Pentair Easy Touch LCD Screen

[jerryt]

Winstar WH1604A-TMI-JT

TMI is blue with white letters, but any Winstar WH1604A should be good.

You solder each pin, one at a time. Then clean, inspect for a possible short, and use desoldering braid to clean between any two pins that appear bridged.

 

[stephcheff]

Solder was the answer! I suspect it was the problem with the OEM screen, too. I found a guy on Craiglist who operates a small electronics shop, and he soldered it on with perfect little dots for $40 in about 5 minutes, while I waited. So my total cost was $74: $21 for the new display (inc. shipping), $13 for a desoldering pump and braid, $40 for soldering). I probably spent 2 hours researching how to fix, desoldering, testing, and finding my soldering guy. Here's the link for the compatible Crystalfonz display: Blue 16x4 Edge-Lit Character LCD from Crystalfontz. I'm happy to be a member of the blue light club, and to have kept the motherboard out of the landfill, even if I didn't completely DIY the repair.

 

[bigbluepoolrepair]

I also replaced the LCD on my Pentair Easytouch. As others indicated, I couldn't find the original LCD (EW16400GLY from Emerging Displays). I substituted C164ADBSGSY6WT55UAA 16X4 STN GRAY CHARACTER LCD from Focus LCDs which I bought from Digikey for $16.43 plus shipping. Works great.

 

[royorder]

I simply saw thru the pins, then desolder the remaining half of each pin one by one from the motherboard.

I have tried a few different types of screens. Not all of them work. Item pictured in that link looks spot on. You can only know for sure by testing. I think you need to solder it in place.

I do have a modification, that allows the screen to "plug in" instead of being soldered. But it requires more parts...

My LCD is failing on my Pentair EasyTouch. I am able to find both the Emerging and the Winstar screens…but I am really interested in allowing the screen to be a plug in. Could you give me more info?

 

[jerryt]

My LCD is failing on my Pentair EasyTouch. I am able to find both the Emerging and the Winstar screens…but I am really interested in allowing the screen to be a plug in. Could you give me more info?

I tried many different configurations, but there is limited space, so none made the cut.

I have a fantastic de-solder now, so removing the screens is very easy, I even save all the pins.

 

[Tony Deg]

New Member - to the best of my ability I can't find the Emerging or Winstar anywhere - in the US - Can anyone recommend a replacement they have used and found it successful for awhile - I have no issues with the desoldering and installation - just looking for a good match for the original Emerging LCD - only seeing lines now Easy Touch 8 works with the app so I am getting by - still want the Display - Any help would be appreciated - Part # and or Model # would be great - Thanks

 

[dfwnoob]

3.3V or 5V Blue LCD 16x4 Arduino Library Character Display Module

ERM1604SBS-1 is blue16x4 character lcd display,HD44780 or equivalent controller.Optional for 3.3V or 5V,I2C adapter board for arduino and pin header connection.

www.buydisplay.com

1604 16x4 Character LCD Display Module Blue Backlight for Arduino 5V | eBay

LCD display module with blue backlight. Operate with 5V DC. 1 xLCD Display Module. Wide viewing angle and high contrast. Viewing area size: 62mm x 27mm(2.4"x1.1"). Can display 4-lines X 16-characters.

www.ebay.com

These displays seem to be the exact same pinout and form factor as the Winstar ones. You can compare it to the Winstar data sheet here: https://static.rapidonline.com/pdf/57-2242.pdf

 

[Tony Deg]

Thanks for your help with that - I went with the 1st one - I'll post how that works out

 

[royorder]

I ordered the blue/ white from here, which is backordered. The black/ yellow ( link follows) is readily available.

Black on Yellow 16x4 Character LCD from Crystalfontz

Part Number: CFAH1604A-YYH-JT 16x4 parallel character LCD, Dark characters on yellow-green background, Sunlight readable

www.crystalfontz.com

however, I am going to cancel that back order and go with one of those above.
I have never soldered a thing in my life and am a bit worried, but will give it a go. I am also tempted to add screen logic, but hesitate due to it all being a bit of an ancient technology.

 

[Michipooldude]

Just wanted to say thanks for the write up. Worked perfectly for me. Couldn’t find the winstar part anywhere so I went with this one instead for $16

https://www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfah1604atmijt-character-display-16x4

 

[ogdento]

Looks great! I've switched to an easier way to pull these off, and no longer use an iron and braid or a solder sucker... I have an inexpensive T12 type solder station and picked up a 40mm soldering tip/blade for removing the displays... it's something like this (I got mine from Aliexpress but this illustrates the part):

40mm Tunnel Type Lead-Free Solder Tip/Element

40 mm tunnel-type lead-free soldering iron tip/element compatible with a variety of soldering stations. 30-day money-back guarantee and free product support. Item no. LF-1402.

www.circuitspecialists.com

First thing I do now is slice the tips off the 2 nylon spacers that hold the top/pin-side of the LCD to the board... that way I can lift the display off the pins without any additional resistance. I don't cut the 2 spacers on the bottom of the LCD because I need them to hold the replacement.

Then I use a smallish regular iron tip to add leaded solder and flux to each joint (to help melt the existing lead-free solder), and then I hold the wide 40mm bladed tip on the UNDER side of the display until the solder melts, and gently push up with the wide tip while lifting the display off the pins with a gloved hand (that blade is HOT!).

Lastly I pop the LCD off the lower 2 spacers. When I've used the wide tip to heat the top side of the pins and then tried to pull the LCD off, I've torn traces and pulled out through holes, etc... which is a bummer if I'm repairing comms and want to re-use the LCD. Using the wide tip on the bottom seems to work a lot better.

 

[ogdento]

I recently replaced an Easytouch LCD and the contrast of the new display was very dark. Since this seems to be the official LCD replacement thread, I figured I'd add some details about how to adjust it...



Just above the 16 pin header for the LCD is resistor R37 which controls the contrast, and you can replace that with a more suitable value. To determine what looks best I set a 5k "trim pot" (potentiometer/variable resistor) to 5k and soldered it in place of R37 (don't use it set to 0k!)


You can temporarily mount the display by setting it over the display header pins as if you're going to solder it... but instead of soldering, tilt the bottom of the LCD up to put pressure on the pins so it makes enough contact with the LCD for the board to boot

Power up the board - while keeping up the LCD pressure - and adjust the variable resistor until the contrast looks good...


Shut it down, pull the display and measure the resistor... replace it with a fixed resistor that's close enough (or leave your trim pot if it's small enough)


The original R37 was 487 ohms which worked for some replacements, but two recent displays I got look best with a 2.8k and a 1.5k, respectively. I didn't have a 2.8k resistor but 2.7k is close enough to make the LCD work.

 

[portabill]

I'm another happy member of the "Replacement LCD Club" RLC! I used the black on yellow LCD from Crystalfontz as noted above, good service. The white on blue were on backorder. I bought two in case these become unobtainium.

Thanks for everyone's comments!