In this article, I explore five 16X2 LCD character displays compatible with the Pi board.

Adding an LCD module to a Raspberry Pi project is fun and a great way to explore the display of characters.

The display modules can be connected directly to the Pi via GPIO pins, USB, I2C or the UART interface. These modules are inexpensive, the cheapest module is only $2.22.

16×2 Character LCD Display

At a price of $2.22, this LCD display is the cheapest module compatible with the Raspberry Pi board. It features a high contrast with blue backlight and a wide viewing angle. The design includes the HD44780 standard and operates with 5V DC.

The LCD module display at the same time on its tiny screen two lines with maximum 16 characters. This type of LCD module is very common to display information in copiers, laser printers, routers or in DIY projects.

• In this tutorial, Matt shows you how to interface the LCD display with Raspberry Pi board and display a series of characters: 16×2 LCD Module Control Using Python;

Acrylic Stand for 16×2 Character LCD

In the Adafruit store is available at a price of $4.95 the 16×2 LCD kit with USB/Serial backpacks. The kit is compatible with the Raspberry Pi boards and includes accessories.

The LCD module comes with an acrylic holder to keep the module in a fixed position on your table and use it as a system monitor for Pi.

• In a step-by-step tutorial, the Adafruit engineers show you how to assemble the kit, install on Windows (yes, it has Windows support), Linux including the configuration for Raspberry Pi and Mac OS X: Character LCD System Monitor;

LCD1602 LCD module YJD1602A

At a price of $9.30, this LCD module displays data on two lines with no more than 16 characters for each line. The controller is an HD44780 and can be interfaced using a series of libraries.

• From this guide you can learn how to use the pinout of the module, assembles the circuit, interface and display characters:HD44780 Character LCD Displays;

SparkFun Serial Enabled 16×2 LCD

The SparkFun store releases in the DIY area an interesting LCD module that can be controlled using only a single wire. This is in opposition to the multi-wire code that’s far more common for LCD modules. The price of the module is $24.95 and is engineered around the PIC16LF88 microchip. To conserve some power, on the back side of the module is a potentiometer to adjust the contrast of the display. The firmware allows you to adjust the backlight brightness, turn on or off the display, clears the screen and more.

• On SparkFun, the Mike Grusin explains in a short guide how to connect the hardware and display characters: Serial LCD quickstart;

SainSmart LCD

The SainSmart builds an LCD module for Arduino boards, but it is also compatible with Raspberry Pi. At a price of $30.22, the LCD Keypad shield features an HD44780 LCD module and display up to 16 characters on two rows. The LCD module has attached five push buttons to select the user interface. The module has adjustable backlighting and displays the characters in blue.

• The Instructables user akellyirl shows you how to interface the display with Arduino and Raspberry Pi and build a DIY radio: Arduino / Raspberry Pi Internet Radio;

This article was last modified on 29 April 2015.