Help identify lcd display on Smoothwall SWG700 [Edit: Portwell EZIO]
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If you have lcdproc installed and configured already go to Status > Services and stop lcdproc. Now run the command again and the start lcdproc again.
You can't send data to the serial port while lcdproc has it open. The shellcmd package writes to it before lcdproc starts.
Steve
Awesome thanks the LCD now says pfSENCE Rules! is that all the steps to get it working thanks again man this helps loads
Its working!!! thanks so much looks so much better now.
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No problem. Hopefully you can help test any drivers later.
Steve
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UPDATE: Well, it looks like after going around in a proverbial circle with different options, the new plan is to supplement the existing HD44780 driver. There is already support for a bunch of connection types, including serial, and adding support for these EZIO devices seems pretty straightforward. I have a prototype running, without keypad support, and it seems to run fine. This HD44780 driver is already very modular, and already has the more sophisticated screen update logic built in. As these EZIO devices run at 2400 bps, it is not exactly like we have a lot of bandwidth to work with, so an optimized update logic is a plus. At the base, the EZIO commands match up with the HD44780 commands, so it is a pretty good fit.
If someone wanted to try the existing HD44780 driver, provided the device is initialized "manually" ahead of time, it would probably already work. Just make sure the device and speed parameters are updated in the LCDd.conf file.
The code I have right now has the new initialization logic built in, I can share it later. I am working on the keypad code, which is proving to be a bit of a challenge…
I spoke with the upstream LCDproc maintainer. There is a plan to produce an official release soon. So, if we manage to get this new code added in the upstream project, it would be possible for the FreeBSD and pfSense maintainers to pull this new release from a trusted source and possibly add this to pfSense as an updated package, all "officially", for everyone to simply make use of.
Let me know of any thoughts.
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Sounds like a fine plan. :D
From what I could see the EZIO unit is an HD44780 compatible display with a programmable board attached to it to provide an 'easier' way to talk to it. I did look at way to talk directly to the display instead but gave up. I guess it make sense the HD44780 driver would work with it.
Steve
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The LCDproc documentation has quite a bit of hardware-related details, including great ASCII schematics. While researching this EZIO device, I can across this implementation for a serial interface "in front" of an LCD controller (itself in front of the HD44780 LCD):
http://www.xs4all.nl/~mlf/los/
The EZIO device has to be a similar design. Firmware code for that micro-controller is also listed.
FWIW, I reached out to Portwell USA support, but they were unable to locate the firmware code. :P
In your observation, is the backlight hard wired to the power (always on) or is it attached to an output pin on the micro-controller? If it is, there is this off chance the backlight is programmable, if the firmware allows it. This is not documented, which suggests software cannot control it…
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I found not way to control it but it would not surprise me to find it's possible. It would be nice to have but not important, the backlight life if obviously not a factor here if the manufacturer has it fixed on.
I didn't study the connections between the LCD and the module that closely. Once I found there was no easy way bypass it I stopped looking.
Steve
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Ok, time for a test!
I attached a FreeBSD-compiled driver for an EZIO variant of the HD44780 driver. The code works on my Linux ARM NAS and my funky USB/Serial adapter. Hopefully, it works on the real appliance as well. If someone is up for a test, let me know.
So:
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Extract hd44780.so from the attached archive and copy it on the appliance
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Check LCDd.conf and make sure it looks like what follows
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Start LCDd and see what happens. The server alone shows basic stuff and allows for keypad interaction. Start with ESC and navigate
[server] Driver=hd44780 [hd44780] ConnectionType=ezio Device=/dev/... Keypad=yes Size=16x2 KeyMatrix_4_1=Enter KeyMatrix_4_2=Up KeyMatrix_4_3=Down KeyMatrix_4_4=Escape$ file server/drivers/hd44780.so server/drivers/hd44780.so: ELF 32-bit LSB shared object, Intel 80386, version 1 (FreeBSD), dynamically linked, not stripped $ md5 server/drivers/hd44780.so MD5 (server/drivers/hd44780.so) = 2ae5133869bd5593dd45871340fa5b08Fair Warning: the attached code is executable. This code is of unknown origin for most of you. It is a development version of a device driver, or so I say. Use at your own risk, only on a system you own, in a non-production environment.
The code is here: https://github.com/fmertz/hd44780-ezio/tree/hd44780-ezio
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Nice work. Unfortunately it fails to load for me:
Could not open driver module /usr/local/lib/lcdproc/hd44780.so: /usr/local/lib/lcdproc/hd44780.so: unsupported file layoutIs that compiled 64bit? What FreeBSD version? I was testing in pfSense 2.4 so FreeBSD 11.
Edit: Looks like it is 32bit, any chance of a 64bit version?
Steve
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Yep, 32bit FreeBSD 10.2.
Ok, let me look around for FreeBSD 11 64bit…
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OK, I attached a 64bit FreeBSD 10 driver. Let me know.
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It works! :D ….mostly.
The display looks correct.
The driver initialises the display correctly from power off.
The keypad doesn't work.
I should note I've never seen the keypad work on this hardware, the original OS was not bootable. It may be broken for all I know though it looks in good condition.
Not sure how to test that directly....
Steve
My LCDd.conf for reference:
[server] DriverPath=/usr/local/lib/lcdproc/ Driver=hd44780 Bind=127.0.0.1 Port=13666 ReportLevel=3 ReportToSyslog=yes User=nobody Foreground=no ServerScreen=no GoodBye="Thanks for using" GoodBye=" pfSense " WaitTime=5 [menu] MenuKey=Escape EnterKey=Enter UpKey=Up DownKey=Down [hd44780] driverpath=/usr/local/lib/lcdproc/ ConnectionType=ezio Device=/dev/cuau1 Keypad=yes Size=16x2 KeyMatrix_4_1=Enter KeyMatrix_4_2=Up KeyMatrix_4_3=Down KeyMatrix_4_4=Escape Speed=2400 -
You can test this keypad "manually".
Create a background process to read from the device.```
cat < /dev/cuau1 > nil.dat &Then, send xFEx06 to the device.``` printf "\376\006" > /dev/cuau1The keypad status comes back in hex: xFDx4n. No key pressed is x4F. F is binary 1111. Each key pressed makes a bit go to 0, so:
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Escape is x4E
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Up is x4D
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Enter is x4B
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Down is x47
So, press one of the keys, then send the command xFEx06. Press another key, then send the sequence. Once done with all keys, check nil.dat with```
od -x nil.dat -
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Hmm, nothing coming back at all. I would expect to get back 0x4f every time if the keypad was disconnected for example.
Port somehow open write only?
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Hmm set the port speed manually and initialised the display…. still nothing coming back
Sending
printf "\376\010" > /dev/cuau1Does correctly clear the display so commands are reaching the module as expected.
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The spec is here:
http://drivers.portwell.com/CA_Manual/EZIO/EZIO-FINAL.PDF
There is a picture of that ribbon cable for the keypad.
Could also be that the serial cable is somehow not connected right.
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I don't believe it's a problem with the ribbon cable as I expect to see 0x4f sent even if the keypad is disconnected. It could be the serial cable…. I don't think the display sends anything else we can check that with. Hmm...
A second tester could help here.
Steve
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There is another thing, too. There is a "watchdog timeout" for custom characters if you do not send all 8 bitmaps. See Note 3 in the spec.
Send xFEx40. See if xFDx0E comes back…
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Nothing from that either. I'll have to pull it out when I have time and check it.
Steve
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I started a separate thread here. Hopefully we can get a tester or two.
