Another display from Noritake

Received another sample from Noritake-Itron. This time is 16×2 display command with HD44780 LCD. It has serial interface, similar to SPI and commands same as well-known HD44780. This company was founded in 1904 and you can feel it. Looks like old school to me, very nice packing, attention to details and manual on paper not in digital form. Everything is very well documented. Also they have bunch of libraries for different platform. I don’t think porting to new chip will be big issue. I really love this company and this display.

Unpacked box.
Package

What was inside of box.
What was in the box

Vacuum fluorescent display, front view.
Display, front

Display, back view.
Display, back

It how it works, and yes, it has software controlled brightness. It is very bright, you can see text even in camera’s flashlight.
Brightness 50%

Vacuum fluorescent display from Noritake-Itron

I received sample from Noritake Itron company – VFD (vacuum fluorescent display). Works in -40C – +80C temperature range, still readable in daylight but expensive. On DigiKey this display cost $83. Packaging and documentation looks like old school, very solid and reliable.

Box with Styrofoam filler, nice manual booklet, SCK-7003-112X16G-N16 is 112×16 dot matrix VFD module, blue screen filter and cables. Weight was about 1/4 lb but box was big.
Open box

Display, front and back view.
Display, front view

Display, back view

Cables, pinheads, screen filter.
Cables, pins and screen filter

Paper manual and display.
Manual and display

From fortune

An American tourist is visiting Russia, and he’s talking with a Russian about the fact that not many people in Russia own cars.

American: I can’t believe you don’t have cars here!  How do you get to work?
Russian: We take the bus, or the subway.  We have public transportation everywhere.
A: Well, how do you go on vacations?
R: We take the train.
A: Well, what if you want to go abroad?
R: We don’t ever want go abroad.
A: Well, what if you really HAVE to go abroad?
R: We take tanks.

New adventure

I was shopping in Walmart on last Saturday and when I returned to my car pushing cart and holding my daughter I found that.

Flat tire

After quick investigation I found something in my tire.

Nail in tire

I put my daughter in car seat (and entertain her), called to my wife for backup and removed tire for repair. It cost me $10 here, in Walmart. Lots of fun, but not so much as when my tire blew at 60 mph.

Flat tire removed