LCD displays - Character display query

[jjoko]

hello Forum

Asking all learn-ed forum members please!  ( I know zlich about LCD displays - I know how to swap components such as an LCD Panel -

My question is - I have an Air conditioning Controller that has Broken LCD panel.
Unfortunately there are no longer any spare Controllers out there - except one! - so Im looking to see if I could replace the LCD Panel from another spare Controller - the catch - the other Controller is the exact same Model but it displays Japanese characters (controller was used overseas in Japan).....can I use the Japanese character displaying LCD panel and swap it to my English Character displaying Controller

 -  would it be able to display English Characters?!?

[Kim Christensen]

If it's just a dot matrix display then most likely yes.
Do you have a picture of the one functioning and displaying Japanese characters?

[jjoko]

Only can find a character LCD test pattern for the english display version - as attached

[ataradov]

There is no way it will display English characters, but the display is likely to work and at least will restore functionality. You will just have to learn some Japanese.

The text is just a single "segment" from the display point of view, it does not know or care what characters it displays, so there is no way to change that.

[Kim Christensen]

Only can find a character LCD test pattern for the english display version - as attached

Yea, that's not a dot matrix, so your replacement LCD would display using Japanese characters.

[jjoko]

EDIT - I think this is a picture from a different unit -

[ataradov]

The picture is broken. But back side would not change things. Edit: it is fixed now.

If the number of pins on the displays match, then it is likely to work as a replacement. Just be careful soldering them, they are quite fragile.

[jjoko]

Well Well Well !

I just took a look at my existing Controller with the broken LCD Display - Interesting - no soldering

[jjoko]

circuit board

[jjoko]

Close up of LCD

[ataradov]

This is what I would have expected to see in a first place. Those displays are not compatible with each other at all, so replacement will not work.

The later one is obviously cost optimized version. Zebra strips are quite cheaper and easier to work with and a genuine controller got replaced with some random no-name one.

[jjoko]

Hello Ataradov
Now I dont think the previous backside picture of a circuit board was from the same model - I found that online as an example and I think it was labeled incorrectly - its totally different.

Got to ask once more then ......So IF the Japanese (same model) physically is the same as mine in the last photos - apart from being easier to swap the LCD - would it still present Japanese ?

This is what I would have expected to see in a first place. Those displays are not compatible with each other at all, so replacement will not work.

[ataradov]

Yes, no matter what you do this display is not going to display anything other than it was designed to display. That text is technically just graphics, it is fixed. There are no pixels, the whole text can be on or off, all at the same time.

But swapping displays with a zebra strip is trivial, so at least there is that.

[jjoko]

Yes, no matter what you do this display is not going to display anything other than it was designed to display. That text is technically just graphics, it is fixed. There are no pixels, the whole text can be on or off, all at the same time.

But swapping displays with a zebra strip is trivial, so at least there is that.

Thankyou and to Kim for the explanations! - It is Time to learn some Japanese!