Help identify lcd display on Smoothwall SWG700 [Edit: Portwell EZIO]

stephenw10

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

fmertz

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:

Extract hd44780.so from the attached archive and copy it on the appliance
Check LCDd.conf and make sure it looks like what follows
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) = 2ae5133869bd5593dd45871340fa5b08

Fair 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

hd44780.zip

stephenw10

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 layout

Is 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

fmertz

Yep, 32bit FreeBSD 10.2.

Ok, let me look around for FreeBSD 11 64bit…

fmertz

OK, I attached a 64bit FreeBSD 10 driver. Let me know.

hd44780.zip

stephenw10

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

fmertz

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/cuau1

The 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:

Escape is x4E
Up is x4D
Enter is x4B
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

stephenw10

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?

stephenw10

Hmm set the port speed manually and initialised the display…. still nothing coming back

Sending

printf "\376\010" > /dev/cuau1

Does correctly clear the display so commands are reaching the module as expected.

fmertz

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.

stephenw10

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

fmertz

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…

stephenw10

Nothing from that either. I'll have to pull it out when I have time and check it.

Steve

fmertz

I started a separate thread here. Hopefully we can get a tester or two.

https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=129820.0

serlogo

hi fmertz,
is it possible to take 2.1.5 x64 and x32 eizo 300 driver.

please save me…

stephenw10

Upgrade! ;)

Really is there any reason you're still running 2.1.5?

You could compile the driver against FreeBSD 8.3 with some effort I expect.

Steve

Wuebit

Thanks works Perfect! ;)

x2rl

@stephenw10 Can you reupload than hex file please think the forum movement killed it. Thanks

stephenw10

Sure here you go.

But you can use fmertz's driver directly now via lcdproc if you want.
See: https://forum.netgate.com/topic/115071/ezio-driver-for-lcdproc

Steve

pfsense.hex.txt