Struggling to get 16x2 I2C display to work

Hi Skelmins,

The I2C_lcd.py script/module is specifically aimed at the HD44780 chips.

If I read the docs of your display correctly, it has a AiP31068L chip combined with PCA9633 chips for controlling the colours.
The first one is the most important one (not able to configure colours is a cosmetic shortcoming).
And it seems not to be compatible (the 03e address already raises eyebrows as it is not mentioned in the configuration.txt as a possibility, but OK one never knows).

So - if I'm right -  the bad news is a choice between:

1. create module to support this display..
   
2. get a supported display..
   
3. use the webgui..
   

The first option is doable, since the demo in your links includes a python driver script. This can be extended & merged in samplerbox with some creative tweaking.
If you're not familiar with this level of programming it will be hard to do - or an interesting experience to put it positively.
I may be able to give you a kickstart (given that your samplerbox is functioning OK except for the display and you can connect it to your home network = you can access it from your PC/laptop).

Please share your thoughts..

Regards, Hans

Hey Hans,

Thanks for the reply, that makes a lot more sense now. I confused myself with the I2C interface thinking it made it a universal sort of thing and missed the different controller chips in the documentation.

Based on what you've said, I imagine the easiest thing to do would be to grab a supported display and save myself the interesting experince (  ) and see if I can return or sell on the current display. It's very good of you to offer to help set me on my way to coding a new module though and I appreciate that, thank you!

Looking on ebay I've found a module that seems to have the right addresses and chip number now I know better what I'm looking for - it's an HD44780 compatible display with an I2C backpack. Specs below. A quick glance over to confirm would be amazing to save myself more head scratching.

Specifications
Display: 16 columns × 2 rows (HD44780 compatible)
I²C Backpack: PCF8574 (typical addresses: 0x27 or 0x3F)
Operating voltage: 5V (SDA/SCL often tolerant to 3.3V)
Backlight: Blue LED (on/backlight control via backpack)
Dimensions: ~80 × 36 mm (module dependent)

Cheers,

Skelmins