Page 150 - Making PIC Microcontroller Instruments and Controllers

la2 USlllG LIQUID CFYSIAL DISPLAYS: At{ EXTE DED lt{FOFii|AtlOl{ EESOUnCE

A 2-line-by-i6 character LCD module. (One- or twoline
&!AISH!KS
LCDS can add a lremendous amounl of utililyto a proiect )

the LCD as determined by the maoufacturer. You can also sdoll the display up and down
if you design the commands, and write the software' to do so This is not built into the
LCD or the controller soflwdre. A typical 16 x 2 display is shown in Figure 9 I

Usin LCDs in Your Pro

It is generally agreed that most projects benefit from having a one- or twoline display
incofoorated in them. Howevet these displays tend to be mther pricey (about $50)
whe;provided with the necessary controlling IC, and quite reasonable (about $5 to $6)
when bought without the supporting package. Since a PIC micmcontroller can be pur-
chaseal for about $5, we should be able to have a complete display unit for a marginal
cost of around $10 if we can figure out how to prograrn our PIC microcontrcller to con
trol the display.
The readily available and inexpensive 2-line-by- 16-character LCD ($6 at All
Electronics) offers us the ability to display information in a limited butuseful way jn
ourprojects. Mastedng theuse of this LCD display means we have gained the expert_
ise to write any charactet at any locatioll, at any time' or in response to any event'
whenever we want. This chapter aaldresses problem in detail and tells you what
this
you need to know anal do to make these displays inexpensive additions to all ofyour
proJects.
_
In this chapter, you will leam how to control an LCD The code you create will
be able to be incorporated into almost any PICBASIC PRO program and will coII-
trol the LCD from any available half port (nibble) and three other ftee I/O lines The
code $ ill be mofe llnraf lhan il needs lo be \o ou can see eraclly $ har i' going nn'
)