as far as i can see the rails between the MCU and the display are very short and there are no
components other than the VO/VEE resistors between them… checking again with an eye loop proved no broken joints neither on the display pins nor on the MCU pins that drive the display, though i have already uploaded too many photos if you want i can upload one more close one.
of course i could have missed something anywhere on the board… and that’s what i’m trying to avoid by checking again and again so many days.
to me initially looked like a display problem but since the voltages are ok then maybe it’s not? do you think i should remove the display from the board and try to drive it on a breadboard with an 16F628 and a simple program? i believe it’s a good idea though difficult because i don’t have a de-soldering station with hot air so i can safely remove the display without messing the pins.
MCU fault is out of question?