The only time I have seen the same problem you have (backlight comes on and no data displayed) is when there was not enough power being supplied i.e. flat battery or the power supply to the ECU was inadequate.
Could be other problems, but this one is a cheap and easy one to check first, grab a multimeter and check the voltage make sure connections are good and the battery is charged. Most people have a low or flat battery after conversions, long periods of working on the car because the battery sits for so long not being used/charged and dissipates voltage over time.