Find a Retailer SHOP PRODUCT MENU LEARN BLOG find products, tutorials, etc... HOME / P R O D U C T C A T E G O R I E S 0 SUPPORT LOG IN EDUCATION Need Help? REGISTER FORUM / MONOCHROME / SPARKFUN 16X2 SERLCD - BLACK ON RGB 3.3V SparkFun 16x2 SerLCD - Black on RGB 3.3V L C D - 1 4 0 7 2 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, I2C and SPI Adjustable I2C 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 Tags images are CC BY 2.0 16X2 3.3V I2C LCD RGB SERIAL SERLCD SHARE SparkFun 16x2 SerLCD - Black on RGB 3.3V Product Help and Resources TUTORIALS VIDEOS SUPPORT TIPS 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. SKILLS NEEDED SPARKFUN ORIGINAL SPI COMMENTS 4 REVIEWS 4 Customer Reviews 3.5 out of 5 Based on 4 ratings: 5 star 1 4 star 2 3 star 0 2 star 0 1 star 1 Currently viewing all customer reviews. 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. START SOMETHING. Email address SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER ABOUT SPARKFUN PARTNER WITH US SUPPORT SITE INFORMATION Read Our Story See Our Partners Customer Support Terms of Service Press & Media Become a Distributor/Reseller Purchase Orders & Payment Privacy Policy SparkFun Education Receive Volume Discounts Terms Compliance Job Openings Build a Custom Kit Technical Assistance Site Map Apply for a Hardware Donation FAQs Contact Us SparkFun Electronics (R) / 6333 Dry Creek Parkway, Niwot, Colorado 80503 Questions? Feedback? powered by Olark live chat software