Experiments 5.x: Arduino LCD Tutorial

This short video looks at the different options available for connecting an LCD character display to an Arduino. It uses a wide set of displays: The nuelectronics display shield, 20x4, 20x2,16x2 and 8x2 display modules. It shows the code that you need to create an example display and describes the use of the POT in the display. The modules used are the nuelectronics display shield, JHD 204, WH1602, CM200200 and a YJ 802A. This experiment is part of an introductory module to Digital and Analogue Electronics at Dublin City University, Ireland: http://www.eeng.dcu.ie/~molloyd/EE223/

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Arduino
• LCD
• Display
• tutorial
• educational
• gadget
• tips & tricks
• LCD Display
• Arduino LCD
• EE223
• Dublin City University
• Introduction to Electronics
• DCU
• LCD Shield
• potentiometer
• itoa
• lcd.init
• JHD204A
• winstar
• WH1602B
• dataimage
• CM200200
• JHD162
• contrast
• YJ802A
• YJ 802A
• solder
• experiment
• LiquidCrystal()

[fabiuh991]

any way to connect more than 1 16x2 lcd to the arduino? (5lcd)

[DerekMolloyDCU]

@fabiuh991 Yes, but you have to be careful in the display that you choose. With this display type there are 4-bit and 8-bit displays, so it should be possible to connect at least 2 4-bit displays - you may have to do some clever programming though. If you are looking at more than 2 displays, I2C Serial LCD displays that need only 2 wires and you could have up to 7 LCD displays on the same I2C bus. Web4Robot have some for sale at around $15.

[flymerlion]

Wow, that was quick! Thanks a lot... I needed the PWM pins to control my servos so couldn't compromise them for the LCD. Oh and is there a way to control my servos without PWM? I'm planning to use an Arduino Mega 2560 which has 54 digital I/O pins out of which 14 and PWM. But My project uses 17 servos...

[DerekMolloyDCU]

@flymerlion Do a search for the TLC5940 - It's a 16 channel 12-bit PWM unit. It could be your solution (well for 16 of your 17 servos!) - about $6 from Sparkfun and others, Derek.

[flymerlion]

Hey umm, do you need to connect the LCD digital pins to the Arduino's PWM outputs or is it alright if we connect them to the normal digital I/O pins?

[DerekMolloyDCU]

@flymerlion It's okay to use the regular digital I/O pins as there is no 'dimming' functionality required here. I think that in the RGB LED example I had to avoid using the PWM pins as I needed them to drive the three RGB channels.

[robot797]

boo for lead free solder

2% flux lead thin 40/60 best

[formulaformula1133]

i have a rgb lcd as you have in one of your tutorial, but i cant get it to work! have a simple code, just a txt, but it is just blinking : s like in a a old computer, a squere that is blinking

[flymerlion]

@DerekMolloyDCU Wow, that was quick! Thanks a lot... I needed the PWM pins to control my servos so couldn't compromise them for the LCD. Oh and is there a way to control my servos without PWM? I'm planning to use an Arduino Mega 2560 which has 54 digital I/O pins out of which 14 and PWM. But My project uses 17 servos...

[KDALove]

weird way to instantiate object O_o

[Shockszzbyyous]

uh is it that handy to put wire connections on pin 0 and 1 ? since these are serial pins ...