lcd display pic microcontroller manufacturer

PIC is a family of microcontroller products made by Microchip Technology. The acronym PIC microcontroller stands for Programmable Interface Controller and more recently Programmable Intelligent Computer. Modern controllers were derived from the PIC1650 which was originally created by General Instruments Microelectronics Division. It was created to offload the I/O (Input/Output) traffic from the CP1600, a 16-bit Central Processing Unit. While it was a decent CPU at the time it had poor performance in handling I/O traffic. From its new product conception and first public availability in 1976 to today an astounding 12 billion units have been sold!

The early models of PIC used ROM which stands for Read Only Memory. This type of memory was used for field-programmable EPROM and could be used for program storage. Some had provisions for erasing memory as well.

Today’s models use Flash memory for program storage. This enables the newer models to reprogram itself if the application calls for it. Newer enhancements including separating program and data memory. Data memory can be utilized as 8, 16 and in the newest models 32 or 64 bit wide. In contrast to the data memory, the program instructions vary by family of PIC and can be 12, 14, 16 or 24 bits long.

The PIC microcontroller hardware spans from 8-pin DIP type chips up to 100-pin SMD. New offerings can have discrete I/O, ADC and DAC along with communication ports such as CAN, UART, USB and I2C.

Many software developers have written tools to support PICs. Among the programmer/debugger hardware tools are MPLAB and PICkit. Most development suites utilize C/C++ compilers. Open source code and development are also available to use.

Many entry level circuits and programming classes in today’s public university and junior college levels utilize the PIC microcontroller as a means for hands on development in both hardware and software projects. They are preferred my teachers in these classes due to low cost, reliability, a large user base and extensive collection of application notes.

The computer you are using now, whether it’s a laptop or a desktop PC, is essentially ran by a microprocessor. A pic microcontroller is similar but on a much smaller scale. While the desktop computer is a “generic purpose computer” capable of running thousands of programs, the pic microcontroller is more of a “special purpose computer”.

PIC Microcontrollers usually have direct contact with the consumer. For a microwave the display’s information is directed to the microcontroller which then turns on the microwave to cook and starts a timer for the timer function. For a TV, the user interacts with the remote control. The microcontroller then receives this data and will adjust the gain for the volume control, video features such as brightness, color, aspect ratio, etc. For the microcontroller, the remote control is the input device and the TV screen is the output device. Another use for a microcontroller is in the engine of your car. It will take information from sensors and use it to adjust fuel mixture and spark plug timing.

A microcontroller is usually embedded. Meaning it is within the device or consumer product being used. This has led to another term for the microcontroller – “embedded controller”. They usually run one program which is stored in ROM and does not change. They are extremely low power as compared to a microprocessor type device. A desktop may consume 50 Watts vs a battery-operated microcontroller which may consume 50 milliwatts or less! Imagine replacing your power bill to 1/1000th!

The architecture of a microcontroller is complex and may contain the following:A CPU(ranging from a 4-bit processor in more simple applications to a newer architecture 64-bit processor for much more complex applications.)

It used to be the choices of microcontrollers were very limited. Hobbyists and professionals picking one for a project had a limited list. Now the choices available have grown exponentially to well over thousands on Allied Electronicsalone.

Currently a hobbyist should choose a current microcontroller which uses flash or EEPROM memory. These can be programmed then erased and programmed again many times. The cost advantage of one-time-only programmable units have decreased considerably. While external memory options are available, they are usually pricey and can add complexity.

Make a list of the peripherals your microcontroller will be required to support. Some of the options supported are: UART, SPI, I2C, USB, Ethernet and CAN are some of the current examples. Finding an option which supports every peripheral narrows the list considerably. Also is this a low power and relatively simple 4 bit application, or will it support 32 or 64 bit instructions?

Memory can range from as little as 256 instructions and 16 bytes of RAM to as much as 8k of instructions. RAM memory in general is scarce in microcontrollers but a lot can be accomplished with 8k of instructions!

Need help with the design of your custom LCD or resistive touch screen? Contact a technical support person at Focus Displays now by filling out the form on the right-hand side of the screen or call us at 480-503-4295.

Effortlessly meet the ever-changing requirements of modern electronics with our portfolio of scalable 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) and microprocessors (MPUs). Our flexible peripherals and functions make it easy to create differentiated applications that set you apart from your competition. You’ll find it simple to get started by using our intuitive design environments and visual configuration tools, while our proven reference designs and professionally-tested software libraries lower your design risk.

Our 8-bit PIC® and AVR® MCUs help developers of all skill levels to easily bring their ideas to life. Use the combination of readily customizable peripherals and the industry"s most code-efficient architectures to bring multiple functions to a single chip with minimal programming.

PIC24 MCUs are well suited for applications that need eXtreme Low Power (XLP) performance or have outgrown the performance or memory capabilities of an 8-bit MCU and can benefit from staying within a common ecosystem.

Offering up to 100 MHz performance per core, the dsPIC33 family of DSCs provides fast deterministic response and real-time control capabilities for advanced sensing and control, high-performance general embedded, touch, motor control and digital power applications.

These boards facilitate evaluating dsPIC33CH and dsPIC33CK families. They feature two mikroBUS™ sockets, which allow you to add Click boards™ to customize your board for your application.

The PIC32MZ Embedded Connectivity with Floating Point Unit (EF) Family Starter Kit (DM320007 for non-crypto development or DM320007-C for crypto development) is a low-cost solution for developing and testing of USB and Ethernet-based applications.

The MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger/Programmer allows fast and easy debugging and programming of PIC®, dsPIC®, AVR, SAM and CEC Flash MCUs and MPUs using the powerful graphical user interface of MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE), starting with version 4.15.

The MPLAB ICE 4 in-circuit emulator system boosts productivity with feature-rich programming and debugging for PIC®, AVR® and SAM devices and dsPIC® DSCs. It offers a flexible development environment combined with the capabilities to develop power-efficient code while reducing debug time.

Microchip"s LCD PIC microcontroller family is a Flash-based, power managed family of LCD-enabled microcontrollers. Microchips LCD PIC microcontroller family meets low power design requirements including driving the LCD display in sleep mode while maintaining desired functional features. With the ability to select from an array of available LCD PIC microcontrollers, a designer can provide additional value by creating scalable designs and products. This gives the designer flexibility to offer different solutions based on the demand of varying market segments all from a single design.

A lot goes into the design of quality electronics regardless of the intended application. Akey componentof embedded systems in electronics is the microcontroller. While diverse, an electronic designer needs to settle for a microcontroller type that suits their electronic needs. PIC microcontrollers are one such type.

PIC microcontrollersare programmable and the world’s tiniest. It is capable of carrying out a diverse task range. Therefore, you will find them in alarm systems, computer control systems, phones, alarm systems, etc. Understanding the diverse types of PIC microcontrollers informs the design process and programming of PIC microcontrollers. Want to learn more? Continue reading.

PIC microcontrollers, alternatively inferred asprogrammable interface controllers, came to the fore in 1993. Primarily designed and developed to support PDP computers in controlling their auxiliary devices, it currently has an expanded scope.

The PIC microcontrollers are based on Harvard architecture, which makes them popular. It stems from the ease in which it can get programmed,low cost, wide availability, and a simple interfacing capability with other auxiliary components. Additionally, it possesses a huge user base besides capacity for serial programming.

As anintegrated chip, a PIC microcontroller consists of a ROM, RAM, timers, CPU, and counters that support protocols like CAN, UART, and SPI for interfacing purposes. It also has flash memory, I/O ports, EEPROM, UART, SSP, ADC, and PSP besides ICSPand LCD. Such components form a fundamental aspect of the PIC microcontroller architecture.

The architecture of the PIC microcontroller defines its functionality. Besides considering the four classifications of the PIC microcontroller that rely on the internal architecture, understanding the different PIC microcontrollers’ types becomes ideal before the design process. Classifications include baseline PIC, enhanced mid-range PIC, mid-range PIC, and PIC18.

PIC microcontrollers also need programming to tailor them to their specific applications. As a designer, you need to factor in the PIC microcontroller programming software to deploy before development. It allows for its proper functioning upon completion. In most instances, the typical programming language often features the embedded C language. Let us now look into the architecture and programming process of the PIC microcontroller.

It only becomes possible to design and program a PIC microcontroller after understanding its architecture. The architecture entails I/O ports, CPU, A/D converter, interrupts, oscillator, counters/timers, memory organization CPP module, and serial communication.

It is similar to other microcontroller CPUs. It has a CU, AC, ALU, accumulator, and MU, among other components. Every aspect has its use. For instance, a control unit (CU) controls everything connected to the CPU. An arithmeticlogic unit (ALU) carries out arithmetic operations besides undertaking logical decisions. A memory unit (MU) stores instructions, etc.

The MU or memory organization module consists of ROM, RAM, and STACK. RAM comes unstable and stores data momentarily in its registers. RAM registers get classified either as general-purpose (GPR) or special function registers (SFR). On the other hand, ROM stores data permanently and, for a microcontroller case, the program. It all functions through the execution of instructions by the CPU. EEPROM allows for programming of the ROM numerous times instead of what happens in a typicalread-only memory (ROM). Flash memory is also PROM and thus can write, read, and erase programs multiple times. Lastly, STACK stores and executes the information from the completion of the interrupt execution.

All PIC16 contain five ports, including Port A, B, C, D, and E. Port A is a 16-bit port for output and input based on the TRISA register. The next is Port B, which comes as an 8-bit port for output or input functions, while Port C is similar to Port B but with its operation specified by the TRISC register. Port D acts as the slave port for Bus connection, while Port E comes as a 3-bit port that controls the digital or analog converter signals.

PIC microcontrollers have four counters/timers, whereas the 8-bit timer or the rest can accommodate eight or sixteen-bit mode, depending on your choice. It generates accuracy actions such as particular time delays among two operations.

PIC microcontrollers always require a PIC programmer, especially when building a PIC microcontroller project. Programming comes by way of an embedded C language, and as such, a designer needs to familiarizing with all these aspects before building their PIC controller project. But what does it all entail?

Before getting started on the PIC microcontroller programming front, it is crucial to understand how a standard microcontroller gets developed. However, the underlying considerations entail picking an ideal project for the microcontroller program, such as an LED flash system. Designing the circuit also becomes vital. Here, aspects such as circuit components, diagrams, and connections come into consideration.

The programming of PIC microcontrollers often gets carried out through the “MP-Lab” software. It requires installation before proceeding to install the compiler. Compilers include GCC compiler, CCS compiler, etc. After completion of the installation process, all you need is to follow the process below.

Pick a suitable compiler based on your needs besides your project’s location path. You can pick the CCS or the GCC compiler depending on your PIC microcontroller needs. After that, choose the browse option then the “ccsloader” within the PICC folder from the program files. At this point, a source group folder gets created in the intended folder.

At this stage, it becomes vital to assign the appropriate name to your project before clicking “Next” to save the project. Within the target folder, a source group folder gets created, which you select the file menu and pick the new file from the drop-down list.

After coming up with the PIC microcontroller code, you have to load it into the microcontroller in a process inferred as dumping. Microcontrollers solely comprehend the machine-level language featuring 0’s and 1’s. As such, the dumping process requires specific code loading software.

It is crucial to select and install your preferred software program from many options in the market. Additionally, the PIC programmer kit will come complete with a hardware kit. Plug the PIC microcontroller into the hardware kit and follow the process below to dump the code into the PIC microcontroller.

Plenty of PIC microcontrollers exist in the market. It is, therefore, always difficult to settle on the correct PIC microcontroller type and size when talking to your PCB or circuit assembly company. However, based on your need, we at RayMing PCB and Assembly will advise you accordingly. What’s more? You will get top-rate quality assembly services for your PIC microcontroller at reasonable prices.

The PIC16f877a/PIC16f877 has a simple programming process besides convenience when it comes to using. Because of this, it proves a popular microcontroller option within the industry. It comes either 8-bit or 16-bit and has a flash memory tech allowing for numerous write-erase processes. While ideal because the total amount of pins (40 in total and 33 for output and input) mainly applies in digital electronic circuits and PIC microcontroller projects. It is instrumental in home automation devices and systems, industrial instruments, remote sensors, and safety and security devices.

It comes as an 8-bit CMOS microcontroller developed on high-performance RISC architecture. The PIC12f675 is small in size and cost-effective, thus proves popular among engineers and hobbyists. The design is perfect for low-end systems and applications because of its 2Kbytesflash memory. It also contains 6 GPIO pins that can handle not more than 25mA of current, meeting the threshold of many sensors and peripheral devices.

It is a renowned and the most utilized PIC microcontroller type based on its pioneering stature. The PIC16f84 comes as an 8-bit mid-range microcontroller with a 1024 word program memory. It also has a RAM of 68bytes and a lasting EPROM storage of 64bytes. The striking factor about PIC 16f84 is that it can get reprogrammed using thein-circuit ICSP.

It is an 8-bit flash-based CMOS microcontroller that is simple to program. The PIC microcontroller packs the powerful PIC® MCU architecture within the 8-pin package. It has various features that make it popular, such as the one-channel comparator besides the 128byte EEPROM. It is ideal for application in industrial, automotive, and consumer electronics.

It is a powerful and simple-to-program PIC microcontroller that is based on the CMOS flash-based 8-bit PIC microcontroller. Additionally, it packs the PIC® architecture within the 28-pin package. PIC16f886 possesses a 256byte EEPROM, is self-programming, and has two comparators, among other vital features. It makes it a popular choice for applications in sectors like industrial, automotive, consumer and appliances.

The popular PIC microcontroller mainly gets deployed in embeddedand automation systems. It comes as either TQFP, PDIP, or QFN. The PDIP has 40 pins, while the rest contains a 44-pin interface. It contains a 10-bit ADC, a 256byte EEPROM data memory, and a RAM of 1536 bytes.

It comes as a popular 8-bit PIC microcontroller and comes with an improved NanoWatt technology and flash processor. The PIC microcontroller has three distinctive packages in SSOP, PDIP, and QFN. The SSOP has a 20 pin package, while the PDIP and QFN have 18 pin and 28 pin packages, respectively.

It is a powerful and simple-to-program CMOS and flash-based 8-bit PIC microcontroller. The PIC16f676 packs the powerful PIC® MCU architecture within the 14-pin package. It is a 10-bit A/D converter complete with eight channels, a single comparator, besides an EEPROM data memory. It has applications in industrial, automotive, consumer, and appliance entry-level products, especially those requiring field re-programmability.

The 8-pin flash-based CMOS PIC microcontroller comes with a nanoWatt tech. It offers benefits associated with the mid-range x14 architecture, including standardized features. Such features make it a popular PIC microcontroller option for automotive and industrial applications.

The popular and powerful PIC microcontroller comes as an 8-bit CMPS FLASH-based microcontroller type. It contains 34 I/O pins and comes with one 16-bit and 8-bit timer, 10-bit A/D converter, SPI, I2C, and USART peripherals.

It is a popular and relatively new PIC microcontroller type that cannot work on older device models. The PIC16f628 is based on the FLASH program memory of 3.5, 2 comparators, and a single CCP. What makes it an excellent option entails low voltage programming, programmable BOR, on-chip voltage reference, and other features.

The 8-bit PIC microcontroller from Microchip comes with a 20-pin interface. It incorporates the high-performance RISC CPU that assists in the execution of instructions. The microprocessor also has a crystal oscillator of 20MHz for interfacing purposes and the creation of clock pulses.

The popular PIC microcontroller comes with a FLASH memory of 32KB and proves compatible with PIC17 and PIC16 instruction sets. It uses advanced CAN technology and applies to the automotive and industrial sectors.

The PIC microcontroller comes optimized and equipped with the RISC architecture. It operates on flash memory and has a CPU speed of 10 DMIPS/MIPS, making it a toast for some people. Its maximum ADC is 10 bits with a CCP of 1.

The popular PIC microcontroller comes as a high-performance, low-cost, and 8-bit static microcontroller. It uses flash CMO technology with a total of 8 pins. It also possesses a DRT (device reset timer) that eliminates any requirement for external reset circuitry.

It is always vital to understand everything about PIC microcontrollers, including the diverse types, program them, etc. Such information becomes useful in designing integrated circuits and electronics as a whole. Therefore, consider all insights about the intricacies of the diverse PIC microcontrollers to stay ahead of your design game.

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Flat-screen TVs opened new doors to innovative TV brackets and mounting displays many years ago. Today, standing TV mounts, ceiling TV mounts, and corner TV mounts are all great options for consumers who are looking to save space and add a modern touch to their environment. Full motion TV wall mounts and swivel mounts can provide anywhere from 45-degree to 360-degree motion for the ultimate viewing experience. Outdoor TV mounts and projector mounts are also convenient for outdoor events all year round. Browse a range of different material types on Alibaba.com to find everything from lightweight aluminum to heavy-duty steel pic microcontroller lcd depending on your customers" preferences and requirements.

This is our sixth tutorial in our PIC Tutorial Series, in this tutorial we learn Interfacing of 16x2 LCD with PIC Microcontroller. In our previous tutorials we have learnt the basics of PIC using some LED blinking Programs and have also learnt How to use Timers in PIC Microcontroller. You can check here all the tutorials on Learning PIC Microcontrollers using MPLABX and XC8 compiler.

This tutorial will be an interesting one because we will learn How to Interface 16×2 LCD with PIC16F877A, check the detailed Video at the end this tutorial. Gone are the old days where we used LEDs for user indications. Let us see how we can make our projects look more cool and useful by using LCD displays. Also check our previous articles on Interfacing LCD with 8051, with Arduino, with Raspberry Pi, with AVR.

To make things easier we have made a small librarythat could make things easy while using this LCD with our PIC16F877A. The header file "MyLCD.h" is given here for download, which contains all the necessary function to drive the LCD using PIC MCU. Library code is well explained by comment lines but if you still have doubts reach us through the comment section. Also check this article for Basic LCD working and its Pinouts.

Now, there are two ways to add this code into your program. You can either copy all the above lines of code in MyLCD.h and paste them before the void main(). Or you can download the header file using the link and add them to the header file of your project (#include " MyLCD.h ";). This can be done by right clicking on the header file and selecting Add existing Item and browsing to this header file.

Here I have copied and pasted the header file code into my main C file. So if you are using our code, then you don’t need to download and add the header file into your program, just use the complete Code given at the end of this Tutorial. Also note that this library will only support PIC16F series PIC Microcontroller.

void Lcd_Start():This function should be the first function that has to be called to start working with our LCD. We should call this function only once to avoid lag in the program.

void Lcd_Set_Cursor(x pos, y pos):Once started, our LCD is ready to take commands, we can instruct the LCD to set its cursor in you preferred location by using this function.  Suppose if, we need out cursor at 5th character of 1st row. Then the function will be void Lcd_Set_Cursor(1, 5)

Each time the Lcd_Print_Char(char data)is called, its respective character values is sent to the data-lines of the LCD. These characters reach the HD44780U in form of bits. Now this IC relates the bits to the character to be displayed by using its ROM memory as shown the below table. You can find bits for all the characters in the datasheet of HD44780U LCD Controller.

The hardware for this project is very simple. We are going to reuse the same PIC module that we used last time and connect the LCD module to our PIC using jumper wires.

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Item Standard ValueDisplay Type 16characters ??? 2 linesLCD Type STN POSITIVE Yellow-Green TRANSMISSIVEDriver Condition LCD Module : 1/16Duty , 1/5BiasViewing Direction 6 O’clockBacklight Type SIDE Y-GInterface 8-bit MPU interfaceDriver IC AIP31066

ELAN Microelectronics Corporation is an IC designer and provider of 8-bit microcontrollers and PC Peripheral ICs. Headquartered in Hsinchu Science Park, the Silicon Valley of Taiwan, ELAN"s microcontroller product range includes the following:

Espressif Systems, a company with headquarters in Shanghai, China made their debut in the microcontroller scene with their range of inexpensive and feature-packed WiFi microcontrollers such as ESP8266.

Holtek Semiconductor is a major Taiwan-based designer of 32-bit microcontrollers, 8-bit microcontrollers and peripheral products. Microcontroller products are centred around an ARM core in the case of 32-bit products and 8051 based core and Holtek"s own core in the case of 8-bit products. Located in the Hsinchu Science Park ([1]), the company"s product range includes the following microcontroller device series:

Infineon offers microcontrollers for the automotive, industrial and multimarket industry. DAVE3, a component based auto code generation free tool, provides faster development of complex embedded projects.

Renesas is a joint venture comprising the semiconductor businesses of Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric and NEC Electronics, creating the largest microcontroller manufacturer in the world.

Rockwell semiconductors (now called Conexant) created a line of 6502 based microcontrollers that were used with their telecom (modem) chips. Most of their microcontrollers were packaged in a QIP package.

Manufactures a line of 8-bit 8051-compatible microcontrollers, notable for high speeds (50–100 MIPS) and large memories in relatively small package sizes. A free IDE is available that supports the USB-connected ToolStick line of modular prototyping boards. These microcontrollers were originally developed by Cygnal. In 2012, the company introduced ARM-based mixed-signal MCUs with very low power and USB options, supported by free Eclipse-based tools. The company acquired Energy Micro in 2013 and now offers a number of ARM-based 32-bit microcontrollers.

Supports dual-channel data transfer at read speeds of 233× (35 MB/s) and write speeds of 160× (24 MB/s), making it the fastest USB 2.0 flash disk controller in the market. The SM324 also has serial peripheral interface (SPI) which allows for not only Master and Slave modes, but the flexibility to develop more functionality into USB flash disk (UFD) products such as GPS, fingerprint sensor, Bluetooth and memory-capacity display. The SM324 is available in a 64-pin LQFP package. The SM324 supports 8 SLC or MLC NAND flash chips with 4 bytes / 528 bytes ECC.

Ubicom"s IP2022 is a high performance (120 MIPS) 8-bit microcontroller. Features include: 64k flash code memory, 16 KB PRAM (fast code and packet buffering), 4 KB data memory, 8-channel A/D, various timers, and on-chip support for Ethernet, USB, UART, SPI and GPSI interfaces.

In this project i am going to interface 16×2 lcd display in 4-bit mode with Microchip Pic16f877 microcontroller. We can interface any size of character lcd display (8×1,8×2,10×1,10×2, 16×2,16×2,16×4,20×1,20×2,40×1,40×2 etc) in 4-bit mode with pic microcontrollers. In 4-bit interface mode only 4 lcd data lines are used to display data on lcd screen. Usually lcd is interfaced in 4-bit mode with microcontrollers to save I\O pins of microcontrollers. Before beginning any further i assume that you know difference between 4-bit and 8-bit lcd interfacing mode with microcntrollers. If not just take the below simple tutorial. Tutorial will help you in understating the basic difference, pros and cons of both the modes. It will also help you in understanding the code below easily.

In 4-bit mode only 4-bit data is send to lcd at a time. Since 8-bit microcontrollers contains data in 8-bit form so we divide our data in to two nibbles(1-nibble=4-bits). First higher 4-bits(nibble) is send to lcd and then the lower 4-bits(nibble) with enable stroke signal. Only D4,D5,D6,D7 data pins of 16×2 lcd are used in 4-bit interface mode. D1,D2,D3,D4 are left empty. D4 is our least significant bit and D7 is highest significant bit in 4-bit interface mode. A typical interfacing diagram is given at the right side.

Interfacing 16×2 lcd with Pic16f877 microcontroller is simple, if you have taken the above tutorial. The circuit of the project is also very simple. Port-B first 4 bits (RB0,RB1,RB2,RB3) of Pic16f877 microcontroller are used to send 4-bit data and commands to lcd. These four Pins(RB0,RB1,RB2,RB3) are Connected to four data pins of 16×2 lcd(D4,D5,D6,D7).Port-D pin# 5 is connected to rw(read-write) pin of lcd. Port-D pin# 6 is connected to rs(register select) pin of lcd. Port-D pin# 7 is connected to en(Enable) pin of 16×2 lcd. If you are newbie and have to idea about the working and pin configuration of lcd. Below is a good tutorial.

This function is separating four bits from our command and puts them on RB0,RB1,RB2,RB3 line and then sends them to lcd. The following instructions are separating four bits.

This function is separating four bits from our 8-bit data and puts the 4-bit data on RB0,RB1,RB2,RB3 pins and then sends them to lcd. Following instructions are separating four bits.

In the main function i first called lcdint() function. This function is initializing our lcd. Refer to the data sheet of lcd if you dont know what is lcd initialization. Then i am sending data to 16×2 lcd which i want to display on lcd screen. I am displaying word “Microcontroller” on lcd display screen.

A PIC Microcontroller can  be easily made to communicate with LCD by using the built in Libraries of MikroC. Interfacing between PIC and LCD can be 4-bit or 8-bit. The difference between 4-bit and 8-bit is how data are send to the LCD. In the 8-bit mode to write an 8-bit character to the LCD module, ASCII data is send through the data lines DB0- DB7 and data strobe is given through the E line.

But 4-bit mode uses only 4 data lines. In this mode the 8-bit ASCII data is divided into 2 parts which are send sequentially through data lines DB4 – DB7 with its own data strobe through the E line. The idea of 4-bit communication is to save as much pins that used to interface with LCD. The 4-bit communication is a bit slower when compared to 8-bit. The speed difference is only minimal, as LCDs are slow speed devices the tiny speed difference between these two modes is not significant. Thus the 4-bit mode data transmission is most commonly used.

The above definitions tells the compiler, how LCD is connected to the microcontroller. The two set of definitions are used to provide Data (PORT) and Direction (TRIS) registers.

This function prints the text (string) in the current cursor position. When we write data to LCD Screen, it automatically increments the cursor position.

16×2 Character LCD is a very basic LCD module which is commonly used in electronics projects and products. It contains 2 rows that can display 16 characters. Each character is displayed using 5×8 or 5×10 dot matrix. It can be easily interfaced with a microcontroller. In this tutorial we will see how to write data to an LCD with PIC Microcontroller using Hi-Tech C Compiler. Hi-Tech C has no built in LCD libraries so we require the hardware knowledge of LCD to control it. Commonly used LCD Displays uses HD44780 compliant controllers.

This is the pin diagram of a 16×2 Character LCD display. As in all devices it also has two inputs to give power Vcc and GND. Voltage at VEE determines the Contrast of the display. A 10K potentiometer whose fixed ends are connected to Vcc, GND and variable end is connected to VEE can be used to adjust contrast. A microcontroller needs to send two informations to operate this LCD module, Data and Commands. Data represents the ASCII value (8 bits) of the character to be displayed and Command determines the other operations of LCD such as position to be displayed. Data and Commands are send through the same data lines, which are multiplexed using the RS (Register Select) input of LCD. When it is HIGH, LCD takes it as data to be displayed and when it is LOW, LCD takes it as a command. Data Strobe is given using E (Enable) input of the LCD. When the E (Enable) is HIGH, LCD takes it as valid data or command. The input signal R/W (Read or Write) determines whether data is written to or read from the LCD. In normal cases we need only writing hence it is tied to GROUND in circuits shown below.

The interface between this LCD and Microcontroller can be 8 bit or 4 bit and the difference between them is in how the data or commands are send to LCD. In the 8 bit mode, 8 bit data and commands are send through the data lines DB0 – DB7 and data strobe is given through E input of the LCD. But 4 bit mode uses only 4 data lines. In this 8 bit data and commands are splitted into 2 parts (4 bits each) and are sent sequentially through data lines DB4 – DB7 with its own data strobe through E input. The idea of 4 bit communication is introduced to save pins of a microcontroller. You may think that 4 bit mode will be slower than 8 bit. But the speed difference is only minimal. As LCDs are slow speed devices, the tiny speed difference between these modes is not significant. Just remember that microcontroller is operating at high speed in the range of MHz and we are viewing LCD with our eyes. Due to Persistence of Vision of our eyes we will not even feel the speed difference.

Hope that you got rough idea about how this LCD Module works. Actually you need to read the datasheet of HD44780 LCD driver used in this LCD Module to write a Hi-Tech C program for PIC. But we solved this problem by creating a header file lcd.h which includes all the commonly used functions. Just include it and enjoy.

Lcd8_Init() & Lcd4_Init() : These functions will initialize the LCD Module connected to the following defined pins in 8 bit and 4 bit mode respectively.

Lcd8_Set_Cursor() & Lcd4_Set_Cursor() : These functions set the row and column of the cursor on the LCD Screen. By using this we can change the position of the character being displayed by the following functions.

Lcd8_Write_Char() & Lcd4_Write_Char() :These functions will write a character to the LCD Screen when interfaced through 8 Bit and 4 Bit mode respectively.

Lcd8_Shift_Left() & Lcd4_Shift_Left() : These functions are used to shift the content on the LCD Display left without changing the data in the display RAM.

Lcd8_Shift_Right() & Lcd4_Shift_Right() : Similar to above functions, these are used to shift the content on the LCD Display right without changing the data in the display RAM.