Yes, I tried increasing the contrast all I get is a row of black cells. I also tried desoldering the pins connecting the display so I could remove it and check the board circuit out. My attempt to completely desoldering was unsuccessful as enough solder remains to adhere the pins to the holes and I do not want to pry the boards apart, is there a technique to better remove solder I used a simple plunger solder remover. When I attach the MPguino to the USB supply I get 4.2Volts on some of the display pins. I am not sure what that means as I do not fully understand what to check and what readings I should see.
I found this site
SparkFun Electronics which has a good tutorial on the components and circuit basics I hope to go through these tutorials to learn the basic electronics. In hindsight I would have been wise to first read these tutorials. Lots of good tips on all aspects of building an Arduino board.