Arduino Software Wire Library: Connecting to Your LCD Display

When working on projects that involve LCD displays, it can be challenging to find a way to connect them to your Arduino board without running out of pins. Fortunately, there are alternative methods you can use to communicate with these displays using the I2C/TWI interface. In this article, we'll explore how to connect your LCD display to your Arduino board using the I2C/TWI software wire library.

To start, you will need a 4-wire cable or a breadboard and jumper wires if you want to wire the connection yourself. The 4-pin display connects to Vcc, Gnd, SDA, and SCL pins. You can also use an Arduino Sensor Shield to make the connection easier.

The I2C/TWI interface is a two-wire interface that uses only two pins on your Arduino board: SDA (Serial Data) and SCL (Serial Clock). This means you won't need any additional pins like RS, EN, D7, D6, D5, and D4 to communicate with the display. The I2C/TWI interface is a great way to free up more pins on your Arduino board for other components.

It's worth noting that there are different versions of these LCD displays available in the market, and they may have slightly different pinouts or markings. For example, you might find them marked as 'LCM1602 IIC A0 A1 A2', 'Arduino-IIC-LCD GY-LCD-V1', or 'YwRobot Arduino LCM1602 IIC V1'.

To use the I2C/TWI interface with your LCD display, you will need to download the software wire library written by F Malpartida. This library is available for download on his website.

Once you have the library installed, you can start coding your project using the I2C/TWI interface to communicate with your LCD display. The library provides a simple and easy-to-use API that makes it easy to send data to the display and control its behavior.

In conclusion, connecting an LCD display to your Arduino board using the I2C/TWI interface is a great way to free up more pins on your board for other components. With the software wire library written by F Malpartida, you can easily communicate with your LCD display using only two pins on your Arduino board.

Arduino software wire library