need help with LCD hookup on Fermentrack build

[thworted]

I am most of the way through a Fermentrack-controlled fermentation chamber build, and want to add an LCD display. This is with RPi 4 and Arduino Uno, and I'm a complete noob with this stuff, as you will see by my description and questions below.

Fermentrack is installed (very slick btw!), with three temperature sensors hooked up. The sensors all seem to be working, and Fermentrack is controlling the heat and cool relays as expected.

I have a 20x4 I2C LCD and tried hooking it up with the SDA pin to the arduino A4 and SDL to A5, plus the 5V and ground connections. All I get is a backlight with no text. So, questions:

1- is the 4 pin LCD appropriate for this application?
2- if I am hooking this up wrong how should this be connected to the arduino board?
3 - should the LCD be recognized on Fermentrack, and if so is there anything I need to do to enable it? It lists A5 as an available pin, but not sure what to do with that in Fermentrack?
4 - is there anything I need to do on the software side, outside of Fermentrack?
5 - any other info needed about my setup in order to help?

Thanks for any guidance!

 

[Doed]

Have you looked in the Arduino Forum? https://forum.arduino.cc/

 

[thworted]

Have you looked in the Arduino Forum? https://forum.arduino.cc/

Thanks for the response, appreciate it. I haven't tried the Arduino forum at this point, figuring that I may have better luck with someone here who has done a similar build with Fermentrack. But, I may get to the other forums at some point if I can't figure it out.

 

[day_trippr]

Not need to go wandering about in the Arduino wilderness, just ask your question in a thread Fermentrack folks actually follow:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...-for-raspberry-pi.649303/page-27#post-8779244

Cheers!

 

[thworted]

Not need to go wandering about in the Arduino wilderness, just ask your question in a thread Fermentrack folks actually follow:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...-for-raspberry-pi.649303/page-27#post-8779244

Cheers!

My bad, I wasn't sure the best place to post at the time. I'll play around with the install some more today and post in the right place if I'm still stuck. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[CharlieP]

I am most of the way through a Fermentrack-controlled fermentation chamber build, and want to add an LCD display. This is with RPi 4 and Arduino Uno, and I'm a complete noob with this stuff, as you will see by my description and questions below.

Fermentrack is installed (very slick btw!), with three temperature sensors hooked up. The sensors all seem to be working, and Fermentrack is controlling the heat and cool relays as expected.

I have a 20x4 I2C LCD and tried hooking it up with the SDA pin to the arduino A4 and SDL to A5, plus the 5V and ground connections. All I get is a backlight with no text. So, questions:

1- is the 4 pin LCD appropriate for this application?
2- if I am hooking this up wrong how should this be connected to the arduino board?
3 - should the LCD be recognized on Fermentrack, and if so is there anything I need to do to enable it? It lists A5 as an available pin, but not sure what to do with that in Fermentrack?
4 - is there anything I need to do on the software side, outside of Fermentrack?
5 - any other info needed about my setup in order to help?

Thanks for any guidance!

Hi i have same problem did you ever solve it

 

[thworted]

Hi i have same problem did you ever solve it

Yes, with help from the good folks in the howto-make-a-brewpi-fermentation-controller-for-cheap thread. After making some wiring changes, I still couldn't get it to work, it ended up being a bad display module. Once I swapped that out it worked fine.

My wiring diagram is attached, if this is of any use to you. Good luck.

 

[CharlieP]

Yes, with help from the good folks in the howto-make-a-brewpi-fermentation-controller-for-cheap thread. After making some wiring changes, I still couldn't get it to work, it ended up being a bad display module. Once I swapped that out it worked fine.

My wiring diagram is attached, if this is of any use to you. Good luck.

Brilliant Thanks very much

 

[Bago-0]

For the 20x4 I2C LCD which arduino firmware version do you flash with fermentrack? I see in your diagram the LCD goes to A4 and A5 but currently I have A4 in use for the probes data line.

 

[thworted]

For the 20x4 I2C LCD which arduino firmware version do you flash with fermentrack? I see in your diagram the LCD goes to A4 and A5 but currently I have A4 in use for the probes data line.

I don't remember the firmware options offhand, but it was the latest I2C compatible version when I set it up last year. LBussy told me that you MUST use A0 to the onewire bus when using I2C. You run from the onewire bus to the probes as shown. A4 and A5 are used for the I2C.

I originally had it wired as you described, but once I made this change it worked fine for I2C (well, minus the bad LCD).

Here's the thread that helped me out.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...roller-for-cheap.466106/page-203#post-8791044

 

[Bago-0]

Thanks! The latest version for fermentrack flash is Rev C. I think. I didnt load the IC2 version which would explain why Im using A4. I guess I could reflash with the IC2. Anyone know of any benefit to the newer flash vs IC2?

 

[thworted]

Thanks! The latest version for fermentrack flash is Rev C. I think. I didnt load the IC2 version which would explain why Im using A4. I guess I could reflash with the IC2. Anyone know of any benefit to the newer flash vs IC2?

Hopefully I'm not misunderstanding your setup/question, but if you have an I2C (four wire) LCD, then I'm pretty sure you have to use the I2C firmware.

 

[Bago-0]

Yes I had to flash with the Ic2 firmware. The LCD backlight come son o but no text showing. Still working on it. The Arduino is powered by the USB from the Pi. Do I need a separate power supply to the Arduino to use an LCD?

 

[day_trippr]

Always a good idea to power the Arduino with its own 9vdc wall wart...

Cheers!

 

[loopybrewer]

I am most of the way through a Fermentrack-controlled fermentation chamber build, and want to add an LCD display. This is with RPi 4 and Arduino Uno, and I'm a complete noob with this stuff, as you will see by my description and questions below.

Fermentrack is installed (very slick btw!), with three temperature sensors hooked up. The sensors all seem to be working, and Fermentrack is controlling the heat and cool relays as expected.

I have a 20x4 I2C LCD and tried hooking it up with the SDA pin to the arduino A4 and SDL to A5, plus the 5V and ground connections. All I get is a backlight with no text. So, questions:

1- is the 4 pin LCD appropriate for this application?
2- if I am hooking this up wrong how should this be connected to the arduino board?
3 - should the LCD be recognized on Fermentrack, and if so is there anything I need to do to enable it? It lists A5 as an available pin, but not sure what to do with that in Fermentrack?
4 - is there anything I need to do on the software side, outside of Fermentrack?
5 - any other info needed about my setup in order to help?

Thanks for any guidance!

Hey There! Sounds cool!

This is going to sound silly, but check your contrast adjustment on the LCD. May times with these types of LCD displays it looked like nothing was on the screen but when contrast is adjusted...bam!...your stuff is there.

 

[day_trippr]

I would say new/out of the box displays almost always need the contrast adjustment to see more than two lines of blocks

Cheers!

 

[Bago-0]

Thanks got it working! It was a bad solder connection. Not I need to figure out a way to turn backlight on and off. It shuts off after a minute and I can't turn it back on. I read about a rotary controller but not sure if there is an easier way .

 

[day_trippr]

Yes, the classic application is to use the rotary encoder switch to bring the display out of its blanked state.
But, iirc, some BrewPi derivatives support a jumper you can wire in that will disable screen blanking.
Someone else will have to confirm if that's available in Fermentrack...

Cheers!

 

[LBussy]

Someone else will have to confirm if that's available in Fermentrack...

@Thorrak links to my repo now I believe, so that the latest firmware is available. I think. Pretty sure that's what he said.

 

[thworted]

Thanks got it working! It was a bad solder connection. Not I need to figure out a way to turn backlight on and off. It shuts off after a minute and I can't turn it back on. I read about a rotary controller but not sure if there is an easier way .

If you short pin 7 to ground it disables the display auto-dim, so will stay on.

 

[Bago-0]

Thanks ! I did get the rotary encoder and that works well