look on this page ;) it is explain very easy.
http://www.sprut.de/electronic/lcd/index.htm

Hi Maurius,

if you try to switch to 4 Bit Mode you`ve to keep in mind that
the HD Controller is still in 8 Bit Mode.

lcd_init:
         BCF      RS ; put into Comand Mode
  CALL  delay_16ms    ; should be 30 mS for Saftey
  MOVLW  b'00000010'
  MOVWF  PORTB    ;initialize display interface to 4bit
  CALL  lcd_enable

  CALL  delay_100us
  MOVLW  b'00001110'  ;2 rows
  CALL  lcd_sendcommand

  CALL  delay_100us
  MOVLW  b'00001100'  ;Display on
  CALL  lcd_sendcommand

  CALL  delay_100us
  MOVLW  b'00000110'  ;Cursor right, no shift
  CALL  lcd_sendcommand

  CALL  delay_100us
  MOVLW  b'00000001'  ;Clear display
  CALL  lcd_sendcommand

this should work now, please Report

PicArd

Thanks for your replies but it still doesn't work. I also made the 
delays a little bit longer, but that didn't help either.

Hi Maurius,

sorry my fault, try this

lcd_init:
  BCF   RS ; put into Comand Mode
  CALL  delay_16ms    ; should be 30 mS for Saftey
  MOVLW  b'00000010'
  MOVWF  PORTB    ;initialize display interface to 4bit
  CALL  lcd_enable

  CALL  delay_100us
  MOVLW  b'10000010'  ;2 rows
  CALL  lcd_sendcommand

  CALL  delay_100us
  MOVLW  b'00001100'  ;Display on, Cursor off, Blink off
  CALL  lcd_sendcommand

  CALL  delay_100us
  MOVLW  b'00000110'  ;Cursor right, no shift
  CALL  lcd_sendcommand

  CALL  delay_100us
  MOVLW  b'00000001'  ;Clear display
  CALL  lcd_sendcommand

in my Routines i do a read of the PortB first and store the content in a
FR. Then i add the changed 4 Bit for the LCD and write them back to the 
Port.
This prevent a malefunktion of RS E and so forth.

In your Sendcommand Routine the High Nibble is not changed to the I/O 
you use.

Better do:
lcd_sendcommand:
  MOVWF  scomm
         MOVLW  b'11110000'      ; High Nibble First
  ANDWF  scomm,w
         MOVWF    TEMP
         SWAPF    TEMP,w          ; HIGH Nibble change to Output Bit
  MOVFW    PORTB
  CALL  lcd_enable
  MOVLW  b'00001111'
  ANDWF  scomm, w
  MOVWF  PORTB
  CALL  lcd_enable
  CALL  delay_100us
  RETURN

The Same you do with the senddata

try it....
PicArd

I swapped the nibbles so they fit to the I/O Ports I use, but it still 
doesn't work :(

Hi Marius, got your Name wrong first sorry...

the sendcommand routine with Reading of PortB look like that:

lcd_sendcommand:
  MOVWF  scomm
         MOVLW  b'11110000'      ; High Nibble First
  ANDWF  scomm,w
         MOVWF    TEMP
         SWAPF    TEMP,f          ; HIGH Nibble change to Output Bit

  MOVFW  PORTB            ; read PortB
  MOVWF  TEMP2            ; Store Temporary
  MOVLW  b'11110000'      ; keep the I/O of PortB (HIGH NIBBLE)
  ANDWF  TEMP2,f          ; remove 4 BIT LCD DATA (LOW NIBBLE)of PORTB
  MOVF   TEMP2,w
  ADDWF  TEMP,w           ; Add the new 4 BIT LCD DATA
  MOVFW    PORTB          ; write to Port
  CALL  lcd_enable
  MOVLW  b'00001111'
  ANDWF  scomm, w
  ADDWF  TEMP2,w
  MOVWF  PORTB
  CALL  lcd_enable
  CALL  delay_100us
  RETURN

this is the best way to get out of conflict with the PORTB High Nibbles

PicArd

and don't forget to change the senddata routine as well !

PicArd

Hello Marius,

i forgot one important thing....

lcd_sendcommand:

; FIRST put the LCD into Command Modus
  BCF    RS   ; PortB,4 in your Design
; ____________________________________

  MOVWF  scomm
         MOVLW  b'11110000'      ; High Nibble First
  ANDWF  scomm,w
         MOVWF    TEMP
         SWAPF    TEMP,f          ; HIGH Nibble change to Output Bit

  MOVFW  PORTB            ; read PortB
  MOVWF  TEMP2            ; Store Temporary
  MOVLW  b'11110000'      ; keep the I/O of PortB (HIGH NIBBLE)
  ANDWF  TEMP2,f          ; remove 4 BIT LCD DATA (LOW NIBBLE)of PORTB
  MOVF   TEMP2,w
  ADDWF  TEMP,w           ; Add the new 4 BIT LCD DATA
  MOVFW    PORTB          ; write to Port
  CALL  lcd_enable
  MOVLW  b'00001111'
  ANDWF  scomm, w
  ADDWF  TEMP2,w
  MOVWF  PORTB
  CALL  lcd_enable
  CALL  delay_100us
  RETURN

and for lcd_senddata:

lcd_senddata:

; FIRST put the LCD into DATA Modus
  BSF    RS   ; PortB,4 in your Design
; ____________________________________

  MOVWF  scomm
         MOVLW  b'11110000'      ; High Nibble First
  ANDWF  scomm,w
         MOVWF    TEMP
         SWAPF    TEMP,f          ; HIGH Nibble change to Output Bit

  MOVFW  PORTB            ; read PortB
  MOVWF  TEMP2            ; Store Temporary
  MOVLW  b'11110000'      ; keep the I/O of PortB (HIGH NIBBLE)
  ANDWF  TEMP2,f          ; remove 4 BIT LCD DATA (LOW NIBBLE)of PORTB
  MOVF   TEMP2,w
  ADDWF  TEMP,w           ; Add the new 4 BIT LCD DATA
  MOVFW    PORTB          ; write to Port
  CALL  lcd_enable
  MOVLW  b'00001111'
  ANDWF  scomm, w
  ADDWF  TEMP2,w
  MOVWF  PORTB
  CALL  lcd_enable
  CALL  delay_100us
  RETURN

These Routines i use in my LCD Applications and they work.

If this fail's try to increase the WAIT Time, this varrys from LCD to 
LCD

good luck

PicArd

Still doesn't work. I also don't understand the sense in reading PORTB? 
Anyways my two routines look like this:

1

lcd_sendcommand

2

  BCF  RS

3

  MOVWF  scomm

4

  MOVLW  b'11110000'

5

  ANDWF  scomm, 0

6

  MOVWF  TEMP    ;swap nibbles to fit on the I/O

7

  SWAPF  TEMP, 1  

8

  MOVF  PORTB, 0  ;read PORTB

9

  MOVWF  TEMP2

10

  MOVLW  b'11110000'

11

  ANDWF  TEMP2, 1

12

  MOVF   TEMP2, 0

13

  ADDWF  TEMP, 0

14

  MOVWF  PORTB

15

  CALL  lcd_enable

16

  MOVLW  b'00001111'

17

  ANDWF  scomm, 0

18

  ADDWF  TEMP2, 0

19

  MOVWF  PORTB

20

  CALL  lcd_enable

21

  CALL  delay_100us

22

  RETURN

23

24

25

lcd_senddata

26

  BSF  RS

27

  MOVWF  sdata

28

  MOVLW  b'11110000'

29

  ANDWF  sdata, 0

30

  MOVWF  TEMP

31

  SWAPF  TEMP, 1

32

  MOVF  PORTB, 0

33

  MOVWF  TEMP2

34

  MOVLW  b'11110000'

35

  ANDWF  TEMP2, 1

36

  MOVF  TEMP2, 0

37

  ADDWF  TEMP, 0

38

  MOVWF  PORTB

39

  CALL  lcd_enable

40

  MOVLW  b'00001111'

41

  ANDWF  sdata, 0

42

  ADDWF  TEMP2, 0

43

  MOVWF  PORTB

44

  CALL  lcd_enable

45

  CALL  delay_100us

46

  RETURN

Hello Marius,

the sense is simple, If you are using the PortB,7 as Input or Output
a move Instruction does a read of the TRIS instead of the Port and write
the Byte, this can result in "Funny" reaction of your Program later.

IMPORTANT:
Did you switch the PortB Function PIN's to be a explicit I/O on RB0-4 at 
the beginning of the program ? Please read the DATASHEET at section 10.2
The Anonciater are set after Power on, you have to switch them to be
an I/O !

PicArd

It should be like that:

init:

CLRF PORTB
CLRF LATB
MOVLW h'0E'  ; Switch AN = OFF
MOVWF ADCON1 ;
MOVLW h'00'h ; all PORTB = OUTPUT
MOVWF TRISB

hope that helps

PicArd

Thank you very much for your help, but that didn't help either :(

Ok Marius,

i've got all Parts (18F1250) here to Test your Code, please attach your
full Sourcecode and i will test it tomorrow evening and report the 
result back to you.

BTW: i use MPLAB on Windows, i think you are using a Linux compiler?

best regards

PicArd

Thank you very very much for your help :). Yes i'm using a linux 
compiler (gpasm).

Regards,
Marius

Hello Marius,

here is my changed version for Test, i will test it tomorrow evening 
with
Hardware... but maybe you won't wait and test.

good nigth
PicArd

You could also first test your communicaton protocol directly from a PC. 
I had a similar problem and I solved it this way. I made a HEX file that 
enables me to control all the PIC18 registers directly from my Windows 
application. Only after thorough testing I transfered the programming to 
PIC18.