MobiFlight Community Support

Welcome to the forum for MobiFlight! Feel free to reach out to the community in case you have questions, issues or just want to share great ideas or details about your latest home cockpit project.

You like MobiFlight? Donate via PayPal and support the MobiFlight development. Thanks!

05/03/2024 - This forum is read-only

The community support for MobiFlight has moved exclusively over to our Discord server. Register for free and enjoy more interactive functions like image and video upload, voice chat. More than 7,000 registered users around the world make it a great experience!

See you on our MobiFlight Community Discord server.

A HUGE Thank You to everyone who participated in the forum, especially obviously to Pizman and Stephan who did an outstanding job over so many years providing an incredible service to the MobiFlight community.

The forum is still providing a lot of good content, hence we keep this information accessible.

Message #25365

einclick

From: Stuttgart, Germany

Posts: 9

Supporter

Is there any possiblity to control an LCD Display (20x4) via mobiflight? The idea is to turn it on/off dependent on the avionics switch.

I tried to do it by connecting the Vin of the LCD I2C on a pin on the arduino and connectiong this to the boolean result of the master switch. This results that mobiflight is continuosly trying to flash the firmware without success

The API of the LCD library offers the methods to control the display but as far as i understand mobiflight there is no possibility to acess these.

Any ideas on how to solve this or would that be a new feature request?

2022-02-26 10:59

Message #25366

Whiteknuckle157

From: Bayern - Bibertal, Germany

Posts: 50

here is how I solved this:

two parts: 1. LCD message/content, 2. LCD back lighting.

1. A separate config reference with an empty (" ") LCD and a precondition (Avionics OFF or the like).
2. a Mobiflight controlled relais that controls the LCD-lighting circuit (i.e. the two pins on the controller board opposite to the I2C connector) also with a precondition.

cheers

Volker

2022-02-26 15:21

Message #25367

einclick

From: Stuttgart, Germany

Posts: 9

Supporter

To control the LCD-lighting circuit is a really good idea

Thanks for your fast support!

2022-02-26 19:19

Message #25368

Whiteknuckle157

From: Bayern - Bibertal, Germany

Posts: 50

Hi,

I use the lighting circuit also to set the brightness of the LCD since they are much too bright when just bridged.

2022-02-26 19:53

Message #25369

pizman82

Moderator

From: ETSI, Germany

Posts: 6010

Supporter

Maybe i´m wrong.... But i think a user report some weeks ago a much more comfortable solution....

The LCD got a Pin for the Backlight, and a Pin for the "Dimm".

So.... We can handle all 3 Things with MF....

Situation 1.... You like to remmain Backlight and Bright of Text but you like a Empty Display.....
Send "Spaces" instead of Text and Values.... Done by a Duplicated Config for the LCD Output....
One with Data.... The Other simply with spaces...... Controlled via Precondition.

Situation 2 .... You like a fully dark Display.....
I think the user said we simply controll the "Backlight Pin" not via the Controller.... We wire it to a simple LED Output in MF.
If Pin is high there are 5V to the Backlight.... If Pin is Low there is not . ( And for sure the whole System is still powered and sync... We just Disable the Power for Backlight.

Situation 3.... You like to dimm the Text.
Also here there is a Pin.... Lots of Controllers have a Poti on it we can change dimm by a screewdriver.
Simply solder there a Line to a LED Output Pin ( With PWM option).
Then A Mobiflight LED Output ( PWM) should be able to dimm the Text !

******
No garantee.... But in case the LCD work on 5V ..... We should be able to do this without problems !

Good Luck !

2022-02-27 15:27