SMC wrote:Yes the LCD screen IS so proprietary that a substitute cannot be found.
The problem is a discontinued IC chip (An 8 Bit Microprocessor made specifically for display control)
It is no longer manufactured.
And judging by the info I've found it was made for either Only this screen, or a small number oif products.
In such cases, small quantities of the components (The IC) are made according to orders placed by manufacturers,
These manufacturers order enough components (and some extra) for what they intend to build.
So it is most likely that AKAI's OEM Screen manufacturer (Nobody knows who it was) ordered just enough for each run,
as well as anyone else using this IC,
and the IC Manufacturer (Fujitsu) made enough per order.
So, the point is, the IC's are discontinued. You can't make this screen without them.
Nobody is gonna fire up and manufacture the IC cause it wouldn't be worth it.
Fujitsu expressed no interest in reproducing the chip.
Nor did they seem intrested in releasing any technical info, even when offered money for it.
(I do however have a datasheet, and schematic of the IC, but that's not gonna help)
So far, NO, it can not be reproduced.
I even tried searching and sourcing the globe for a stockpile of the IC's. No Luck.
I have gotten mixed results with other LCD's using similar components, but nothing good enough to settle for.
If I get something even remotely close I'm going to call it good and run with it - making it available.
But for now.... no such luck
Fujitsu is not the manufacturer of the chip which is likely the reason they were tight lipped about releasing information - it's not their IP. I truly question the veracity of "almost getting it to work". There just ain't no such thing. The original is such a strange command set that there is nothing like it on the market today (and nothing else at the time, either). You wouldn't even get the display to initialize.
I have full datasheets and have been talking to the original MPC display from an IDE. I'm not taking pictures - it's all proprietary information to Envision Electronics, at the moment. I can't even reveal how I determined with 100% accuracy who the manufacturer is. When I do, you'll slap your forehead in disbelief.
When I have prototypes, I will take comparison shots. We're talking a matter of a few weeks.
If you've got a drop-in LCD that fits the chassis of the 2k AND the 2kxl, I want to talk with you. You have a PM.
