raspberry pi lcd display tutorial free sample

In this tutorial we"ll take you through how to connect a 16x2 LCD display up to your Raspberry Pi using GPIO pins. Being able to display a message on the LCD is not only very cool but can be pretty useful too, for example in this tutorial we"ll cover how to get your LCD display to display the IP address of your raspberry Pi.

For this exercise we are going to control the LCD display using 4-bit mode. Whilst is is possible to connect to it in other ways using I2C or the UART this is the most direct method. In order to control the display in this way will we need to use 6 pins on the GPIO port, 4 data pins and 2 control pins.

Register Select – This toggles the Lcd display between two modes, Command mode (high) and Data mode (low). Command mode gives a Instruction to the LCD. Example – “Clear the display” , “Move cursor to home” etc and Data tells the LCD to display characters.

In order for the LCD to work we will wire the circuit up in a fashion similar to the diagram above, but hold off connecting everything together for now! The list below tells you exactly what the pins on the LCD connect to:

Begin assembling the circuit by inserting the Adafruit cobbler into the breadboard. Remember to straddle the cobbler over the centre of the breadboard so that no two pin is in the same row. Next insert the LCD display into the breadboard. Connect the 5V and GND pins from the cobbler to the top of breadboard and also connect Pins 1, 2, 15 on the LCD and 16 to their respective power rails. Your circuit should look similar to the picture below:

Connect the GPIO ribbon cable from the cobbler to the Pi, if everything is working correctly the back light on the LCD should turn on like on the picture above. If it doesn"t work check everything is wired up correctly

Next wire up the potentiometer. The middle pin of the potentiometer is connected to Pin 3 on the LCD display and the other two pins are connected to ground and 5V (it doesn"t matter which way round). Check the potentiometer is working by twisting the nob until you see boxes appear in the first line of the display like in the picture below:

In order to utilize the GPIO pins within Python you will need to Install the GPIO python library. Instructions on how to install the GPIO Python library can be found here.

To get the Python code to run the LCD display we are going to "grab" it from adafruit using GitHub. Make sure your Rasp berry Pi is connected to internet and we"ll use the git command to clone the python code. Run the following commands in the terminal to download the files.

Now we can test the display is working and it is wired up correctly. One of the files we downloaded Adafruit_CharLCD.py contains python class for LCD display control. It also contains a small piece of code so when the program is run it will display a message on the LCD.

If you are using Version 2 of the Raspberry pi you will need to edit the program slightly since pin #21 has now been changed to pin #27. Open the file Adafruit_CharLCD.py with Python or use nano  Adafruit_CharLCD.py command to edit the program within the terminal. Go to line 57 of the code and replace:

Feel free to dive into the code of the program and change what"s displayed on the LCD. To do so open the program to edit like before and scroll to the last line of the code:

Simply change what is  typed in the brackets after lcd.message() to display the text you want.  The command is used to wrap the text onto a new line. A neater way of doing this is to change the last part of the program to look like the following:

This way when you run the program you will be prompted by "type your message here" to enter a message via your keyboard, which will then be displayed on the LCD. This was done by defining a new variable "message" that is equal to the command raw_input(), which allows the user to manually enter text. The part within the brackets of the raw_input() command is simply printed on the computer screen to prompt you what to write.

Getting the LCD display to display some text of your choosing is cool but not that useful. Running the program Adafruit_CharLCD_IPclock_example.py will display the date/time and the IP address of the Pi on the LCD. The program calls upon the methods from the previous program Adafruit_CharLCD.py. Feel free to open the program to look at the coding. To do so open the program in python or use the command sudo nano Adafruit_CharLCD_IPclock_example.pyin the terminal.

We"re glad you could join us for another lesson in our comprehensive Raspberry Pi programming guide. The previous tutorial taught us how to install and connect the RFID card chip to your Raspberry Pi through step-by-step instructions. We also learnt how to install the libraries for the RFID card and build a simple authentication system. However, in this guide, I"ll show you how to install a 16-by-2-inch LCD screen on your Raspberry Pi.

This screen is a neat solution for displaying data from a Raspberry Pi without breaking the bank or getting too technical. A 162 display is better employed for presenting concise data or messages than a touchscreen or standard LCD panel.

A liquid crystal display, or LCD, the screen is a versatile electronic display module. The 16x2 LCD module is popular in many electronic gadgets and circuits. Because there are two lines, the LCD can show 16 characters across each. This LCD uses a 5x7 pixel matrix to show each character. The 224 distinct characters and symbols can be shown on the 16x2 programmable alphanumeric dot matrix display. The Command register and Data register are the two types in this LCD.

LCDs can function thanks to the principle of light transmission from one layer to the next via modules. These units will vibrate and align themselves such that the polarized sheet is at an angle of 90 degrees, allowing light to pass through. In other words, these molecules inspect the information on every pixel. Every single pixel uses the light-absorption technique to display the numeral. It is necessary to adjust the molecular orientation to the incident light angle to show the numerical value.

LCDs are everywhere, from CD and DVD players and digital watches to computers and televisions. LCDs have supplanted CRTs (Catalyst Ray Tubes) in the screen manufacturing industry because CRTs are bulkier, heavier, and consume more energy than LCDs. LCD screens are more slender than their CRT counterparts. Since LCDs are based on a light-blocking rather than a light-dissipating technology, they require less electricity than LED panels.

LCDs employ two distinct registers—the data register and the command register. You can use the RS pins to alter the register. It is a data register if we set it to 1 and a command register if we set it to 0.

The display"s command register keeps track of the user"s input. Pre-display data is saved in a data register. In order to manipulate the display, one must first load the instruction register with commands and then load the data registers with the image data. If you"re working on a Raspberry Pi project and want to avoid learning low-level commands, you can use the Liquid Crystal Library instead. If a potentiometer is connected across the VEE pin, changing its value can alter the display"s contrast.

The pins on a standard 16x2 LCD are not always used. Since we"re only going to be using this Circuit in 4-bit mode, we"ll only need to use 4 of the available data bus lines.

Due to the absence of soldering, header pins will need to be added before they can be used. With them, it"s easier to maintain eye contact with the display. In the hands of a seasoned solderer, soldering is a simple task that may be completed in a matter of minutes.

The 16x2 LCD screen is easily connected to the Raspberry Pi. There will be a lot of cables to connect, but nothing too complicated. Before you go in and start soldering components together for the Circuit, there"s one thing you need to know. Pi"s GPIO pins are only rated for 3v3; thus, connecting the read/write input of the LCD to the ground is necessary to prevent 5v from re-entering the Pi. Brackets denote the logical/physical PINs used in the following instructions; otherwise, GPIO PINs are used.

Follow these steps, or check out the schematic below, beginning with gpio 1 of the liquid crystal display screen. The first screen pin is the one that is equidistant from those two sides.

Having done so, the screen should power up and establish a connection with the RPi without any further effort on your part. You can use the following circuit schematic to help you hook up the screen.

The newest Raspbian release has all the necessary packages loaded out of the box to allow for GPIO device communication. Python should also be available without further installation. More information on configuring the Pi for GPIO use may be helpful if you are using a previous version of Raspbian. While familiarity with Python would make this course more useful, readers with no background in the language should still be able to follow along.

Here I will demonstrate how to use the Adafruit library. It was made with Adafruit LCD boards in mind, but it can also be used with boards from other manufacturers. If the controller on your display board is an HD44780, you shouldn"t have any problems.

After the installation, you can use the Adafruit library from any Python program on the Pi. Just paste this line into the beginning of your Python file to make use of the library. The board can then be activated after being initialized.

The Adafruit LCD 16x2 library makes it simple to exchange data with your Raspberry Pi. Python scripts for adjusting and configuring the display can be written relatively easily.

The package we just downloaded may find several working examples of utilizing the LCD library. Before running any of these examples, make sure the pin parameters at the top of the program reflect your setup. My Circuit should yield the following results.

Change the values in this section to match the ones described above for the pin configuration. To leave when you"re done, hit CTRL+X+Y on your keyboard. To execute this code, open a terminal and type python followed by the name of the file (including the extension).

In this session, I"ll go over the fundamental Python methods for interacting with the screen. To initialize the pins, it is necessary to invoke the following class. Before calling the class, make sure all the parameters have been defined.

While you could always use one of the other options, it"s improbable that you"ll ever need to. The Ardafruit CharLCD.py file in the Adafruit CharLCD folder of the Adafruit Python CharLCD folder will list all the accessible methods.

If your Python script isn"t producing any output on the screen, it"s probably due to incorrectly configured pins. Verify both of them, as well as the breadboard"s connections.

This guide walked you through connecting the Pi 4 to a 16x2 LCD. You can accomplish so much more with this sleek screen. You may set up a script to run at boot time and show useful information like the IP address, time, temperature, and more.

Please let me know how successful you were in putting up a Pi 4 LCD 162 display with the help of this tutorial. The following tutorial teaches how to interface a soil moisture sensor with raspberry pi 4.

If you plan on using an LCD with your Raspberry Pi, there’s a good chance you’ll need to program it in Python at some point. Python is probably the most popular programming language for coding on the Raspberry Pi, and many of the projects and examples you’ll find are written in Python.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to connect your LCD and program it in Python, using the RPLCD library. I’ll start with showing you how to connect it in either 8 bit mode or 4 bit mode. Then I’ll explain how to install the library, and provide examples for printing and positioning text, clearing the screen, and controlling the cursor. I’ll also give you examples for scrolling text, creating custom characters, printing data from a sensor, and displaying the date, time, and IP address of your Pi.

BONUS: I made a quick start guide for this tutorial that you can download and go back to later if you can’t set this up right now. It covers all of the steps, diagrams, and code you need to get started.

You can also connect the LCD via I2C, which uses only two wires, but it requires some extra hardware. Check out our article, How to Setup an I2C LCD on the Raspberry Pi to see how.

There are two ways to connect the LCD to your Raspberry Pi – in 4 bit mode or 8 bit mode. 4 bit mode uses 6 GPIO pins, while 8 bit mode uses 10. Since it uses up less pins, 4 bit mode is the most common method, but I’ll explain how to set up and program the LCD both ways.

Each character and command is sent to the LCD as a byte (8 bits) of data. In 8 bit mode, the byte is sent all at once through 8 data wires, one bit per wire. In 4 bit mode, the byte is split into two sets of 4 bits – the upper bits and lower bits, which are sent one after the other over 4 data wires.

Theoretically, 8 bit mode transfers data about twice as fast as 4 bit mode, since the entire byte is sent all at once. However, the LCD driver takes a relatively long time to process the data, so no matter which mode is being used, we don’t really notice a difference in data transfer speed between 8 bit and 4 bit modes.

If this is your first time writing and running a Python program, you might want to read How to Write and Run a Python Program on the Raspberry Pi, which will explain everything you need to know to run the examples below.

The RPLCD library can be installed from the Python Package Index, or PIP. It might already be installed on your Pi, but if not, enter this at the command prompt to install it:

The example programs below use the Raspberry Pi’s physical pin numbers, not the BCM or GPIO numbers. I’m assuming you have your LCD connected the way it is in the diagrams above, but I’ll show you how to change the pin connections if you need to.

Let’s start with a simple program that will display “Hello world!” on the LCD. If you have a different sized LCD than the 16×2 I’m using (like a 20×4), change the number of columns and rows in line 2 of the code. cols= sets the number of columns, and rows= sets the number of rows. You can also change the pins used for the LCD’s RS, E, and data pins. The data pins are set as pins_data=[D0, D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7].

The text can be positioned anywhere on the screen using lcd.cursor_pos = (ROW, COLUMN). The rows are numbered starting from zero, so the top row is row 0, and the bottom row is row 1. Similarly, the columns are numbered starting at zero, so for a 16×2 LCD the columns are numbered 0 to 15. For example, the code below places “Hello world!” starting at the bottom row, fourth column:

The RPLCD library provides several functions for controlling the cursor. You can have a block cursor, an underline cursor, or a blinking cursor. Use the following functions to set the cursor:

Text will automatically wrap to the next line if the length of the text is greater than the column length of your LCD. You can also control where the text string breaks to the next line by inserting \n\r where you want the break to occur. The code below will print “Hello” to the top row, and “world!” to the bottom row.

This program will print the IP address of your ethernet connection to the LCD. To print the IP of your WiFi connection, just change eth0 in line 19 to wlan0:

Each character on the LCD is an array of 5×8 of pixels. You can create any pattern or character you can think of, and display it on the screen as a custom character. Check out this website for an interactive tool that creates the bit array used to define custom characters.

First we define the character in lines 4 to 12 of the code below. Then we use the function lcd.create_char(0-7, NAME) to store the character in the LCD’s CGRAM memory. Up to 8 (0-7) characters can be stored at a time. To print the custom character, we use lcd.write_string(unichr(0)), where the number in unichr() is the memory location (0-7) defined in lcd.create_char().

To demonstrate how to print data from a sensor, here’s a program that displays the temperature from a DS18B20 Digital Temperature Sensor. There is some set up to do before you can get this to work on the Raspberry Pi, so check out our tutorial on the DS18B20 to see how.

In general, you take the input variable from your sensor and convert it to an integer to perform any calculations. Then convert the result to a string, and output the string to the display using lcd.write_string(sensor_data()):

Well, that about covers most of what you’ll need to get started programming your LCD with Python. Try combining the programs to get some interesting effects. You can display data from multiple sensors by printing and clearing the screen or positioning the text. You can also make fun animations by scrolling custom characters.

This repository contains all the code for interfacing with a 16x2 character I2C liquid-crystal display (LCD). This accompanies my Youtube tutorial: Raspberry Pi - Mini LCD Display Tutorial.

During the installation, pay attention to any messages about python and python3 usage, as they inform which version you should use to interface with the LCD driver. For example:

It is possible to define in CG RAM memory up to 8 custom characters. These characters can be prompted on LCD the same way as any characters from the characters table. Codes for the custom characters are unique and as follows:

For example, the hex code of the symbol ö is 0xEF, and so this symbol could be printed on the second row of the display by using the {0xEF} placeholder, as follows:

This demo uses ping and nc (netcat) to monitor the network status of hosts and services, respectively. Hosts and services can be modified by editing their respective dictionaries:

exchangerate-api.com / free.currencyconverterapi.com: There are a lot of currency apis but these ones offer free currency exchange info. Both are used, one as main, the other as backup. Requires an API key to use.

In order to use the script, you need to get API key tokens for both exchange rate services and the weather api. Once you"ve done that, edit the script to put your tokens in the USER VARIABLES section.

The 3.5 inch LCD Display is directly pluggable into a Raspberry Pi and perfectly fits various Pi models from B+ to Raspberry Pi 3B+. It is a brilliant alternative for an HDMI monitor. When set up, it behaves as a human-machine interface enabling the user to prototype with the Raspberry Pi device anywhere at any time.

This is a new Pi Pico display from Waveshare with many more pixels. It is a 2inch LCD display module, designed for Raspberry Pi Pico, with an embedded ST7789VW driver, 65K RGB colours, 320x240 pixels and an SPI interface. A Pi Pico can be plugged into the rear of the screen for very easy connection without any soldering. It sports 4 simple button switches for user input. It is bright, colourful and easy to program. The makers supply an example program (see below), which includes the display driver, making it very easy to get started. The manufacturer"s wiki can be found at:

In the previous project of the Raspberry Pi Series, I have shown you how to blink an LED using Raspberry Pi and Python Program. Moving forward in the series, in this project, I’ll show you the interfacing 16×2 LCD with Raspberry Pi.

In this project, you can see all the steps for Interfacing a 16×2 LCD with Raspberry Pi like circuit diagram, components, working, Python Program and explanation of the code.

Even though the Raspberry Pi computer is capable of doing many tasks, it doesn’t have a display for implementing it in simple projects. A 16×2 Alphanumeric Character LCD Display is a very important types of display for displaying some basic and vital information.

A 16×2 LCD is one of the most popular display modules among hobbyists, students and even electronics professionals. It supports 16 characters per row and has two such rows. Almost all the 16×2 LCD Display Modules that are available in the market are based on the Hitachi’s HD44780 LCD Controller.

The pin description in the above table shows that a 16×2 LCD has 8 data pins. Using these data pins, we can configure the 16×2 LCD in either 8 – bit mode or 4 – bit mode. I’ll show the circuit diagram for both the modes.

In 8 – bit mode, all the 8 data pins i.e. D0 to D7 are used for transferring data. This type of connection requires more pins on the Raspberry Pi. Hence, we have opted for 4 – bit mode of LCD. The circuit diagram (with Fritzing parts) is shown below.

The following image shows the wiring diagram of the featured circuit of this project i.e. LCD in 4 – bit mode. In this mode, only 4 data pins i.e. D4 to D7 of the LCD are used.

NOTE: In this project, we have used the 4 – bit mode of the 16×2 LCD display. The Python code explained here is also related to this configuration. Slight modifications are needed in the Python Program if the circuit is configured in 8 – bit mode.

The design of the circuit for Interfacing 16×2 LCD with Raspberry Pi is very simple. First, connect pins 1 and 16 of the LCD to GND and pins 2 and 15 to 5V supply.

Then connect a 10KΩ Potentiometer to pin 3 of the LCD, which is the contrast adjust pin. The three control pins of the LCD i.e. RS (Pin 4), RW (Pin 5) and E (Pin 6) are connected to GPIO Pin 7 (Physical Pin 26), GND and GPIO Pin 8 (Physical Pin 24).

Now, the data pins of the LCD. Since we are configuring the LCD in 4 – bit mode, we need only 4 data pins (D4 to D7). D4 of LCD is connected to GPIO25 (Physical Pin 22), D5 to GPIO24 (Physical Pin 18), D6 to GPIO24 (Physical Pin 16) and D7 to GPIO18 (Physical Pin 12).

The working of project for Interfacing 16×2 LCD with Raspberry Pi is very simple. After making the connections as per the circuit diagram, login to your Raspberry Pi using SSH Client like Putty in Windows.

Alternatively, you can use any VNC Viewer software like RealVNC. (NOTE: I’ve used RealVNC Software for accessing the Raspberry Pi’s Desktop on my personal computer).

I’ve created a folder named “Python_Progs” on the desktop of the Raspberry Pi. So, I’ll be saving my Python Program for Interfacing 16 x 2 LCD with Raspberry Pi in this folder.

Using “cd” commands in the terminal, change to this directory. After that, open an empty Python file with name “lcdPi.py” using the following command in the terminal.

Now, copy the above code and paste it in the editor. It is important to properly use the Tab characters as they help in grouping the instructions in Python.

Save the file and close the editor. To test the code, type the following command in the terminal. If everything is fine with your connections and Python Program, you should be able to see the text on the 16×2 LCD.

First, I’ve imported the RPi.GPIO Python Package as GPIO (here after called as GPIO Package) and sleep from time package. Then, I have assigned the pin for LCD i.e. RS, E, D4, D5, D6 and D7. The numbering scheme I followed is GPIO or BCM Scheme.

Finally, using some own functions like lcd_init, lcd_string, lcd_display, etc. I’ve transmitted the data to be printed from the Raspberry Pi to the 16×2 LCD Module.

By interfacing 16×2 LCD with Raspberry Pi, we can have a simple display option for our raspberry Pi which can display some basic information like Date, Time, Status of a GPIO Pin, etc.

Many simple and complex application of Raspberry Pi like weather station, temperature control, robotic vehicles, etc. needs this small 16×2 LCD Display.

The Raspberry Pi is an amazing single board computer (SBC) capable of running Linux and a whole host of applications. Python is a beginner-friendly programming language that is used in schools, web development, scientific research, and in many other industries. This guide will walk you through writing your own programs with Python to blink lights, respond to button pushes, read sensors, and log data on the Raspberry Pi.

Notice: This tutorial was written with Raspbian version "April 2018" and Python version 3.5.3. Other versions may affect how some of the steps in this guide are performed.

Note: As an alternative for the I2C example, you could also use the the Qwiic cables and the Qwiic TMP102 to easily connect without needing to solder or connect to the four pins.

You have several options when it comes to working with the Raspberry Pi. Most commonly, the Pi is used as a standalone computer, which requires a monitor, keyboard, and mouse (listed below). To save on costs, the Pi can also be used as a headless computer (without a monitor, keyboard, and mouse). This setup has a slightly more difficult learning curve, as you will need to use the command-line interface (CLI) from another computer.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to add an LCD hat to your Raspberry Pi. This is an alternative to connecting an LCD display to your Pi through its HDMI port.

I will feature 4D Systems 4DPi-32 LCD hat in this tutorial. The 4DPi-32 is the 3.2" version of their 4DPi line of products which also include sizes 3.5" and 2.4".  It"s a resistive touchscreen, which means you need to have a stylus for it. You can buy the 4DPi-32 here

My Raspberry Pi is running Raspbian Stretch (November 2017 release) so make sure you have the same version before you proceed with this tutorial. You can download the Raspbian Stretch from the official site.

Next, we need to adjust the console size of the Pi to fit into the 3.2" screen. Since the 4DPi-32 has a screen resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, we need to adjust the framebuffer to this size. In the same config.txt file, locate the following lines:

To fit the contents of the console to the screen, we must change the framebuffer width and height to (width = 2 * overscan). For example, for a 320 pixel width, the framebuffer width should be 320 - 32 = 288. In short, uncomment the framebuffer lines and replace the values with these:

While the Pi is still off, mount the LCD hat. Then turn on the Raspberry Pi. If everything"s done right, you should now see the Pi"s desktop environment on the LCD screen.

The 4DPi-32 is a resistive touchscreen which means it would not respond to your fingers. You can use a stylus or any pointy (not too sharp) object that is non-conductive (plastic) to navigate through the screen. But first, you need to calibrate the touchscreen. To do that, install the following packages:

Raspberry Pi 16×2 LCD I2C Interfacing and Python Programming– I have been using 16×2 LCD for quite a long time in different Arduino and IoT related projects. You know we have two types of the 16×2 LCD, the normal one used more wires and the other one is based on the I2C interface which needs only two wires.

If you have the plain version of this display then this tutorial is not for you. The plain version is not practical anyway  it would use a lot of GPIO Pins and it has a complicated programming requirement.

With this version you need only four pins and the programming model is very simple. Other than the display you will need some wires. This is what I will be using.

The right-hand side matches the backpack pins, while the left hand-side will go to a breadboard. You also need a small Phillips screwdriver to adjust the contrast.

The backpack module uses the I-squred-C (or I2C) protocol to communicate with the Raspberry Pi, which uses only two wires: SDA and SCL (data and clock). Please note that the display is a 5 volt device, and it is powered by 5 volts, but due to design of the I2C protocol, and the fact that the Raspberry Pi is the controlling device, it is safe to connect such display to the Raspberry Pi directly.

I suggest using wires of different colors to connect the LCD display. This minimizes the risk of damage due to incorrect connections. For example, I’m using

I use the cobbler connector with a breadboard, but the display can be connected to the GPIO headers directly, you’ll just need to use different wires. 5 volts and ground connections are close to each other here, while the SDA and SCL line are connected on the opposite side.

Before you start using the I2C 16×2 LCD display with Python, you need to make sure that the I2C protocol is enabled on your Raspberry Pi. You can use the sudo raspi-config utility to take care of that. This program is navigated using keyboard arrows, tab and the Enter key. Look for I2C in the interfacing options and enable it. Enabling I2C requires a reboot.

And you can also adjust the contrast using a small Phillips screwdriver. Set it somewhere in the middle. Be careful not to short anything with the screwdriver while you make the adjustment. Looks like my display is ready to go.

The 27 hexadecimal addresses happen to be the most common, but your display’s address may be different. For example, it could be 3f. This will depend on the chip version of the backpack module. As long as the i2cdetect command shows the display is connected, you are good to go.

The easiest way to program this 16×2 I2C LCD display in Python is by using a dedicated library. There are many to choose from. I like things simple, so the library I recommend is rpi_lcd.

This library has the default 27 address hard-coded. If your display has a different address you will need to change it. You need to find the library on your system and the following command should do that for you.

I use the clear function at the end of the program, otherwise the message will stay on the display after the program ends. The two numbers (1 and 2) at the end of the text function indicate which line of the display to use.

This is an opportunity to adjust the contrast, especially if the display does not show anything, if you don’t see the “Hello, Raspberry Pi!” message. The adjustment only affects the letters, not the backlight. The backlight in this model is not adjustable, it’s always on, but you can turn it off by removing the jumper on the backpack.

I have another tutorial if you are interested in 16×2 LCD Displays with the Pi.  Unlike the 16×2 which is primarily simple text, the graphics LCD makes it easy to draw graphics, different size text in any font and even play games or show animations.  This is the Adafruit ST7565 graphics negative LCD display:

It can be powered directly from the Pi’s 3.3 V rail.  It requires 5 GPIO pins for data.  The display has a negative RGB back light which allows you change the foreground color.  An additional 3 GPIO pins are required if you want to control the color from the Pi.

Here is a simplified wiring schematic.  CS (Chip Select), RST (Reset) and A0 (Register Select) can be connected to any 3 GPIO pins. I’m using 8, 25 and 24 respectively which are the default values.  Different values can be specified as parameters when you instantiate the ST7565 Python class.  SCLK (Serial Clock) on the GLCD goes to GPIO 11 which is the Pi’s serial clock.  SID (Serial Input Data) on the GLCD goes to GPIO 10 on the Pi which is MOSI.  You must use GPIO 10 and 11 for SID and SCLK.  Vdd is connected to a 3.3 V pin on the Pi and the grounds are also connected.

The RGB back light LED pins can go to GPIO’s 16, 20 and 21. You can use any GPIO pins for these (in the video I used 8, 10 & 11).  There are no default values.  To control the color from the Pi you must specify the RGB pins when you instantiate the ST7565 class.  Resistors are placed in series to limit the current. I’m using 51 Ω which provides ample brightness. Since the back light is common anode, the back light anode a+ pin is connected to the Pi’s 3.3 V power. The back light LED’s are turned on by grounding the cathode pins.  You could go brighter with lower ohm resistors but you would need to use transistors because you do not want to exceed the maximum GPIO current which I believe is 16 mA per pin with a combined total not to exceed 50 mA.  Please note that the display has a 100 Ω resistor built-in on the red channel.   The resistor is visible on the back of the display and is not mentioned in the datasheet.

The display is 128 pixels wide by 64 pixels high.  The display is broken into 8 horizontal pages.  The pages are confusingly numbered from the center 0 to 3 and 7 to 4.  Each page is comprised of 128 columns of 8 vertical pixels.  To address the pixels you specify the page and the column number and then send a byte to fill 8 vertical pixels at once.

Don’t worry if this seems confusing because I went ahead and wrote a Python library to handle all the drawing for you.  It uses a back buffer that can be addressed with simple X, Y coordinates.  And just for the record, this display has a 9th page on the bottom but it only has 1 row of pixels so I omitted it to make the programming easier.

The display is connected to the Pi using SPI which stands for Serial Peripheral Interface.  My previous tutorial on AVR programming with the Pi details SPI which usually requires 3 lines MOSI, MISO and Clock.  The Pi is the master and the GLCD is the slave.  Since we are only writing to the GLCD and not reading, we only need to connect the MOSI and Clock lines.  MOSI is the output from the pi to the GLCD and the clock synchronizes the timing.

From the raspi-config menu, select Advanced Options; then SPI. Select Yes for “Would like the SPI interface to be enabled”. Hit OK a reboot is required and Yes for “the SPI kernel module to be loaded by default”. Please reboot the Pi after enabling SPI.

I didn’t write an install because it’s only 2 files.  You can place them in the same folder as your program or append the system path with their location.  The main ST7565 library (st7565.py) which handles drawing, text & bitmaps, and a font module (xglcd_font.py) to load X-GLCD fonts.

Methods starting with draw are for outlines and fill for solids.  For example, draw_rectangle draws a rectangle outline.  X1, Y1 is the top left corner.  W & H are the width and height.  There is also the fill_rectangle method which has the same parameters but draws a solid filled rectangle.  The color parameter can be 1 which turns the pixels on or zero which turns the pixels off.  The actual color would depend on the LED back light.

The invert parameter toggles the existing pixel state on the buffer.  If the pixel is off, it will turn it on and if it is already on it will turn it off.  This overrides the color parameter.  It allows you to see where a shape intersects another shape.

The Is Point can be used to determine the state of a current pixel.  It returns true if the pixel at location X, Y is illuminated or false if it is turned off. I use it in my Artillery Duel game to determine if a projectile has hit another object.

I commented the methods pretty well and I added docstrings detailing all the parameters and usage if you need more help.  Here are some basic LCD commands:

Clear_display clears the GLCD.  Clear back buffer clears the back buffer.  You would issue both clear commands to start with a clean slate.  Flip sends the back buffer to the display.  I probably should have named the flip method present because the buffer is copied to the display and not swapped.

Set_backlight_color allows you to change the LED back light color.  The RGB values are specified in percentage points 0 to 100.  The software uses pulse width modulation to control the LED’s for greater color range.  It also enables you to change the brightness of the display.  You must specify the RGB pins when you instantiate the class to enable color control from software.   Set contrast changes the display contrast.  A great feature of this display is the ability to control brightness and contrast in software.  Sleep and wake take the display in and out of power saving mode which uses less power than the standby mode.

Here is an example that draws rectangular border around the display.  Don’t forget to initialize the display after importing and instantiating it.  Also please note that all drawing commands operate on the back buffer.  Nothing will appear on the display until you fire the flip command.

Draw letter draws a single letter.  You can specify an X-GLCD font.  X, Y are the top left coordinates of the letter.  Invert acts a little different from the drawing commands.  It just inverts the letter (dark text on an illuminated background.)  Landscape draws text along the long axis of the display.  If set to false the text is rotated and drawn along the short axis.  Draw string, draws a string of characters.  You can specify pixel spacing between letters.

Several fonts are included with my library.  Plus, you can convert most TrueType fonts to X-GLCD format using the free edition of MikroElektronika GLCD Font Creator.  Click Import an Existing System Font to load any TrueType font on your system.

The default options should be OK.  You might want to change the font size.  Once loaded there is a rich set of features to edit the font characters.  Click Export to GLCD to start the conversion.  Make sure you select the mikroC tab and X-GLCD lib format.  Then click save.  I like to include the font pixel width and height in the name because you’ll need it later to load the font.

Unfortunately, this program is Windows only.  Also if you are using a version higher than XP, you’ll need to run GLCD Font Creator in XP compatibility mode or else the save button will not work.  Right click on the program shortcut and click properties.  Select the compatibility tab and choose Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows XP (Service Pack 3):

Draw_bitmap draws a 2d array of pixels where X, Y are the top left corner of the image.  Load_bitmap is used to load a bitmap file into a 2d NumPy pixel array.  Path is the location of the bitmap file.  You have to specify the actual pixel width and height of the bitmap if the dimensions do not equal the size of the display.  Save_bitmap saves the screen to a raw bitmap file.

The image pixel size cannot be larger than the GLCD screen size.  The file size of the raw bitmaps should equal the pixel width times the pixel height.  For example, if you convert a 32×32 JPEG, the new raw bitmap file should be 1,024 bytes (32 X 32 = 1,024).  If it doesn’t then something went wrong during the conversion.

The program demonstrates rotating different size regular polygons.  It also uses text to display the angle and draws a small space ship in the corner.  Each loop draw the polygons twice at the current and previous position.  This makes for a more fluid animation.

The main loop draws the clock face and the date display.  Then the draw_line method is used for the minute and hour hands.  It repeats when the minute changes.

In this tutorial, we will learn Interfacing of 16×2 LCD Display with Raspberry Pi Pico. An LCD is an electronic display module that uses liquid crystal technology to produce a visible image. The 16×2 LCD display is a very basic module commonly used in electronic circuit applications. The 16×2 translates 16 characters per line in 2 such lines. In this LCD each character is displayed in a 5×8 pixel matrix.

Raspberry Pi Pico which was released a few months ago requires some LCD Display in engineering applications. Here we will go through the LCD Display details and features. The LCD Display is based on HD44780 Driver. There are I2C versions and non-I2C versions of LCD Display. We will take both of these LCDs as an example and interface with Raspberry Pi Pico. We will write MicroPython Code for Interfacing 16×2 LCD Display with Raspberry Pi Pico.

16×2 LCD is named so because it has 16 Columns and 2 Rows. So, it will have (16×2=32) 32 characters in total and each character will be made of 5×8 Pixel Dots. A Single character with all its Pixels is shown in the below picture.

Each character has (5×8=40) 40 Pixels and for 32 Characters we will have (32×40) 1280 Pixels. Further, the LCD should also be instructed about the Position of the Pixels. Hence it will be a complicated task to handle everything with the help of a microcontroller. Hence the LCD uses an interface IC like HD44780. This IC is mounted on the backside of the LCD Module. You can check the HD44780 Datasheet for more information.

The function of this IC is to get the Commands and Data from the MCU and process them to display meaningful information on LCD Screen. The LCD operating Voltage is 4.7V to 5.3V & the Current consumption is 1mA without a backlight. It can work on both 8-bit and 4-bit mode

There are two section pins on the whole 16×2 LCD module. Some of them are data pins and some are command pins. Somehow, every pin has a role in controlling a single pixel on the display.

This display incorporates an I2C interface that requires only 2 pins on a microcontroller to the interface. The I2C interface is a daughter board attached to the back of the LCD module. The I2C address for these displays is either 0x3F or 0x27.

The adapter has an 8-Bit I/O Expander chip PCF8574. This chip converts the I2C data from a microcontroller into the parallel data required by the LCD display. There is a small trimpot to make fine adjustments to the contrast of the display. In addition, there is a jumper on the board that supplies power to the backlight.

Now, let us interface the 16×2 LCD Display with Raspberry Pi Pico. You can use Fritzing Software to draw the Schematic. You can assemble the circuit on breadboard as shown in the image below.

Connect the pin 1, 5 & 16 of LCD to GND of Raspberry Pi Pico. Similarly, connect the Pin 2 & 15 of LCD to 5V Pin, i.e Vbus of Raspberry Pi Pico. Connect the Pin 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14 of LCD Display to Raspberry Pi Pico GP16, GP17, GP18, GP19, GP20, GP21 Pin.

Raspberry Pi Pico supports MicroPython Program for interfacing 16×2 LCD Display. You can either use Thonny IDE or uPyCraft IDE for running the MicroPython Code.

The above code is valid for 16×2 LCD Display without any I2C Module. The PCF8574 I2C or SMBus module simplifies the above connection. Instead of using so many wiring, you can use this IC Module and convert the data output lines just to 2 pins.

Hence the LCD Display becomes an I2C Display with an I2C address of 0x27. The connection between the Raspberry Pi Pico and I2C LCD is very simples as shown below in the schematic.

Connect the LCD VCC & GND Pin to Raspberry Pi Pico 5V & GND Pin respectively. Connect the SDA & SCL pin of LCD to Raspberry Pi Pico GP8 & GP9 respectively.

Wondering what to do with that Raspberry Pi you bought? Can this little device really act as a desktop PC? As a server? As a radio station? Yes, it can!

Along with the Pi itself, the microSD card, and power supply, you"ll need a HDMI cable and a suitable display. For the Pi 3 and 4, you"ll also need a keyboard and mouse – USB or Bluetooth. Later Raspberry Pis have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. For older models, check elinux.org"s Raspberry Pi Hub for compatible dongles.

Whether you have an old printer that doesn’t have wireless, or one that won’t connect to your network (perhaps due to an old Wi-Fi standard), you can avoid sending it to landfill by employing a Raspberry Pi.

Once this is set up, any computer on your home network can access the printer You can even add AirPrint support to Raspberry Pi, for iPhone and Android devices.

At one time, one of the popular uses for the Raspberry Pi was as a Kodi media center. Several Kodi builds have been released, with OSMC and LibreELEC still going strong.

If you prefer to keep your computer available for other projects, Kodi can be installed on Raspberry Pi OS. It can also be added to retro gaming systems (see below). Installing Kodi comes with some caveats, however. Not all add-ons are available, and of those that are, many will be intended to stream pirated content.

As well as streaming media, the Raspberry Pi is ideal as a retro gaming machine. Compact and powerful enough to be used in several ways, the device is suitable as a full size arcade cabinet, or even as part of a Game Boy-esque handheld.

You probably know that a special version of Minecraft is available for Raspberry Pi OS. But did you know that your Pi can be used as a Minecraft game server, letting you play from anywhere on your home network?

Beyond Minecraft, however, other multiplayer network games can be set up on the Raspberry Pi. Open source ports of Quake, Civilization, Doom, and Open TTD can be installed as game servers on your Raspberry Pi.

Using the Python programming language, a suitable mount (overhead for Gilliam-esque paper craft animation, a standard tripod for clay- or toy-based), and a well-lit area, you’ll also need to rig a button to the Pi’s GPIO.

Combining the Raspberry Pi camera module with a different script creates another use for your Pi: making time-lapse movies. This is done by taking single frames with a timed delay. Again, you’ll need a tripod or mount to keep the camera module steady.

Do you have a message you want to share? Need to communicate with a community that has no internet access? The answer is to broadcast using radio, a secret feature of the Raspberry Pi.

Broadcasting over FM is illegal without a license. Fortunately, the Pi can only broadcast over a short distance, so you should be able to avoid getting into trouble.

But there are a few useful things you can do with a Twitter bot and if your Raspberry Pi has a permanent internet connection, you can create your own.

You"ll need to register a Twitter app to gain access to the Twitter API, and with some code (Python or Node.js) your bot will be ready. You could tweet anything from your Pi’s CPU temperature to a randomly selected quote of the day or even a photo.

Off-the-shelf digital photo frames are attractive, if somewhat limited in space, storage, and purpose. What if they could do more than just display your favorite family photos?

This is one of the best Raspberry Pi projects you will build: a digital photo frame that delivers inspiring messages alongside photos of beautiful scenes. The result is something that dazzles your eyes while making you really think about the message. We used a Raspberry Pi touchscreen display for this project; any compatible LCD display should be suitable.

Alonside the standard Raspberry Pi Camera Module, a No-IR module is also available. This is particularly suitable for nighttime photography. Raspberry Pi No-IR Camera Module.

For instance, you might use time-lapse photography to track the path of the stars and the moon overnight. Or employ a slow shutter speed to get a trace effect. Whatever your plan for night photography, the Raspberry Pi should suit your requirements perfectly.

Several network monitoring tools are available, but none is as easy to install and configure as Nagios. Once installed on your Raspberry Pi, you can monitor uptime, view a visualization of the devices on your network, and more.

Another way to enjoy media streaming on the Raspberry Pi is to configure it as a Plex server. Any PC, TV, or any other device running the standard Plex client app can then view media stored on the Raspberry Pi.

To get started with this project, you"ll need your own YouTube channel ready to use, and the libav-tools package installed. Check our detailed tutorial to streaming live video to YouTube from a Raspberry Pi for the full instructions.

It isn’t as complicated as you might think, with several pre-installed applications in Raspberry Pi OS included to aid basic programming. Among these is Scratch.

With a Raspberry Pi 2 or later you can stream Steam games from your main PC or Steam Deck to a TV. You"ll need to ensure that the Raspberry Pi or the PC (preferably both) are connected to your router via Ethernet. This is because Wi-Fi isn’t fast enough for streaming games without latency.

Ever wanted to catch up with the latest news, movie trailers, pop videos, and traffic and weather information while shaving? The answer is a smart mirror, a device powered by a Raspberry Pi.

Basically, this is a two-way mirror with a special display mounted behind the glass. Any type of mirror can be used for a smart mirror project; you should use one that suits your purposes.

You can emulate classic platforms on a Raspberry Pi, or you can stream games from a PC. If you"re not comfortable setting up streaming or emulators, plenty of games can be installed on the Raspberry Pi natively.

Some great games can be run on your Raspberry Pi without emulators. A great example is Doom, which incredibly can be installed to run on the Raspberry Pi. Other examples include FreeCiv, Quake III, and even the open source SimCity clone, Micropolis.