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HOME / PRODUCT CATEGORIES / MONOCHROME / SPARKFUN 16X2 SERLCD - BLACK ON RGB 3.3V
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SparkFun 16x2 SerLCD - Black on RGB 3.3V
LCD-14072 ROHS
4
DESCRIPTION FEATURES DOCUMENTS
16x2, Black on RGB Display
The AVR ATMega328p (with Arduino-compatible bootloader) is populated
on the back of each LCD screen and handles all of the LCD control
Three communication options: Serial, I C and SPI
Adjustable I C address controlled via software special commands (0x72
default)
Emergency reset to factory settings (Jumper RX to GND on bootup)
Operational backspace character
Incoming buffer stores up to 80 characters
Pulse width modulation of backlight allows direct control of backlight
brightness and current consumption
Pulse width modulation of contrast allows for software defined contrast
amount.
User definable splash screen
Open-sourced firmware and Arduino-compatible bootloader enables
updates via the Arduino IDE
2
2
Tags
16X2 3.3V I2C LCD RGB SERIAL SERLCD SPARKFUN ORIGINAL SPI
SparkFun 16x2 SerLCD - Black on RGB 3.3V Product Help and Resources
TUTORIALS VIDEOS SUPPORT TIPS SKILLS NEEDED
AVR-Based Serial Enabled
LCDs Hookup Guide
AUGUST 2, 2018
The AVR-based Serial Enabled
LCDs are a simple and cost
effective solution to include in
your project. These screens are
based on the HD44780 controller,
and include ATmega328P with an
Arduino compatible bootloader.
They accept control commands
via Serial, I2C and SPI. In this
tutorial, we will show examples of
a simple setup and go through
each communication option.
Customer Reviews
COMMENTS 4REVIEWS 4
3.5 out of 5
Based on 4 ratings:
Super easy to work with
about a year ago by Member #911442 verified purchaser
I was looking for simple LCD option that was 3.3V I/O compatible and would operate off of some very simple
I2C commands. The beauty of this product is the simplicity of hooking it up to a 3.3V compliant Arduino device
using I2C for communication. Well designed, and easy to use. Recommend it for any Arduino based project
where you want to display some status or information.
Works as advertised, additional docs would be helpful
last year by Member #1504952 verified purchaser
Works as advertised, and I was able to cook up a lightweight Python driver with smbus2 for use with RPi. I
occasionally observe a garbled chars on the screen, combined with a Python IOError, but haven't yet taken the
time with the logic analyzer in attempt to find who is at fault.
The product is lacking a bit of documentation however. Notably, there is no mechanical drawing I could find (the
16-pin header is 0.100", sure, but what about size, and location of mounting holes, size of LCD module, etc.). A
small oversight for an otherwise good board.
EDIT: (I would reduce rating to 3/5 if possible). I purchased 2 of these units through DigiKey (ease of BOM
mgmt for large proj), and am disappointed to find that the DK units do not have the recent firmware on them
(as evidenced by inability to query firmware version and control backlight color via 0-255 RGB values - which
according to GitHub were not present in earlier firmware versions). I attempted to re-flash via FTDI, but the
Arduino IDE couldn't complete comms, so I'm guessing the earlier pieces of hardware that were bulk shipped to
DK for resale do not have a bootloader. I'm confidant in my setup, as I was able to successfully flash v1.3
firmware to the unit that I ordered directly from Sparkfun. Additionally, the units from DK have 4.7k I2C pullups,
whereas the unit I purchased from Sparkfun had them removed (not DNP, as evidenced by solder on the ENIG
pads).
Beware i2c
about 6 months ago by Member #809660 verified purchaser
If you're expecting to connect over i2c, I wouldn't purchase this product until they update the documentation
substantially (or fix the firmware). I've dumped 2 days into trying to get it to work and while all of the basic
functions work (text, colors, clear, ...) you can't turn off the on-screen debug messages or control other
aspects that the docs say you can. This is not going to look good in your project.
Edit: They state "The latest Serial Enabled LCDs shipped after February 2019 will have the firmware version. If
you are having any issues using the commands listed below, make sure to update the firmware."
But the boards I ordered in September 2019 did not have the new firmware. That's why they weren't working
right. If you're comfortable upgrading the firmware, these are an OK choice.
Works as advertised
about 6 months ago by Member #772274 verified purchaser
After getting a level shifter, I hooked this up to my computer serial port and it worked right away. Next up is to
try other types - i2c perhaps.
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