AXE033 Serial LCD IC pinout - use the AXE033IC driver chip without the PCB

nick12ab

Senior Member
Now before you go "Why not just get the FRM010 or use an 18M2 preprogrammed with the AXE133 firmware", here are some reasons for doing this:
  • The FRM010 and AXE133 can't be controlled via i2c - so to get an official Rev-Ed i2c driver you have to get the AXE033
  • The FRM010 doesn't store messages
  • Old school projects tend to have many AXE033 modules and no AXE133 modules because the AXE133 is a recent thing and most (old) school LCD projects tend to use AXE033s so when the uncollected student projects are "recycled"* they end up with some
  • The FRM010 and AXE133 can't control the DS1307 which of course can be an issue if pre-X/M2 PICAXEs that don't support i2c are used (extracted from old projects or sometimes still new)
  • You accidentally purchased the AXE033-IC from the PICAXE Store instead of the FRM010
* valuables removed and rest chucked in rubbish bin

The reason why you would need a pinout is if you had prototyped and already completed your code using the AXE033 and have then found that having a serial backpack makes it too bulky and it would be better to move the driver IC on to the same PCB as the rest of your circuit. (My preferred method is to use the next size PICAXE up and a parallel LCD or OLED but that is slightly harder to interface and can't be done if all the pins on the 40-pin PICAXE are already used!)

The AXE033IC will work with any HD44780-compatible LCD and OLED including Winstar OLEDs, the AMPY 2001-11 LCD in the Maplin lucky bag, cheap Chinese eBay LCDs, large character LCDs and LCDs that are bigger than 16x2 (the stored messages will still only be 16 characters) as long as they don't have extra Enable lines, plus it will work on 3V / 3.3V too.

The IC's pinout is completely unrelated to the FRM010 - since it's intended to be used on the PCB Rev-Ed could design it to make the AXE033 PCB layout more compact rather than make the pinout simpler - and it had to be designed so that the i2c pins could be used for i2c too.

This pinout was found by checking with a multimeter and when a test circuit was built on breadboard it worked.



Note that the i2c pins are the same as on the 18-pin PICAXEs.

A horizontal line above something on the pinout means that it's active low - so for the serial/i2c pin it is in serial mode when it is high and in i2c mode when it is low because the line is over the i2c part.

Pin NumberNameDescription
1Serial/_i2cHigh = serial mode, low = i2c mode
2SQWSQW output of DS1307 connects here
3Serial InReceives serial data - normally connects to IN pad on header on AXE033 PCB
4_RSTLow = Resonator tuning - normally connects to one pad of RST header on AXE033 PCB (other pad is Vss)
5Vss
0V/Ground
6LCD DB4Connects to LCD data bus pin 4
7i2c SDAi2c data for DS1307 and for control by master PICAXE
8LCD RSConnects to LCD Register select (Instruction/Data)
9LCD EConnects to LCD Enable
10i2c SCLi2c clock for DS1307 and control by master PICAXE
11LCD DB5Connects to LCD data bus pin 5
12LCD DB6Connects to LCD data bus pin 6
13_CLKLow = Clock Mode, high = normal mode - normally connects to one pad of CLK header on AXE033 PCB (other pad is Vss)
14Vdd
5V/V+
15LCD DB7Connects to LCD data bus pin 7
16N/CDoesn't seem to be connected to anything and doesn't do anything - Rev-Ed have missed an opportunity here to add a baud rate selector or backlight control
17OutNormally connects to OUT pad on header on AXE033 PCB
18PulseNormally connects to one pad of PUL header on AXE033 PCB (other pad is Vss)
Finally don't forget to fit a decoupling capacitor!

Rev-Ed: If there is any mistake here (especially regarding that N/C pin), please point it out!
 

BillyGreen1973

Senior Member
Hi Nick
I totally agree with your comments about using the Axe033 Serial IC for LCDs.
I also did the same as you, and about 2 years ago worked out the pinout for this useful little IC. I used it in my first 'Shield' for the axe401, see here..
http://www.picaxeforum.co.uk/showthread.php?18487-Serial-I2C-LCD-Shield-for-Axe401

Although Rev-Ed have never released the pinout or datasheet for this driver IC, I think it still has a place in our parts box.
 

nick12ab

Senior Member
BillyGreen1973;bt298 said:
I also did the same as you, and about 2 years ago worked out the pinout for this useful little IC. I used it in my first 'Shield' for the axe401, see here.
I did do plenty of searching before posting this blog entry, but didn't find your thread.

Your thread doesn't have any wording in it that would make a search engine show it if you searched for 'AXE033 pinout' or similar. I've added those two words to your thread as tags for you so that should hopefully give it more visibility.

Pleased to see that your PCB design also agrees that pin 16 is N/C.
 

john2051

New Member
Hi, I'm a little confused, according to rev eds shop, you can get a replacement chip for the axe033.
Their code is axe033IC at £4.00 or am I missing the point?
regards john
 

nick12ab

Senior Member
john hauton;bt308 said:
Hi, I'm a little confused, according to rev eds shop, you can get a replacement chip for the axe033.
Their code is axe033IC at £4.00 or am I missing the point?
regards john
The pinout isn't mentioned there. This pinout isn't so that you go and buy the AXE033 just to remove the IC or so that you can make your own AXE033-IC to reuse an AXE033 with blown chip without paying for a new chip - it is if you already have an AXE033 that you want to remove the chip from or if you want to get an AXE033-IC.
 

skatt

Member
Hi Nick,
I have tried to send serial data from one ERF with a Picaxe, to a second ERF directly connected to the AXE133Y. I have tried pauses between characters as you previously suggested with no luck. I then connected a standard LCD display which works well, but I would like to use the OLED.

Do you think the AXE033y would handle it?
 

nick12ab

Senior Member
skatt;bt314 said:
Hi Nick,
I have tried to send serial data from one ERF with a Picaxe, to a second ERF directly connected to the AXE133Y. I have tried pauses between characters as you previously suggested with no luck. I then connected a standard LCD display which works well, but I would like to use the OLED.

Do you think the AXE033y would handle it?
Just remove the OLED module from the AXE133 and fit it to the AXE033 in place of the LCD module. The OLED displays included with the AXE033 and AXE133 are identical. You could also remove the AXE033IC from the AXE033 PCB and connect it to the OLED module removed from the AXE133 on some breadboard.
 
Top