In this tutorial I you show you how to make a very useful expansion board for our PIC development board. It will be a Do It Your self (DIY) LCD Expansion board. The expansion board can be plugged into the PIC development board to add 16×2 Alphanumeric LCD Support to it. Since LCDs are required in many projects and experiments it will be a very helpful board.
I recommend you to read the LCD Interfacing Tutorial before you proceed. It will give you an Idea how LCD is connected to PIC Microcontrollers. So lets start!
Fig.: LCD Module Interface with PIC Microcontroller.
The board is very easy to make as the MCU core unit is already done for you. So you need to just care about the LCD part. It consists of the 16×2 LCD Module and A variable resistor (10K) only! Optionally you can add a 47ohm series resistor with the LED backlight of the LCD Module, to enable the backlight. The variable resistor is used to adjust the contrast of the module. If NO text is displayed adjust this pot.
All I/O ports and power supply is available at the top of expansion board.
Fig.: A blank expansion.
As you can see the top row in the board lists all I/O port of PIC MCU like, RB7, RA1 etc. For Example, RB7 stands for Port B 7th bit. The row also has regulated 5v supply and GND outputs. So we start by soldering a 40 PIN Right Angled Burg Housing on the Expansion Board. This will help connect it with the PIC development board .
For more detail: Making “The LCD Expansion Board” for PIC18F4520
About The Author
Ibrar Ayyub
I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.
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