03:53 am
content: Close up of LCD

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 04:07:42 am
content: This is what I would have expected to see in a first place. Those displays are not compatible with each other at all, so replacement will not work.The later one is obviously cost optimized version. Zebra strips are quite cheaper and easier to work with and a genuine controller got replaced with some random no-name one.

author: jjoko
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 04:13:09 am
content: Hello AtaradovNow I dont think the previous backside picture of a circuit board was from the same model - I found that online as an example and I think it was labeled incorrectly - its totally different.Got to ask once more then ......So IF the Japanese (same model) physically is the same as mine in the last photos - apart from being easier to swap the LCD - would it still present Japanese ?Quote from: ataradov on October 17, 2023, 04:07:42 am

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 04:14:36 am
content: Yes, no matter what you do this display is not going to display anything other than it was designed to display. That text is technically just graphics, it is fixed. There are no pixels, the whole text can be on or off, all at the same time.But swapping displays with a zebra strip is trivial, so at least there is that.

author: jjoko
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2023, 04:22:34 am
content: Quote from: ataradov on October 17, 2023, 04:14:36 amThankyou and to Kim for the explanations! - It is Time to learn some Japanese!