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Matrix Orbital 2041 LCD How-To Supplement
Company: Matrix
Orbital
Product: 2041 LCD
Street Price: ~$55 USD
Date Posted: April 28, 2001
Written By: Mark Hagan

So you have your LCD and you want to get it hooked up: we will
make the process simple for you. Follow this guide and you will be set.
WARNING! Do not connect the
LCD up until you have made the necessary power cable modifications, or it will
fry your device!
Setting Up The Hardware:
|
Needed Tools |
| LCD2041* - www.matrixorbital.com |
| Power supply with spare floppy connector |
| Safety pin or something similar |
| Computer with a free serial port |
| Electrical tape |
| Serial cable (DB9) |
|
*Any model will work |
Now that you have all of the tools needed for the install, lets
jump right in and get started. First thing is first: you need to configure the
jumpers on the LCD panel to work at the speed you wish to run. Default speed
(out of the box,) is 19200 baud. First step is finding the jumpers controlling
the speed. Here is an image helping you to find the jumpers:

The jumpers you will need to set are labeled jumpers, and if you
look next to them on the circuit board, you will see J0, J1, J2, and J3 printed
next to the jumpers. J0, J1, J2 are the only ones we will be looking at in this
how-to as they are the ones that control the speed. The J3 jumper sets the slave
peripheral address. Putting a jumper on both J1 and J2 will set the device for
its maximum 19200baud rate. Here is a chart to help you with setting your baud:
|
Baud Rate |
J2 |
J1 |
J0 |
| 1200 |
OFF |
OFF |
OFF |
| 2400 |
OFF |
ON |
OFF |
| 9600 |
ON |
OFF |
OFF |
| 19200 |
ON |
ON |
OFF |
You can use those settings to configure your LCD2041. If you are
using a different model, you will need to refer to the manual included with the
unit for information on setting your jumpers.
Now that your jumpers are set, its time to modify your floppy
power cable to fit the unit. This is not as difficult as it first sounds--in
fact, its pretty easy to do. First thing is first: get your power supply to an
open area where you can work on it with ease. Turn off & unplug your power supply.
Take the safety pin you gathered for the needed tools and push down on the metal
tabs of each pin of your floppy drive power cable (note: you might not want to
use your ONLY floppy drive power cable -- make sure your pc has an extra.) Once
the pins are down, gently pull the wire out (it should not take much to do.)
Once all of the wires are out, it is time to re-order them back in the power
connector. You will need to gently re-bend the pin you pushed down back to its
original position so that it will stay attached to the holder.
Next, use your electric tape and tape up the two extra cables
which you have hanging freely (one black and one red.) It does not matter which
black cable you use as they are both the same. IF YOU DO NOT TAPE UP THE TWO
HANGING CABLES, THEY COULD POSSIBLY DAMAGE YOUR SYSTEM!
Please make sure that the proper power configuration is used for
your display. If there is any question of which type of module you have, it may
be confirmed by looking for a fairly large black device mounted near the power
connector (4 pin SIP) on the board. If this device is about 1 cm2 with two metal
legs and a tab, and contains the printed letters "78MO5" on it, then
you have a wide voltage module.
Here is a guide to help you place your cables in the correct
order:

All Matrix
Orbital PC Bay insert kits come default with Wide Voltage and any unit you
purchase from www.linuxcentral.com
as well. The reason they have the Wide Voltage is it makes the backlight more
consistent in the PC and there is a smaller chance of a module being accidentally
blown up by the Power Supply.
Now, test your work. Plug your power supply back into your
computer and plug in your LCD to the power connector (labeled on the above
picture.) If you give your computer power and you see the backlight display turn
on, IT WORKED! If not, re-check your work and try again.
Matrix
Orbital also has extensive documentation on setting up each LCD model so you
might want to check there if you are still confused.
Programming:
Now that the hardware is out of the way, you need to work on the
software! Plug up your serial adapter and start coding. We have included some
programming examples for you to use and modify. All you have to do is compile
this code and run it and you're set!
Official EOC Code (visual basic 5+): Listed
In Downloads Page
Links to more code (c/c++,vb,perl,more!): All
At Matrix Orbital
Thank you for reading our LCD2041 text supplement! Make sure you
stop by www.matrixorbital.com
and see what else they have to offer.
If you have any additional questions about the how-to, please email Mark.
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