Problem with character LCD on Cyclone III FPGA Development Kit

Your code should work. If not, I will check two things:

1. Did you connect the LCD external pins (not in SOPC, but in top VHDL file)?

LCD_ON, -- Power ON/OFF

LCD_BLON, -- Back Light ON/OFF

if not, your LCD software may be working, but you will not see anything in the real LCD.

2. Maybe you need a initialization sequence for the LCD.

///// LCD control: //////////////////////////////////////////////////////

// From: http://www.altera.com/support/examples/nios2/exm-micro_mutex.html

// ESC sequences:

// From: http://www.isthe.com/chongo/tech/comp/ansi_escapes.html

// ESC[#;#H Moves the cursor to line# , column#

// ESC[2J Clear screen and home cursor

// ESC[K Clear to end of line # define ESC_TOP_LEFT "[1;0H" # define ESC_BOTTOM_LEFT "[2;0H" # define LCD_CLR "[2J" # define LCD_CLR_LINE "[K"

static unsigned char ESC = 0x1b; // Integer ASCII value of the ESC character

void LCD_hello(void)

{

FILE* LCD;

LCD = fopen ("/dev/lcd", "w");

if (LCD == NULL) {

printf("LCD open failed\n");

} else {

printf("LCD open succeeded\n");

fprintf(LCD, "%c%s", ESC, LCD_CLR); // Clears LCD

fprintf(LCD, "LCD demo using\n");

fprintf(LCD, "Altera HAL in C");

}

fclose (LCD);

}