What is an I2C LCD Display?
An I2C LCD display is a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) that utilizes the Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) communication protocol to reduce the number of pins needed for data transmission. It is a popular display type for embedded systems, as it allows for a larger display area without needing to increase the number of pins. The I2C LCD display works by using two wires, SDA (Data) and SCL (Clock), to communicate with the microcontroller.
How Does an I2C LCD Display Work?
The I2C LCD display works by using two wires, SDA (Data) and SCL (Clock), to communicate with the microcontroller. The microcontroller sends data to the LCD display via the SDA line, and the LCD display sends data back to the microcontroller via the SCL line. The LCD display is connected to the microcontroller via a PCF8574 chip, which acts as an I2C to parallel converter. The PCF8574 chip converts the I2C data into parallel data, which is then sent to the LCD display.
Using an I2C LCD Display with Arduino
Using an I2C LCD display with Arduino is relatively easy. The first step is to connect the LCD display to the Arduino board. This is done by connecting the VCC, GND, SDA, and SCL pins of the LCD display to the corresponding pins on the Arduino board. Once the LCD display is connected, the next step is to install the Wire library, which is used for I2C communication. The Wire library can be installed using the Arduino IDE.
Programming the Arduino to Use an I2C LCD Display
Once the Wire library is installed, the next step is to program the Arduino to use the I2C LCD display. This is done by using the LiquidCrystal_I2C library, which is included in the Arduino IDE. The LiquidCrystal_I2C library allows the Arduino to communicate with the LCD display using the I2C protocol. The first step is to include the LiquidCrystal_I2C library in the program. The second step is to create an instance of the LiquidCrystal_I2C class, which is used to control the LCD display. The third step is to initialize the LCD display using the init() function. The fourth step is to use the print() function to write data to the LCD display.
Using an I2C LCD display with Arduino is a relatively easy task. By connecting the LCD display to the Arduino board and installing the Wire and LiquidCrystal_I2C libraries, the Arduino can be programmed to communicate with the LCD display using the I2C protocol. Once the LCD display is initialized, the print() function can be used to write data to the LCD display.