Exploring Arduino, 2nd Edition

12Interfacing with Liquid Crystal Displays

Parts You'll Need for This Chapter

• Arduino Uno or Adafruit METRO 328
• USB cable (Type A to B for Uno, Type A to Micro-B for METRO)
• Half-size or full-size breadboard
• Assorted jumper wires
• Pushbuttons (×2)
• 220Ω resistor
• 1kΩ resistor
• 4.7kΩ resistors (×2)
• 10kΩ resistors (×2)
• 10kΩ trim potentiometer (might be included with LCD purchase)
• 9V battery
• 9V battery clip
• L7805CV 5V voltage regulator
• 10μF 50V electrolytic capacitors (×2)
• 1N4001 diode
• PN2222 NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT)
• 8Ω loudspeaker
• TC74A0-5.0VAT I²C temperature sensor
• Miniature 5V DC brushless cooling fan
• 16×2 character LCD with header pins
  • CODE AND DIGITAL CONTENT FOR THIS CHAPTER
  • Code downloads, videos, and other digital content for this chapter can be found at:
  • exploringarduino.com/content2/ch12
  • Code for this chapter can also be obtained from the Downloads tab on this book's Wiley web page:
  • wiley.com/go/exploringarduino2e

One of the best things about designing embedded systems is that they can operate independently from a computer. Up until now, you've been tethered to the computer if you wanted to display any kind of information more complicated than an illuminated LED. By adding a liquid crystal display (LCD) to your Arduino, you can more easily display complex information (sensor values, timing information, settings, progress bars, and so on) directly on your Arduino project without having to interface with the serial monitor through a computer.

In this chapter, ...