I know many of you have tried using non-Xecuter LCD's on their X3's and all you got was a backlight and nothing on the screen. I had the same problem with mine, and I finally figured out what was wrong.
The X3 puts out a positive voltage on the contrast input which is usually called Vee and usually pin 3 on the lcd. Many LCD displays require a negitive voltage input on that line. (mine did) The result is a display that displays nothing because the contrast is set so low you can't see it.
The solution is to disconnect the contrast line (Vee) from the X3 and add an external power source that has a negitive voltage referenced to the ground, or pin 1 of most LCD displays.
I accomplished this using a 3 volt lithium battery with the positive side connected to the ground pin of the LCD (pin 1) and the negitive side connected to the contrast pin (pin 3). 3 volts worked for me, but you may need to experiment to find the voltage that works well for your particular LCD screen. Just make sure you don't go over about 4.8 volts or you may damage things.
The xbox power supply may have a negitive voltage output, but I didn't check, and since the LCD uses so little current, I expect the battery will last a long time. If you do find a negitive voltage output, I would reccomend using a potentiometer as a voltage divider so you can actually adjust your contrast.
The X3 puts out a positive voltage on the contrast input which is usually called Vee and usually pin 3 on the lcd. Many LCD displays require a negitive voltage input on that line. (mine did) The result is a display that displays nothing because the contrast is set so low you can't see it.
The solution is to disconnect the contrast line (Vee) from the X3 and add an external power source that has a negitive voltage referenced to the ground, or pin 1 of most LCD displays.
I accomplished this using a 3 volt lithium battery with the positive side connected to the ground pin of the LCD (pin 1) and the negitive side connected to the contrast pin (pin 3). 3 volts worked for me, but you may need to experiment to find the voltage that works well for your particular LCD screen. Just make sure you don't go over about 4.8 volts or you may damage things.
The xbox power supply may have a negitive voltage output, but I didn't check, and since the LCD uses so little current, I expect the battery will last a long time. If you do find a negitive voltage output, I would reccomend using a potentiometer as a voltage divider so you can actually adjust your contrast.