SparkFun Electronics - Color LCD 128x128 Nokia Knock-Off

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Product Info

Color LCD 128x128 Nokia Knock-Off

sku: LCD-00569

Description: Finally! Color LCDs you can afford and play with! Yet another product based on an SFE customer request, this 128x128 mini color LCD is a perfect match for your next portable application.

What we've found over in China is a 'copy' of the Nokia LCD found in models 6100, 6610, 7210, 7250, and 5100? We don't know what phones it fits, and we don't really care. This inexpensive LCD comes with a powerful white LED backlight and a relatively simple serial interface. It's a 9-bit interface, so beware. But we were able to get the LCD up and running on a LPC2138 with a few hours worth of work.

Please note: This LCD is meant to replace a broken screen in a cell phone. The connector (both on the LCD and on the PCB) was not designed for multiple attachment/detachment. Please secure your LCD is place with double stick tape to prevent stress on these connectors. This LCD is small! Please see the comparative photos. With that said, it is still superbly readable at arms length (cell phone technology).

We've got the LCD and example C code for $20. You really can't say no! We even sell the loose connector for $2 in case you are worried about soldering the tight 0.5mm pitch.

Frame Dimensions: 1.35x1.58"
Active Display Dimensions: 1.2"x1.2"

Features:

LCD Logic - 3.3V @ 2-3mA
LED Backlight - 7V @ 40-50mA (very bright)
Full 4,096 Color Display
Uses the Epson S1D15G10 or Philips PCF8833 Controller (we cannot guarantee which one you will receive, please see Jim Lynch's tutorial below as to why)

Documents:

Latest LPC2148 example code from SFE, works with both controllers
Latest ATmega8 example code from SFE, works with Epson controller
Interface tutorial by Jim Lynch
Epson Controller Datasheet
SFE Eagle Library has this part!
The holy grail forum posting for this Nokia type LCD
Example Pixel Control of LCD
Example Parallax Stamp BS2 Code - Thanks Terry! Screenshot
Example ATMega32 Code - Thanks Jimbo!
Example SAM7-P64 ARM Code - Thanks again Jimbo!
Example 3D Graphics project on a PIC
Example ATMega644/128/32/16 code - Care of Cathy
Example Gumstix Interface - Thanks Areth
Example PIC 16F87x code for CCS Compiler - Thanks Marcus
Example PIC 18F4550 USB - Thanks Francesco
Example 4096 Color Control - Beautiful! Thanks Loren Blaney
Example Linux Driver - Thanks Zsolt
Example Image Converter - Thanks Jamie Samayoa
Bitmap Converter - Thanks Sebastian

Pin Out (use the numbering visible on the display connector):

VCC-Digital (3.3V)
RESET
SDATA
SCK
CS
VCC-Display (3.3V)
N/C
GND
LED GND
LED V+ (6-7V)

Pricing

	402 in stock backorder allowed

$14.95	price
$13.45	10-99 (10% off)
$11.96	100+ (20% off)

	quantity

click on image to enlarge

Comments

34 comments

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	by Member #7228 +1.6 \| June 13, 2006 at 5:26 PM +0.25
Nice little color LCD. 256 color mode is a piece of cake. 4096 color mode you must set two adjacent pixels at a time. Contrast setting is touchy. If you don't get anything on the display try a different contrast setting. Terry Hitt Hitt Consulting

	by grasshopper +1.7 \| September 3, 2008 at 12:38 AM 0
The picture showing the pin location is in correct. I made a circuit board based on the location of pin 1 and it is inverted. Please make the correct change.

	by mikeselectricstuff +13 \| September 26, 2008 at 7:54 AM +0.25
The latest batch (green PCB on back of connector, white resin around chip) of these appear to have a different controller - displays garbage on software that worked OK with last 2 versions - anyone know what's changed ?

	by ryowens84 \| September 30, 2008 at 9:58 AM
We've noticed this as well and are working on a solution. Right now when running the EPSON controller firmware we seem to get some limited success if that helps you at all. We'll let you know when get a new controller interface running.

ian @ hackaday.com

+1.3

| February 23, 2009 at 6:46 AM

+0.32

The new batch (red tab, green connector PCB, white potting, winter 2008/9) has some non-minor differences with the previous EPSON LCDs. It works with the current SFE code. I noted these differences:

*The newer LCD doesn't support the DATCTL color mode (byte 3) 0x01 (8bit) or 0x04 (12bit/pixel, 2bytes per pixel). It does support the 12bits/2pixels/3byte mode (0x02).

*The newer LCD does not seem to respond to the column/page settings (flip and rotate) in DACTL byte 1, bits 0-2.

*The newer LCD needs a higher/greater contrast value to eliminate the off-blue hue. 35 on the old screen is 40-45 on the new one.

*The newer LCD seems to generally be lower-quality than the previous ones I've ordered from SFE. I get horizontal banding in the image that may be due to a missed setting, but it's good enough to live with.

*I couldn't find a 'common ground' configuration that works with both models. I had to compile custom firmware for each version.

dstahlke

+4.8

| April 12, 2009 at 4:13 PM

Here is what I have observed regarding the new Epson display (Red tab on protective cover, green connector, white potting, ordered March 2009):

* The DATCTL byte 1 options are not ignored, they are just a bit more mysterious. I had to use mode zero in order to get proper operation.
* DATCTL byte 1 bit 0 is a complete mystery to me, things don't work right when it is set but I can't figure out the pattern
* DATCTL byte 1 bit 1 causes the cursor to start at the leftmost column of the window, then iterate to the rightmost column, then iterate in the leftwards direction. This does not seem useful to me.
* DATCTL byte 1 bit 2 causes the cursor to iterate along a column instead of along a row, which is consistent with the datasheet
* There may be some strangeness if odd numbers are used for window bounds
* It is possible to set a single pixel in 12-bit mode. It seems that two pixels need to be sent (24 bits) and the first is ignored. If you try to just write 16 bits it will work, but every third column of the display will have one color component wrong.
* Hopefully I should have a good library written up in a few days, if you are impatient send me a message and I'll post the code.

	by JaimeSamayoa +2.8 \| December 23, 2008 at 0:43 AM +0.25
Hey cool my Image Converting software is linked here on this site! I hope everyone is having fun using it and making some really cool interfaces, animations, and games. I look forward to hearing about all the things this helps creates. So far this is my favorite LCD screen. Thanks SparkFun for providing us with some great stuff to work with! Jaime Samayoa http://www.Random-I.com/NokiaLCD

	by RonnieM. +1.2 \| August 26, 2009 at 1:06 PM 0
can you tell me what to do with the code that your program gives and ,if needed, where to get a driver for it. am i supposed to program the chip based on that or save that as a file then compile the driver ???

	by foolsday +1.9 \| January 2, 2009 at 4:11 PM 0
Has there been any progress on identifying the LCD driver for this part? I didn't read the comments until after I purchased mine. Without a driver part number this isn't worth $20.

	by Randall +2.2 \| January 8, 2009 at 8:12 AM 0
I was thinking of getting one of these based on this cool tutorial: http://www.reifel.org/PICUserInterface/ But it seems the units SF currently has in stock have the Epson controller while that code was written for the Philips controller :(

	by nokiaLCD +1.4 \| January 18, 2009 at 7:46 AM 0
Now I'm planning to sell original development board with this LCD. Can I expect to buy no matter what amount of this LCD in the future? I'm afraid of out of sale.

	by ferch +1.3 \| February 25, 2009 at 5:06 AM 0
My last displays (not from sparkfun) have a epson-controller. It was much too bright, contrast control did not work. I discovered that it works if you connect 1 with 6 but not connect the two pins to any supply. Now contrast works, all colors fine! I measure 1-6 to GND 2.85V. Seems that LED V+ supply the whole display. PS: I have 100nF from 1-6 to GND.

	by bpeone +1.3 \| February 28, 2009 at 12:56 AM 0
Does anybody have example code for the latest displays with the red tab.

	by Gabe +2.6 \| March 8, 2009 at 4:21 PM 0
I'd also be down for some working libs for the latest version of the LCD SFE sells.

	by Gabe +2.6 \| March 9, 2009 at 11:42 AM 0
Ok, I get it, I'll do it myself :-D (1/2 way there, I'll post a link when complete).

Gabe

+2.6

| March 9, 2009 at 1:31 PM

GOD! WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING HERE! :-D

So it was actually quite easy with Ian's tip, and a good look at Jim Lynch's code.

So here it is, libs for an Atmega324p, but should be portable to pretty much anything with a PORTD (and even that can be fixed if you want to dig in).

The main difference is the use of 12-bit 3byte/2pixel output instead of pixel per pixel coloring (8bit 1byte/pixel mode).

Any questions, feel free to ask (e-mail in source).

zbaird

+2.5

| March 12, 2009 at 4:01 PM

I've had mine (2) for a while, so they're Epson. In 12 bit mode they always write two pixels, starting at the even address. This messes up the pixel count in Jim Lynch's excellent tutorial, so the rectangles don't fully fill. A four pixel line starting at an even address will take 2 writes, fitting perfectly, while a four pixel line starting at an odd address will take 3 writes, and stick an extra pixel both before and after the line. The total write count needs to consider this odd/even orientation.

Otherwise a nice little display, not too hard to get working, even when driven by an underpowered AVR Butterfly.

eddiem

+1.9

| March 23, 2009 at 6:16 AM

I had a problem with single pixel writes on my sam7ex256 board. I replaced the LCD with one from SF and it was the same. I did find sending 3 bytes of data instead of 2 seemed to fix it.
I seem to be sending GB 0R GB which doesn't make a lot of sense. It is possible the first byte is ignored - more testing needed. I'm not seeing any double pixels. I've tested most colours on different backgrounds and so far so good.
My code is in FORTH but the principle will be the same in C.

My page is here http://nerdipedia.com/tiki-index.php?page=Nokia+LCD
Eddie.M.

	by Jerome +1.7 \| April 24, 2009 at 12:24 AM 0
hi, any idea what type of controller has the LCD with blue tab on the screen protector ? bought in March.

	by dstahlke +4.8 \| April 26, 2009 at 3:49 PM 0
Driver for new Epson displays (bought in March 2009, red tab on cover, green PCB): http://www.stahlke.org/dan/nokialcd/ Supports scrolling, but no screen rotation. Tested on ATmega168 and dsPIC33FJ128GP. Might work with Philips too, untested.

bode

+1.9

| May 14, 2009 at 9:54 AM

I ordered two of these in late April, and they are the Epson-derived controller. I followed all the instructions but it wasn't until I found dstahlke's comments that things actually blitted correctly. I highly recommend his code for this generation.

Also, I'm using the breakout board, and like others I found the inductor gets hot enough to burn, especially with +5v coming in. Less hot at 3.3v, but still.

	by TheDirty +1.9 \| June 27, 2009 at 6:36 PM 0
The connectors on these are pretty fragile. Just trying to normally unplug the LCD ripped the connector right off of the FPC. Now its useless to me before I even got started. http://www.higginstribe.com/z8e/20090627-broke-6100-001.jpg

	by Arkon +1.7 \| August 7, 2009 at 10:52 AM 0
Above says to use the numbering visible on the display connector, but everything seems to suggest this is inverted from the way described everywhere else? (i.e. pin 1 on the silk of the flex_pcb is really LED V+) is this correct?

schult

+6.2

| August 9, 2009 at 5:45 PM

I just picked up one of these displays with on a breakout board. It has a controller that is semi-compatible with the Epson controller. Here's the scoop:

I'm able to draw to it just fine, and mirroring/rotation work.

There is no 8-bit color. Only Type A 4096 color mode exists -- DATCTL byte 3 seems to be completely ignored.

The 0,0 position of the display is offset by 2 along the y-axis (page address). Some mirror settings appear to alter the 0,0 offset.

The colors are washed out, even after adjusting the contrast. It may be that the backlight is too bright, but I can't test that theory without pulling the display off of the breakout board -- something I'm not eager to do.

	by zaiour +1.2 \| October 28, 2009 at 5:40 PM 0
i got one from that little LCD. its EPSON controller and i went on interfacing with it. till now no code or any firmware succeeded. plzzzz help! till now my lcd is black what i should do? i am interfacing with atmega8L.10x for help.

	by Hobbles +1.9 \| December 5, 2009 at 6:27 PM 0
I got the one with the green pcb so i have to solder to where the connector goes and tried three times its just to tight for me. It says you guys sell the connector, does it have a bigger pitch, where on the site is the connector.

	by Cosmin +1 \| December 28, 2009 at 6:10 AM 0
I wrote an Arduino library that should be easy to use. The code is hosted on github: http://github.com/lgeek/Arduino-Color-LCD

	by Hobbles +1.9 \| January 1, 2010 at 6:29 AM 0
Any way to use i2c or 2-wire with it, im just learning about i2c and that would be pretty neat if you could use it with this.

ahambone

+1.4

| January 17, 2010 at 12:04 AM

I am having the hardest time getting anything to run on my LCD from my Arduino MCU. It powers on up to a deep blue color which looks good but none of my commands have any effect. My unit, an SFE LCD + Break Out Board ordered Jan 2010, is a red PCB and the LCD arrived with a protective coating with a Red tab and a hologram sticker that says "GE" in capital letters. Jim Lynch's tutorial (which is excellent) mentions GE-8 and GE-12 stickers but my LCD didn't come with either. I've tried several permutations against my LCD with both variants of the Epson and Philips startup sequences with no luck. I've also loaded Cosmin Gorgovan's library with no luck. In the interest of time does anyone know what controller the "GE" sticker, Red TAB on protective coating + Red SFE breakout PCB uses? Thanks!

	by merge +1.5 \| January 28, 2010 at 2:33 AM 0
here are nice little low cost lcd. http://j.mp/bTwhtg

	by JoeWightman +1.1 \| January 30, 2010 at 7:22 AM 0
I've just had one of these delivered to the UK and I've had no luck at all getting it to work. I've tried a variety of external power supplies and cannot get a response from the display. So far I've not managed to get the backlight working either. Has anyone bought one of these recently and had trouble getting started with it?

	by zaiour +1.2 \| February 2, 2010 at 4:16 PM 0
dear i got one too and same problem.But after searching and waisting days i found that the pin numbering on lcd is wrong, pin 1 is 10 and pin 10 is 1.so inside of pin 10 this is pin 1 which is vcc pin 9 is pin 2 which is reset and so on. hope to be helpfull

eddiem

+1.9

| February 6, 2010 at 6:56 PM

If the colour of the ribbon+connector is a reliable indicator of controller type (green=epson,brown=philips) it should be possible to sort them easily at SF.
I'd suggest they be split into two different products.
I have one of each, I've coded for epson and would happily buy more to avoid having to code for both types.

Most of the examples are for epson type.

I'd expect that the controller could be identified in software if display readback is implemented (unlike the ex256). Most of the difference are in the reset code and given enough program space both could be catered for. I imagine nokia phones would support either controller or they would have a spare-parts nightmare.

eddiem

+1.9

| February 6, 2010 at 10:15 PM

eddiem: If the colour of the ribbon+connector is a reliable indicator of controller type (green=epson,brown=philips) it should be possible to sort them easily at SF.
I'd suggest they be split into two different products.
I have one of each, I've coded for epson and would happily buy more to avoid having to code for both types.

Most of the examples are for epson type.

I'd expect that the controller could be identified in software if display readback is implemented (unlike the ex256). Most of the difference are in the reset code and given enough program space both could be catered for. I imagine nokia phones would support either controller or they would have a spare-parts nightmare.

I should add. Speaking for myself - I'd pay a few bucks extra to be able choose the type.