GB-1494V-0 LCD serial controller IC?

[Alterscape]

I have a 16x2 character LCD display "liberated" from a nonfunctional HP Laserjet III printer. It has 14 pins on the left side of the upper edge of the PCB. To the right of the pins are the legend "GB-1494V-0 S" and on the back side of the PCB is a sticker reading "RH6-3068 2327 01S." I've poked around online and found several people suggesting that it needs an HD44780 controller IC, along with a serial driver of some sort, but I can't find that part on Digikey.

I know this is a ridiculous n00b question, but if someone could point me in the directions of the schematics and parts I'd need to drive this chip via RS232, I'd be greatly appreciative.

[edit]I've also found a few pages suggesting I could power it directly from an LPT port with the proper C code. Is a hack like this do-able for this particular type of display?[/edit]

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Almost all text LCD modules are compatible with the Hitachi HD44780, so this module most likely is. You just need to connect and drive it correctly, have a look at my PIC tutorials for details, including how to use a PIC to interface it to RS232.