How to Set Up and Program an LCD on the Arduino

How to Set Up and Program an LCD on the Arduino
In this video, I briefly show you how to connect a 16x2 LCD to an Arduino. After that, I go in-depth into which functions are available in the LiquidCrystal library to program it, and show you what they look like on the LCD. I also explain where and how to use each function in your program.
Get a 16x2 LCD here: www.amazon.com...
Example programs for each function can be found here: www.circuitbas...
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[@anthonyobryan3485]

This was my first attempt at something more complicated than lighting up LED's with a potentiometer. My kids and I were thrilled to see everything working according to the description. I went through the video and made my own notes on how to connect the LCD to the Arduino, then followed my notes for the actual connection. Everything worked perfectly with my Elegoo Arduino Uno. My next step is to tear it down and rebuild it over and over again until I can do it by instinct.

[@CircuitCreator]

Happy to read

[@rexpimplemyer3839]

These have been the most useful videos and articles I have seen on the Arduino so far. Arranged just like I learned BASIC years ago. Started with clear, concise instructions on assembly, then to simple programming, and then modifying existing builds to incorporate new coding. Very helpful. Thank you very much. I learned so much in the past hour than I have in days from know-it-alls who think I should have known where serial monitor was.

[@kennyball3956]

its ppl like u who make this hobby so accessable to the noob (ME) ur adding so much to this community and for that i doff my hat....keep the vids coming PLLLLZZZZZZZZ

[@brettpenza5149]

This is great. I was wrestling with this for 4 hours with other videos, some with annoying background music and zero instruction. This is great. No stories, political opinions, ridiculous background music. Just right to it. Excellent work, Thanks very much.

[@CircuitCreator]

;)

[@cyberpunk7088]

LCD to Arduino pin1 to ground pin2 to positive pin3 to 10k pot midle (other pot pin to -ve and +ve) pin4 to A12 pin5 to ground pin6 to a11 pin16 to ground pin15 to 220oh to positive pin14 to a2 pin13 to a3 pin12 to a4 pin11 to a5

[@AritroVlogs]

correction: plug it into digital slots instead of analog. arduino uno doesn't have that many analog slots

[@hamzaquresh8930]

bro thank you bro you saved our bro life bro

[@hamzaquresh8930]

broo you broo rock broo

[@kishorreddy695]

Arduino uno has only 6 analog pins that is from a0 through a5 Then how come a11 and a12

[@samarthshetty6578]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2S6lICbdr6naNk

[@amtpdb1]

I appreciate the way you took us through this slow enough that we could do it along with you (with the stop button). I think I got more from this then alot of the videos I have seen that did not address WHY this was happening. Thanks for the great video.

[@Geeman002]

Excellent video! There are lot of them out there, but you explain it so nicely, easy for a newbie like me to understand. I am a programmer, but new to electronics itself.

[@adrianwilliams763]

Nice clear tutorial. Liked the way you started by demonstrating how the lcd screen was wired to the Arduino.

[@Circuitbasics]

Thank you

[@entropic7768]

yes helped alot

[@kristofferd4843]

THIS IS LITERALLY THE BEST VIDEO ON KZbin. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIX MY LCD FOR 2 HOURS, BUT SOMEHOW IT WORKS NOW TANK YOU :D

[@burhannaveed1911]

Guess who got a sub??? You!!! Amazing video and very easy to understand.

[@Syriancoder]

Thank you so much man. i have watched over 25 videos and this is the only one that worked. you just earned a new sub and like :)

[@yb6183]

It worked. Here is how i did it: I put the red wire on the left side of the potentiometer, and the black wire on the right, and the blue wire on the bottom

[@marklaurence8504]

Clear concise and easy to follow, great video. your expanded label descriptions are very informative

[@grahamevans5304]

This video saves hours of confusion, it's beautifully created and presented. Thank you for making life easier for me sir.

[@blakecraft3868]

I FINALLY got my LCD screen to work thanks to this video. You, sir, are one helpful human.

[@desiv1]

Thanx.. Just got my Arduino kit. First program was blink to show an LED going. But I saw that LCD in the kit and wondered if that would be too complicated for a next step. Found your vid and tried it.. Worked first time! (Well, the only POT I had was a 50k, and I didn't see anything at first and had to go up quite a bit before I saw the display, but it worked.) Thanx!

[@Circuitbasics]

+desiv1 no problem, glad you got it working!

[@TechInspected]

The only thing worth complaining about in this video is that you could have increased the volume of your mic. =) Thanks for the tutorial!

[@patrolman53]

For those who are having nothing appear on their LCD, make sure to start your arduino with the potentiometer all the way down / most resistance.

[@user-eq9gc1ng6d]

thank you so much i had rebuilt this 5 times and i didn't know this

[@vicktells5736]

love you bro, this helped me a lot. this made me look great in my parents watch of me getting good at arduino ...

[@CircuitCreator]

PIN 1 》GROUND PIN 2 》POSITIVE PIN 3 》10K POT PIN 4 》A12 PIN 5 》GROUND PIN 6 》A11 PIN 11 》A5 PIN 12 》A4 PIN 13 》A3 PIN 14 》A2 PIN 15 》220 Ω PIN 16 》GROUND

[@tobiasgamified2146]

I actually detected an error in this setup, in the video he is connecting the end of the resistor to the MINUS current, it should be connected to the PLUS current, connecting it to the minus current will cause the display only to use back lightning, while putting it into the plus will make the lcd screen glow as it should :) hope it helps

[@chichico_gonzalez]

Gran Video Dude, estuve buscando varios videos pero ninguno iba al grano, y al momento de explicar eres bastante paciente. Gracias, sigue asi!

[@tsbimbra]

Please except my thanks for sharing this . i learned a lot from this . Thanks again

[@OllyGucci]

Thank you very much, this is the most helpful video i have come across so far, worked perfectly. Thumbs up!

[@route-249]

Excellent video! Direct & to the point with a wealth of knowledge. Thanks...

[@elecomdesign7974]

I have never watched a tutorial so clear as this one. Your explanation is just excellent! thank you so much and I have learned a lot today.

[@felixalexanderl]

by the way (i just found this out) but depending on the screen brightness you can put the 5v jumper wire onto 3.3v if you want it to be less bright or just unplay that wire completely and it will still work just less bright.

[@jefferyliu1260]

After following your tutorial, my LCD screen's backlight is working but no characters showed. Then I followed the Arduino menu, the characters worked but there is no backlight. :( Does anyone know the reason for my issue? Thx!

[@RedScythe29]

the resistance of the resistor is too high replace it with a jumper wire

[@aadithyarajangam37]

Truthfully guy in KZbin

[@ArunMurugan]

Really nice video.. got all the basics about lcd display!

[@angel_o8472]

Hi, do you have ideas about using flex sensors that will transfer messages in the LCD screen?

[@geenuenglishmentorgem6125]

i am very thankful to you this is best explained video love from india

[@Lewinner-nj6bh]

I did the exact same thing and the LCD is only showing white rectangles. Please somebody help me.

[@MoeInL]

I did exactly as you said, the LCD lit up and I was able to control the contrast and I did upload the codes, but no characters appeared on my screen

[@Inertia888]

I'm just taking a shot in the dark since I don't have your set up in front me, I have to guess. But a mistake that I made early was not having the correct pins established in my code. Good luck to you

[@irfanmaqboolbari4028]

Same issue happened with me

[@abrorbekzukhriddinov6606]

yes it did happen as you said exactly on mine too broo! whay?

[@uzytkownikgoogle9304]

@Abrsh Tube thank you, I thought I did something wrong but I saw your comment and it worked

[@vietho4991]

I got it lights but no words. I checked everything. Please help!

[@programzz]

have you fixed it, i got the same issue?

[@rossgrant1269]

I have also got lights but no text. I tried replacing the resistor with a potentiometer

[@programzz]

@@rossgrant1269 So yeah, the potentiometer worked for me

[@foodfeed12]

Ya same issue

[@bhargavgahtori9499]

Set contrast to full

[@petedoxat]

This is brilliant, very helpful thanks.

[@matthewrobotalk6566]

Thanks for the help all i needed to know is the resister😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

[@cemprotecta]

Good video for starting with the basics of LCD in Arduino. Thanks a lot!

[@lilbee7492]

IT WORKED THANK YOU MAN

[@satyaashokdowluri1129]

a very nice explanation sir. thank you

[@Popsickle950]

fantastic video, i have one issue though ( i'm a first timer ) my lcd comes on and everything but no text appears Ive tried using a 220 resistor and a 1k but still nothing, hope you can help! Really liked your method of showing how to get it set-up i searched through many videos before i got to this one and it got me really far in such little time!

[@Popsickle950]

+Popsickle950 i;m not getting that random gibberish that you had at the start after connecting it all up but hello world still doesnt load after some decent time

[@Nathan-zg5kp]

I was mad because mine did not work, but then I realized I didn't even plug the power in

[@rolandojrpascual7284]

tanga ka

[@lanc5708]

I’m glad Ali a also had this issue

[@shanzydacunt8953]

death to commies

[@lanc5708]

Oliver34534 what

[@mochastellar]

LMAOOOO SAME

[@TF2Shows]

Finally, everything works! Its my first ever project with arduino.

[@vkboss6411]

plz help me..my display just shows the square...nothing else...i check my potentiometer,vcc,vee,ground nd all other connection nd also all jumper wires...all are placed on right position...even i checked my all 16 pins of display with multimeter..all r perfect...then why i faced this problem

[@vkboss6411]

Taha Nadeem I hv done this 1 month ago dear...i have full coding...pblm is in the contrast pin...if u wanna more info call me or msg me on Whatsapp-9409663007

[@JLCPCB]

Very nice explanation! 🙂

[@soniakanjani2587]

Thank you circuit basics you explained arduino very nicely

[@richardvanraay7055]

Thanks for taking the time to make such an informative teaching video. Thanks for speaking slowly and clearly.

[@dimjim2365]

Thanks for a very informative video.

[@popege2528]

bru. i found only this video helped me the most ...rest of them are so complicated

[@biohazardsoftworks4961]

I did it it worked even with a 330 olm resistor

[@anokhautomation4453]

👌nice tutorial. Very very helpful. 👍

[@hubercats]

Thanks so much for making this helpful video!

[@sailaharikakumani606]

Worth watching..... nicely explained.

[@krsticfranko]

If you have problem with LCD not lighting on after you plugged all correctly just switch resistor with the ground pin of potentiometer

[@tonlangenbach4881]

Great video,s Man and now i can make things go ..........;

[@UKSeejay]

Fantastic tutorial (very helpful). showed me everything i needed to know and more. strongly advise any other noobs out there to give it a watch to.

[@theleerie2959]

I MADE IT! THANK YOU!

[@dgroh]

Ok, maybe you could explain why the pin connections, how come you know exactly which pin to use from the LCD board?

[@anthonyobryan3485]

He probably looked at the LCD data sheet, and then used his knowledge of electronic symbology to translate it to the Arduino pins.

[@timjackson6467]

Thank you for such a great video and all your hard work - much enjoyed.

[@JustFrana]

I connected mine identically with this video and double checked everything, but only the back light comes on and when i upload code it will not display the text ,, please please help with any suggestions

[@boozle4163]

Francois Terblanche did you ever figure out cause mine is same exact. Did all exact triple checked and nothing just the light

[@JustFrana]

Never got it right just gave up after a few weeks :(

[@GeekBoy03]

Check to make sure the pin headers are properly soldered on.

[@mog99lie]

Never give up. Adjust the pot! Check and check again. This works!

[@midnightskate]

make sure that you remember to connect your potentiometer to the positive and negative rails. I just made that silly mistake and it only powered the backlight

[@subbusubramanyam5292]

hey boss superb explanation i totally understood . thanks for uploding.

[@DDAintJoken]

Great instructional video, great blog too thanks

[@Circuitbasics]

Thank you

[@TECHShikhu]

Any1, pls help ! I got the background light, i adjusted the potentiometer for contrast, removed it, and just connected the resisitor, all the wirings are fine, i checked it dozen of times, but still; the text isn't showing ! 😫 @Circuit Basics - Help ! 😕

[@mliedtke815]

My LCD is the same as this video model. I only had 1 potentiometer so I could only control contrast(same thing happened when I used this tutorial), but then I desoldered another pot off a trash circuit board and put it in place of the resistor. 2 pots. Problem solved(for me, anyways).

[@TractorMonkeywithJL]

I do not use a pot because it's all the way to the end of travel anyhow. Just put a 220 ohm resistor from the lcd pin 3 (VO) to ground. It works fine on mine.

[@SkinnyMidwest]

@@TractorMonkeywithJL That worked for me! Thanks!

[@billywhizz6965]

I would double check the connections. Generally not working means you have missed something obvious and then it is time to go have a coffee and come back to it fresh. I have spent hours looking for a fault with a micro controller only to find the ground not connected. I would double check that you have connected power from the adruino to the bread board. Of you noticed on the video the display lit but did not have the power rails connected totally

[@lucasskywalker]

Great tutorial. Ty.

[@danya8958]

connected everything perfect but it didnt worked i am so dissapointed

[@jernejanzeljc4677]

Same

[@mustafashahjeelani4997]

sir my LCD is displaying but not showing the print(hello world or anything else) . what is the reason?

[@ridhwaanhusein8274]

Awesome very helpful

[@shaylnandos230]

nice tutorial. it is possible to get the degree output on the lcd.For example if you turn the know 20 degree then it show 20 on the lcd.

[@GeekBoy03]

of course it is

[@salmsnbaqmi684]

Thank you so much I have been trying to make it work for the past 2 days

[@michaelcerkez3895]

Hi, great videos. You're a good teacher slow and clear when you give your instructions. Keep up the good work, and yes I have subscribed and hit like.

[@Inertia888]

On line 3, "LiquidCrystal lcd(12, 11, 5, 4, 3, 2) I am trying to understand how this works. How does the Arduino know whether these pins are INPUT or OUTPUT? Why do we not need to type a line INPUT or OUTPUT?

[@Inertia888]

I have been having a problem with the temperature reading as 0degreesC. After switching the thermocouple so, cs, sck pins from 8,9,10 to 4,5,6 it works just fine. happy about it working but i don't think i'll be satisfied until i understand the whys.

[@flashMXdesigner]

nice intro, was able to get my LCD going and did the exercises. thanks

[@dingdongpattiwack]

@NumberZeroJay that was awhile ago so I kind of forgot how I solve the problems but I'm pretty sure it was after I updated the Arduino IDE with the authentic version from the Arduino website rather than the distro package I was using on Raspberry Pi

[@yt_show7967]

I liked it.........it really helped me

[@JoeYerdon88]

Thanks so much for your video it really helped me!

[@roy_shuvo]

thanks , it's working properly

[@saskianeville5954]

managed to get it lit up and wrote one word. however, lcd.clear(); doesn't clear it. nor can I start a new line with lcd.setCursor(2,1); etc Not sure what's happening here ad everything else seems to work?!

[@brianlink391]

Nice vid thank!

[@RedScythe29]

why did it work for the first time but then i replaced the words with another and it disappeared. i rearranged it again now it doesnt work

[@KJ7JHN]

Hi Circuit basics, could you please make a video on connecting the i2c version of the 16x2 lcd you have here to an ATMEGA2561? I've read the data sheet, and searched some FAQ's but have not been able to get a solid foundation for the ATMEGA2561. The problem is in setting the SCL and SDA pins, 25 and 26. This video would be awesome! Please and thank you.

[@tbprod5]

my LCD isnt turning on... its staying turned off and i did it all correctly. what do I need to do to fix this?

[@warpromo6636]

guys if u dont have an arduino, use tinkercad. it's just like arduino and all, and you don't have to pay a ton of money

[@felixcharbonneau1964]

Hello, Great explication but I follow every step of your video and when I put on my arduino, my lcd screen dosen't power up and make a shorts. Did you know why? Thanks

[@TapabratasTechTalks]

SAME HERE

[@rrageeniawachat9754]

my lcd backlight is not turning on and some problem is occurring during uploding the code plz ans my question

[@PhilippeNowak]

Thank you very much ! Excellent tutorial for my first Arduino exercice. Since I don't have a potentiometer, I had to 'hard-wire' pin 3 of the LCD to the '-' rail so contrast is set to the max (well I guess). :-) :-) :-)

[@RaptorRotorHead]

How come you didn't hook up pins D0 D1 D2 D3, I know the display can work in nibble mode but I'm more interesting than just feeding it the entire bite

[@MADBASS77]

Thanks u friend. Good work

[@dionseptianpratamaputra6631]

Why does it not appear on the LCD? my lcd is not on.

[@roussov]

Thank you so much!!!!!!!

[@sugampandit]

Will the wrong wiring lead the LCD screen for short circuit?? If not, plz suggest the possible reasons for my LCD screen not even lit??! i checked the wiring too! There are no errors but, I am using 20k potentiometer!!

[@iadrogue]

Perfect explanation! Thanx

[@hertztmitechnologies7630]

Well Explained, Thanks & Regards

[@michaeloverberg4034]

I did it the same way but the lcd does not light up and when I connect it to the 5v it shorts out

[@technaisci9489]

I think u should connect it to the 3.3 v

[@michaeloverberg4034]

TechNaiSci I actually found a different diagram and got it to work

[@technaisci9489]

Thats actually good

[@NehaYadav-qk6eb]

sir please provide some details for switching program

[@user-qm5io6kr7t]

I tried it 3 times and not a single time did it work I checked everything was right

[@justapineapple8464]

I have a furby connect eyes/ LCD screens but I toke them out idk how to work them and I can't find any videos that will help have any recommendations?

[@Anonymous_Music]

I got a kit as a gift. Didn't know Shit about it, as it's been Years since I worked with Arduino. I spent half my day researching what I can do with what I got, and how to run/get/design codes. I find this on YT. I set it all up, It's Night Now. Did my own work since I didn't have the exact things he did, Spend an hour putting it together, Spend 3 hours figuring out My Own code to work it, Based off of this one - Turned it on and everything works but the words are upside-down. Unplug it, Flip it around, Turn it on and run the code; Doesn't work. I spent over an hour checking every single little thing there was, to find the dumbass little orange wire became unplugged a whole hour ago. Plugged it in, It works. Wasted hours of my Night, and Half my day to make a screen say "Hello World". Time to take my masterpiece, put it back in the box, and probably do nothing with it again. I Love it.

[@plankalkulcompiler9468]

Yay! It works!

[@theterribletwo2199]

I cant show out anything on LCD although its lighted...checked pin connection& Ardublock, both are good. How would i start to troubleshooting in this case ?

[@parveenbala6679]

Might be the code is wrong

[@aeshi001]

hi my display is working fine at first, my supply is a connected to a resistor to change it to 5V(i have also used 7805 voltage regulator IC and 5V zener diodes), but then when the supply (12V battery) is being charged by a DC generator we noticed that the regulating voltages we use is not working anymore which in turn makes the LCD display random characters. Please help! Thanks