Graphic LCD Hookup Guide a learn.sparkfun.com tutorial

Introduction

Remember the days when cell phones were still “dumb,” and they had physical keypads and just a tiny monochrome LCD for a display? Now that iPhones, Galaxies, and the like have revolutionized that market, those little LCDs have to find a new purpose in life: adding customized graphical displays to projects!

These 84 by 48 pixel black and white LCDs are what you might have found in an old Nokia 3310. They’re not flashy, and they don’t have a lot of display real-estate. But, they are easy to control. If you’re looking to step up your project’s user interface (UI) game from simple displays or LEDs, this graphic LCD is a good place to start.

In this tutorial we’ll show how to control these graphic LCDs with just an Arduino and a few wires in between. We’ll cover everything from hardware assembly to example code, and beyond.

Required Materials

Arduino, RedBoard or any Arduino-compatible board.
Male headers (included with Retail Kit) to solder to the display and make it breadboard compatible.
Jumper wires to connect from breadboard to Arduino.
Breadboard to tie everything together.

Display Overview

Before diving into hookup and example code, let’s first take a look at the LCD and its breakout board. On this page we’ll cover everything from the pinout of the board to the interface used to control the display.

The Pinout

To interface with and power the graphic LCD, there are two, parallel 8-pin headers above and below it. Flipping the board over, you’ll find the labels for each of the pins.

As you may be able to tell by the faint traces connecting them, each pin on one header is connected to the parallel pin on the other side. Here are the eight unique pins along with an overview of their purpose:

Pin Number	Pin Label	Pin Function	Input/Output?	Notes
1	VCC	Positive power supply	Input	Supply range is between 2.7V and 3.3V
2	GND	Ground	Input
3	SCE	Chip select	Input	Active low
4	RST	Reset	Input	Active high
5	D/C	Mode select	Input	Select between command mode (low) and data mode (high).
6	DN(MOSI)	Serial data in	Input
7	SCLK	Serial clock	Input
8	LED	LED backlight supply	Input	Maximum voltage supply is 3.3V.

Power Supplies

There are two different supply voltages on the LCD. The most important supply voltage – VCC– supplies the logic circuits inside the LCD. The datasheet states this should be between 2.7 and 3.3V. In a normal state, the LCD will consume about 6 or 7mA.

The second voltage supply is required for the LED backlights on the board. If you were to remove the LCD from the PCB (not that you should, or need to), you’d see that these are backlights in their simplest form – four white LEDs spaced around the edges of the board. You may also notice that there aren’t any current limiting resistors.

This means you have to be careful with this voltage supply. Either stick a current limiting resistor in series with the ‘LED’ pin, or limit the supply to 3.3V max. The LEDs can pull a lot of current! With nothing to limit them, they’ll pull about 100mA at 3.3V.

The Control Interface

Built into this LCD is a Philips PCD8544 display controller, which converts the massive parallel interface of the raw LCD to a more convenient serial one. The PCD8544 is controlled through a synchronous serial interface similar to SPI. There are clock (SCLK) and data (DN) input lines, and an active-low chip select (SCE) input as well.

On top of those three serial lines, there is another input – D/C– which tells the display whether the data it’s receiving is a command or displayable data.

For a list of commands, check out the “Instructions” section of the PCD8544 datasheet (page 11). There are instructions to enable clearing of the display, inverting the pixels, powering it down, and more.

Hardware Assembly & Hookup

Before we get to uploading code and sending data to the display, let’s take care of the hardware stuff first. That includes assembling the display, and hooking it up to the Arduino.

Assembly

To “assemble” the LCD, you’ll need to solder something to one (or both) of the 8-pin headers. There are plenty of options available here. To make the LCD breadboard-compatible, straight or right-angle male headers can be soldered in.

LCD with strait male headers soldered in, plugged into a mini blue breadboard.

Otherwise, wires or other connectors can be soldered to the display pins.

Hookup

In this example we’ll be connecting the LCD up to an Arduino, but this hookup should be easily adaptable to other development platforms. For the data transmission pins – SCLK and DN(MOSI) – we’ll use the Arduino’s hardware SPI pins, which will help to achieve a faster data transfer. The chip select (SCE), reset (RST), and a data/command (D/C) pins can be connected to any digital I/O pin. Finally, the LED pin should be connected to a PWM-capable Arduino pin, so we can dim the backlight as we please.

Unfortunately, the LCD has a maximum input voltage of 3.6V, so we can’t hook up a standard 5V Arduino straight to it. We need to shift levels. This leads us to a few options for hookup:

Direct Connect

The easiest hookup is to connect the Arduino pins directly to the LCD. To allow for this easy hookup, you’ll need a 3.3V-operating Arduino like the 3.3V/8MHz Pro or 3.3V Pro Mini.

This setup can work for 5V Arduino’s, ignoring the 3.6V limit on the V_CC and data lines. We’ve done this. It works. But it may decrease your LCD’s life.

The data pins are connected as follows:

LCD Pin	Arduino Pin	Notes
1 - VCC	3.3V (VCC)	3.3V only (not 5V!)
2 - GND	GND
3 - SCE	7	Can be any digital pin.
4 - RST	6	Can be any digital pin.
5 - D/C	5	Can be any digital pin.
6 - DN(MOSI)	11	Can’t be moved.
SCLK	13	Can’t be moved.
LED	9	Can be any PWM pin. 330Ω resistor in between the pins.

Limiting Resistors

Sticking resistors in-line with the data signals is a cheap, and easy way to add some protection to the 3.3V lines. If you have an Arduino Uno (or similar 5V ‘duino) and some 10kΩ and 1kΩ resistors lying around, try this:

The pins are connected the same as in the above example, however each signal has an inline resistor. There are 10kΩ resistors between the SCLK, DN, D/C, and RST pins. A 1kΩ resistor between SCE and pin 7. And the 330Ω resistor remains between pin 9 and the LED pin.

Level Converters

Finally, a third option for hookup is to use actual level converters to switch between 5V and 3.3V. Boards like the Bi-Directional Logic Level Converter and the TXB0104 are perfect for something like this.

Unfortunately, the LCD has five 3.3V signal inputs and the level shifters only have four channels. If you want to keep the circuit to a single shifter, you can permanently tie RST high (through a 10kΩ resistors), and run the other signals through the shifter. You lose remote reset capability, but the rest of the control remains.

Check out the hook up guides for those boards for more help in shifting the signal between Arduino and LCD.

Example Code 1: LCD Demo

With the hardware all hooked up, we’re ready to upload a sketch and start drawing on the LCD!

The Sketch

Here is a sketch-full of example LCD control code. This small novella of a sketch shows off an array of graphics driver functions, character drawing tools, and other useful functions to help you get started using the LCD. Copy/paste from below, or download the sketch by clicking here.

If you don’t have the Codebender plugin installed on your browser, you can view the same skecth below.

language:c
/* Nokia 5100 LCD Example Code
   Graphics driver and PCD8544 interface code for SparkFun's
   84x48 Graphic LCD.
   https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10168

  by: Jim Lindblom
    adapted from code by Nathan Seidle and mish-mashed with
    code from the ColorLCDShield.
  date: October 10, 2013
  license: Beerware. Feel free to use, reuse, and modify this
  code as you see fit. If you find it useful, and we meet someday,
  you can buy me a beer.

  This all-inclusive sketch will show off a series of graphics
  functions, like drawing lines, circles, squares, and text. Then
  it'll go into serial monitor echo mode, where you can type
  text into the serial monitor, and it'll be displayed on the
  LCD.

  This stuff could all be put into a library, but we wanted to
  leave it all in one sketch to keep it as transparent as possible.

  Hardware: (Note most of these pins can be swapped)
    Graphic LCD Pin ---------- Arduino Pin
       1-VCC       ----------------  5V
       2-GND       ----------------  GND
       3-SCE       ----------------  7
       4-RST       ----------------  6
       5-D/C       ----------------  5
       6-DN(MOSI)  ----------------  11
       7-SCLK      ----------------  13
       8-LED       - 330 Ohm res --  9
   The SCLK, DN(MOSI), must remain where they are, but the other
   pins can be swapped. The LED pin should remain a PWM-capable
   pin. Don't forget to stick a current-limiting resistor in line
   between the LCD's LED pin and Arduino pin 9!
*/
#include <SPI.h> // We'll use SPI to transfer data. Faster!

/* PCD8544-specific defines: */
#define LCD_COMMAND  0
#define LCD_DATA     1

/* 84x48 LCD Defines: */
#define LCD_WIDTH   84 // Note: x-coordinates go wide
#define LCD_HEIGHT  48 // Note: y-coordinates go high
#define WHITE       0  // For drawing pixels. A 0 draws white.
#define BLACK       1  // A 1 draws black.

/* Pin definitions:
Most of these pins can be moved to any digital or analog pin.
DN(MOSI)and SCLK should be left where they are (SPI pins). The
LED (backlight) pin should remain on a PWM-capable pin. */
const int scePin = 7;   // SCE - Chip select, pin 3 on LCD.
const int rstPin = 6;   // RST - Reset, pin 4 on LCD.
const int dcPin = 5;    // DC - Data/Command, pin 5 on LCD.
const int sdinPin = 11;  // DN(MOSI) - Serial data, pin 6 on LCD.
const int sclkPin = 13;  // SCLK - Serial clock, pin 7 on LCD.
const int blPin = 9;    // LED - Backlight LED, pin 8 on LCD.

/* Font table:
This table contains the hex values that represent pixels for a
font that is 5 pixels wide and 8 pixels high. Each byte in a row
represents one, 8-pixel, vertical column of a character. 5 bytes
per character. */
static const byte ASCII[][5] = {
  // First 32 characters (0x00-0x19) are ignored. These are
  // non-displayable, control characters.
   {0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00} // 0x20
  ,{0x00, 0x00, 0x5f, 0x00, 0x00} // 0x21 !
  ,{0x00, 0x07, 0x00, 0x07, 0x00} // 0x22 "
  ,{0x14, 0x7f, 0x14, 0x7f, 0x14} // 0x23 #
  ,{0x24, 0x2a, 0x7f, 0x2a, 0x12} // 0x24 $
  ,{0x23, 0x13, 0x08, 0x64, 0x62} // 0x25 %
  ,{0x36, 0x49, 0x55, 0x22, 0x50} // 0x26 &
  ,{0x00, 0x05, 0x03, 0x00, 0x00} // 0x27 '
  ,{0x00, 0x1c, 0x22, 0x41, 0x00} // 0x28 (
  ,{0x00, 0x41, 0x22, 0x1c, 0x00} // 0x29 )
  ,{0x14, 0x08, 0x3e, 0x08, 0x14} // 0x2a *
  ,{0x08, 0x08, 0x3e, 0x08, 0x08} // 0x2b +
  ,{0x00, 0x50, 0x30, 0x00, 0x00} // 0x2c ,
  ,{0x08, 0x08, 0x08, 0x08, 0x08} // 0x2d -
  ,{0x00, 0x60, 0x60, 0x00, 0x00} // 0x2e .
  ,{0x20, 0x10, 0x08, 0x04, 0x02} // 0x2f /
  ,{0x3e, 0x51, 0x49, 0x45, 0x3e} // 0x30 0
  ,{0x00, 0x42, 0x7f, 0x40, 0x00} // 0x31 1
  ,{0x42, 0x61, 0x51, 0x49, 0x46} // 0x32 2
  ,{0x21, 0x41, 0x45, 0x4b, 0x31} // 0x33 3
  ,{0x18, 0x14, 0x12, 0x7f, 0x10} // 0x34 4
  ,{0x27, 0x45, 0x45, 0x45, 0x39} // 0x35 5
  ,{0x3c, 0x4a, 0x49, 0x49, 0x30} // 0x36 6
  ,{0x01, 0x71, 0x09, 0x05, 0x03} // 0x37 7
  ,{0x36, 0x49, 0x49, 0x49, 0x36} // 0x38 8
  ,{0x06, 0x49, 0x49, 0x29, 0x1e} // 0x39 9
  ,{0x00, 0x36, 0x36, 0x00, 0x00} // 0x3a :
  ,{0x00, 0x56, 0x36, 0x00, 0x00} // 0x3b ;
  ,{0x08, 0x14, 0x22, 0x41, 0x00} // 0x3c <
  ,{0x14, 0x14, 0x14, 0x14, 0x14} // 0x3d =
  ,{0x00, 0x41, 0x22, 0x14, 0x08} // 0x3e >
  ,{0x02, 0x01, 0x51, 0x09, 0x06} // 0x3f ?
  ,{0x32, 0x49, 0x79, 0x41, 0x3e} // 0x40 @
  ,{0x7e, 0x11, 0x11, 0x11, 0x7e} // 0x41 A
  ,{0x7f, 0x49, 0x49, 0x49, 0x36} // 0x42 B
  ,{0x3e, 0x41, 0x41, 0x41, 0x22} // 0x43 C
  ,{0x7f, 0x41, 0x41, 0x22, 0x1c} // 0x44 D
  ,{0x7f, 0x49, 0x49, 0x49, 0x41} // 0x45 E
  ,{0x7f, 0x09, 0x09, 0x09, 0x01} // 0x46 F
  ,{0x3e, 0x41, 0x49, 0x49, 0x7a} // 0x47 G
  ,{0x7f, 0x08, 0x08, 0x08, 0x7f} // 0x48 H
  ,{0x00, 0x41, 0x7f, 0x41, 0x00} // 0x49 I
  ,{0x20, 0x40, 0x41, 0x3f, 0x01} // 0x4a J
  ,{0x7f, 0x08, 0x14, 0x22, 0x41} // 0x4b K
  ,{0x7f, 0x40, 0x40, 0x40, 0x40} // 0x4c L
  ,{0x7f, 0x02, 0x0c, 0x02, 0x7f} // 0x4d M
  ,{0x7f, 0x04, 0x08, 0x10, 0x7f} // 0x4e N
  ,{0x3e, 0x41, 0x41, 0x41, 0x3e} // 0x4f O
  ,{0x7f, 0x09, 0x09, 0x09, 0x06} // 0x50 P
  ,{0x3e, 0x41, 0x51, 0x21, 0x5e} // 0x51 Q
  ,{0x7f, 0x09, 0x19, 0x29, 0x46} // 0x52 R
  ,{0x46, 0x49, 0x49, 0x49, 0x31} // 0x53 S
  ,{0x01, 0x01, 0x7f, 0x01, 0x01} // 0x54 T
  ,{0x3f, 0x40, 0x40, 0x40, 0x3f} // 0x55 U
  ,{0x1f, 0x20, 0x40, 0x20, 0x1f} // 0x56 V
  ,{0x3f, 0x40, 0x38, 0x40, 0x3f} // 0x57 W
  ,{0x63, 0x14, 0x08, 0x14, 0x63} // 0x58 X
  ,{0x07, 0x08, 0x70, 0x08, 0x07} // 0x59 Y
  ,{0x61, 0x51, 0x49, 0x45, 0x43} // 0x5a Z
  ,{0x00, 0x7f, 0x41, 0x41, 0x00} // 0x5b [
  ,{0x02, 0x04, 0x08, 0x10, 0x20} // 0x5c \
  ,{0x00, 0x41, 0x41, 0x7f, 0x00} // 0x5d ]
  ,{0x00, 0x41, 0x41, 0x7f, 0x00} // 0x5d ]
  ,{0x04, 0x02, 0x01, 0x02, 0x04} // 0x5e ^
  ,{0x40, 0x40, 0x40, 0x40, 0x40} // 0x5f _
  ,{0x00, 0x01, 0x02, 0x04, 0x00} // 0x60 `
  ,{0x20, 0x54, 0x54, 0x54, 0x78} // 0x61 a
  ,{0x7f, 0x48, 0x44, 0x44, 0x38} // 0x62 b
  ,{0x38, 0x44, 0x44, 0x44, 0x20} // 0x63 c
  ,{0x38, 0x44, 0x44, 0x48, 0x7f} // 0x64 d
  ,{0x38, 0x54, 0x54, 0x54, 0x18} // 0x65 e
  ,{0x08, 0x7e, 0x09, 0x01, 0x02} // 0x66 f
  ,{0x0c, 0x52, 0x52, 0x52, 0x3e} // 0x67 g
  ,{0x7f, 0x08, 0x04, 0x04, 0x78} // 0x68 h
  ,{0x00, 0x44, 0x7d, 0x40, 0x00} // 0x69 i
  ,{0x20, 0x40, 0x44, 0x3d, 0x00} // 0x6a j
  ,{0x7f, 0x10, 0x28, 0x44, 0x00} // 0x6b k
  ,{0x00, 0x41, 0x7f, 0x40, 0x00} // 0x6c l
  ,{0x7c, 0x04, 0x18, 0x04, 0x78} // 0x6d m
  ,{0x7c, 0x08, 0x04, 0x04, 0x78} // 0x6e n
  ,{0x38, 0x44, 0x44, 0x44, 0x38} // 0x6f o
  ,{0x7c, 0x14, 0x14, 0x14, 0x08} // 0x70 p
  ,{0x08, 0x14, 0x14, 0x18, 0x7c} // 0x71 q
  ,{0x7c, 0x08, 0x04, 0x04, 0x08} // 0x72 r
  ,{0x48, 0x54, 0x54, 0x54, 0x20} // 0x73 s
  ,{0x04, 0x3f, 0x44, 0x40, 0x20} // 0x74 t
  ,{0x3c, 0x40, 0x40, 0x20, 0x7c} // 0x75 u
  ,{0x1c, 0x20, 0x40, 0x20, 0x1c} // 0x76 v
  ,{0x3c, 0x40, 0x30, 0x40, 0x3c} // 0x77 w
  ,{0x44, 0x28, 0x10, 0x28, 0x44} // 0x78 x
  ,{0x0c, 0x50, 0x50, 0x50, 0x3c} // 0x79 y
  ,{0x44, 0x64, 0x54, 0x4c, 0x44} // 0x7a z
  ,{0x00, 0x08, 0x36, 0x41, 0x00} // 0x7b {
  ,{0x00, 0x00, 0x7f, 0x00, 0x00} // 0x7c |
  ,{0x00, 0x41, 0x36, 0x08, 0x00} // 0x7d }
  ,{0x10, 0x08, 0x08, 0x10, 0x08} // 0x7e ~
  ,{0x78, 0x46, 0x41, 0x46, 0x78} // 0x7f DEL
};

/* The displayMap variable stores a buffer representation of the
pixels on our display. There are 504 total bits in this array,
same as how many pixels there are on a 84 x 48 display.

Each byte in this array covers a 8-pixel vertical block on the
display. Each successive byte covers the next 8-pixel column over
until you reach the right-edge of the display and step down 8 rows.

To update the display, we first have to write to this array, then
call the updateDisplay() function, which sends this whole array
to the PCD8544.

Because the PCD8544 won't let us write individual pixels at a
time, this is how we can make targeted changes to the display. */
byte displayMap[LCD_WIDTH * LCD_HEIGHT / 8] = {
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (0,0)->(11,7) ~ These 12 bytes cover an 8x12 block in the left corner of the display
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (12,0)->(23,7)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xE0, // (24,0)->(35,7)
  0xF0, 0xF8, 0xFC, 0xFC, 0xFE, 0xFE, 0xFE, 0xFE, 0x1E, 0x0E, 0x02, 0x00, // (36,0)->(47,7)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (48,0)->(59,7)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (60,0)->(71,7)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (72,0)->(83,7)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (0,8)->(11,15)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (12,8)->(23,15)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x03, // (24,8)->(35,15)
  0x0F, 0x1F, 0x3F, 0x7F, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFE, 0xFC, 0xF8, // (36,8)->(47,15)
  0xF8, 0xF0, 0xF8, 0xFE, 0xFE, 0xFC, 0xF8, 0xE0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (48,8)->(59,15)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (60,8)->(71,15)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (72,8)->(83,15)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (0,16)->(11,23)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (12,16)->(23,23)
  0x00, 0x00, 0xF8, 0xFC, 0xFE, 0xFE, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xF3, 0xE0, 0xE0, 0xC0, // (24,16)->(35,23)
  0xC0, 0xC0, 0xE0, 0xE0, 0xF1, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, // (36,16)->(47,23)
  0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x3E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (48,16)->(59,23)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (60,16)->(71,23)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (72,16)->(83,23)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (0,24)->(11,31)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (12,24)->(23,31)
  0x00, 0x00, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, // (24,24)->(35,31)
  0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, // (36,24)->(47,31)
  0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x7F, 0x3F, 0x1F, 0x07, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (48,24)->(59,31)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (60,24)->(71,31)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (72,24)->(83,31)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (0,32)->(11,39)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (12,32)->(23,39)
  0x00, 0x00, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x7F, 0x3F, 0x1F, // (24,32)->(35,39)
  0x0F, 0x0F, 0x0F, 0x07, 0x07, 0x07, 0x07, 0x07, 0x07, 0x07, 0x03, 0x03, // (36,32)->(47,39)
  0x01, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (48,32)->(59,39)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (60,32)->(71,39)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (72,32)->(83,39)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (0,40)->(11,47)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (12,40)->(23,47)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x3F, 0x1F, 0x0F, 0x07, 0x03, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (24,40)->(35,47)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (36,40)->(47,47)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (48,40)->(59,47)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (60,40)->(71,47)
  0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, // (72,40)->(83,47) !!! The bottom right pixel!
};

/* This array is the same size as the displayMap. We'll use it
as an example of how to draw a bitmap. xkcd comic transposing
makes for an excellent display application.
For reference, see: http://xkcd.com/149/ */
char xkcdSandwich[504] = {
0xFF, 0x8D, 0x9F, 0x13, 0x13, 0xF3, 0x01, 0x01, 0xF9, 0xF9, 0x01, 0x81, 0xF9, 0xF9, 0x01, 0xF1,
0xF9, 0x09, 0x09, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xF1, 0xF9, 0x09, 0x09, 0xF9, 0xF1, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01,
0xF9, 0xF9, 0x09, 0xF9, 0x09, 0xF9, 0xF1, 0x01, 0xC1, 0xE9, 0x29, 0x29, 0xF9, 0xF1, 0x01, 0xFF,
0xFF, 0x71, 0xD9, 0x01, 0x01, 0xF1, 0xF9, 0x29, 0x29, 0xB9, 0xB1, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0xF1, 0xF1,
0x11, 0xF1, 0xF1, 0xF1, 0xE1, 0x01, 0xE1, 0xF1, 0x51, 0x51, 0x71, 0x61, 0x01, 0x01, 0xC1, 0xF1,
0x31, 0x31, 0xF1, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x00, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0x60, 0xE0, 0xA0, 0x01, 0x01, 0x81,
0xE1, 0x61, 0x60, 0xC0, 0x01, 0xE1, 0xE1, 0x21, 0x21, 0xE0, 0xC1, 0x01, 0xC1, 0xE1, 0x20, 0x20,
0xFC, 0xFC, 0xE0, 0xE0, 0xC1, 0xE1, 0xE0, 0xC1, 0xE0, 0xE1, 0x01, 0xFC, 0xFC, 0x21, 0x21, 0xE1,
0xC1, 0xE5, 0xE4, 0x01, 0xC1, 0xE0, 0x20, 0x21, 0x20, 0x00, 0x01, 0xFD, 0xFD, 0x21, 0x20, 0xE0,
0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0x01, 0xC0, 0x61, 0x31, 0x31, 0x21, 0x20, 0xC0, 0x81, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0x00,
0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0x03, 0x02,
0x03, 0x01, 0x00, 0x01, 0x03, 0xF2, 0x1A, 0x0B, 0x08, 0x0B, 0x1B, 0x10, 0x60, 0xE3, 0x03, 0x00,
0x01, 0x03, 0x02, 0x02, 0x03, 0x03, 0x00, 0x03, 0x03, 0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0x03, 0x00, 0x00, 0x03,
0x03, 0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0x03, 0x03, 0x03, 0x00, 0x01, 0x03, 0x02, 0x02, 0x03, 0x01, 0x00, 0x03,
0x03, 0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x3E, 0x63, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x60, 0x3F, 0x07,
0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xFE, 0x01, 0x01, 0x01, 0x02, 0x03, 0x3E, 0xE8, 0xF8, 0xF0, 0xD0, 0x90,
0x18, 0x0F, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xC0, 0x38, 0xFF,
0x0C, 0x38, 0xE0, 0x80, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xFF,
0xFF, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x1F, 0xF0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x33,
0x5F, 0x8F, 0x84, 0x05, 0x07, 0x06, 0x0C, 0x0E, 0x0E, 0x0C, 0x14, 0x34, 0x68, 0x88, 0xD8, 0x70,
0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xE0, 0x10, 0x10, 0x10, 0xF0, 0xE0, 0x00, 0xF0, 0xF0, 0x00, 0x80,
0x80, 0x00, 0x00, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x00, 0x80, 0x80, 0x00, 0x80, 0x00, 0x00, 0x20, 0x38,
0x0E, 0x01, 0xC0, 0x3F, 0xE0, 0x00, 0x00, 0x03, 0x0E, 0x08, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0xB6, 0xED, 0xC0, 0xC0,
0xC0, 0xE0, 0xA0, 0xA0, 0xA0, 0xA0, 0xA1, 0xA1, 0xA1, 0xA1, 0xA1, 0xA1, 0xA1, 0xE1, 0xE1, 0xC1,
0xEF, 0xBB, 0x83, 0x86, 0x88, 0xB0, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x8F, 0x90, 0x90, 0x90, 0x9F, 0x8F, 0x80,
0x9F, 0x9F, 0x87, 0x8D, 0x98, 0x80, 0x8C, 0x9E, 0x92, 0x92, 0x9F, 0xC0, 0xC7, 0xFF, 0xB8, 0x8F,
0x80, 0x90, 0x90, 0xC0, 0xF0, 0x8E, 0x81, 0x80, 0x81, 0x8F, 0xB8, 0xE0, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80,
0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0x80, 0xFF,
};

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(9600);

  lcdBegin(); // This will setup our pins, and initialize the LCD
  setContrast(55); // Pretty good value, play around with it

  updateDisplay(); // with displayMap untouched, SFE logo
  delay(2000);

  lcdFunTime(); // Runs a 30-second demo of graphics functions

  // Wait for serial to come in, then clear display and go to echo
  while (!Serial.available())
    ;
  clearDisplay(WHITE);
  updateDisplay();
}

// Loop turns the display into a local serial monitor echo.
// Type to the Arduino from the serial monitor, and it'll echo
// what you type on the display. Type ~ to clear the display.
void loop()
{
  static int cursorX = 0;
  static int cursorY = 0;

  if (Serial.available())
  {
    char c = Serial.read();

    switch (c)
    {
    case '\n': // New line
      cursorY += 8;
      break;
    case '\r': // Return feed
      cursorX = 0;
      break;
    case '~': // Use ~ to clear the screen.
      clearDisplay(WHITE);
      updateDisplay();
      cursorX = 0; // reset the cursor
      cursorY = 0;
      break;
    default:
      setChar(c, cursorX, cursorY, BLACK);
      updateDisplay();
      cursorX += 6; // Increment cursor
      break;
    }
    // Manage cursor
    if (cursorX >= (LCD_WIDTH - 4))
    { // If the next char will be off screen...
      cursorX = 0; // ... reset x to 0...
      cursorY += 8; // ...and increment to next line.
      if (cursorY >= (LCD_HEIGHT - 7))
      { // If the next line takes us off screen...
        cursorY = 0; // ...go back to the top.
      }
    }
  }
}

/* This function serves as a fun demo of the graphics driver
functions below. */
void lcdFunTime()
{
  clearDisplay(WHITE); // Begin by clearing the display
  randomSeed(analogRead(A0));

  /* setPixel Example */
  const int pixelCount = 100;
  for (int i=0; i<pixelCount; i++)
  {
    // setPixel takes 2 to 3 parameters. The first two params
    // are x and y variables. The third optional variable is
    // a "color" boolean. 1 for black, 0 for white.
    // setPixel() with two variables will set the pixel with
    // the color set to black.
    // clearPixel() will call setPixel with with color set to
    // white.
    setPixel(random(0, LCD_WIDTH), random(0, LCD_HEIGHT));
    // After drawing something, we must call updateDisplay()
    // to actually make the display draw something new.
    updateDisplay();
    delay(10);
  }
  setStr("full of stars", 0, LCD_HEIGHT-8, BLACK);
  updateDisplay();
  delay(1000);
  // Seizure time!!! Err...demoing invertDisplay()
  for (int i=0; i<5; i++)
  {
    invertDisplay(); // This will swap all bits in our display
    delay(200);
    invertDisplay(); // This will get us back to where we started
    delay(200);
  }
  delay(2000);

  /* setLine Example */
  clearDisplay(WHITE); // Start fresh
  int x0 = LCD_WIDTH/2;
  int y0 = LCD_HEIGHT/2;
  for (float i=0; i<2*PI; i+=PI/8)
  {
    // Time to whip out some maths:
    const int lineLength = 24;
    int x1 = x0 + lineLength * sin(i);
    int y1 = y0 + lineLength * cos(i);

    // setLine(x0, y0, x1, y1, bw) takes five variables. The
    // first four are coordinates for the start and end of the
    // line. The last variable is the color (1=black, 0=white).
    setLine(x0, y0, x1, y1, BLACK);
    updateDisplay();
    delay(100);
  }
  // Demo some backlight tuning
  for (int j=0; j<2; j++)
  {
    for (int i=255; i>=0; i-=5)
    {
      analogWrite(blPin, i); // blPin is ocnnected to BL LED
      delay(20);
    }
    for (int i=0; i<256; i+=5)
    {
      analogWrite(blPin, i);
      delay(20);
    }
  }

  /* setRect Example */
  clearDisplay(WHITE); // Start fresh

  // setRect takes six parameters (x0, y0, x1, y0, fill, bw)
  // x0, y0, x1, and y0 are the two diagonal corner coordinates
  // fill is a boolean, which determines if the rectangle is
  // filled in. bw determines the color 0=white, 1=black.
  for (int x=0; x<LCD_WIDTH; x+=8)
  { // Swipe right black
    setRect(0, 0, x, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, BLACK);
    updateDisplay();
    delay(10);
  }
  for (int x=0; x<LCD_WIDTH; x+=8)
  { // Swipe right white
    setRect(0, 0, x, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, WHITE);
    updateDisplay();
    delay(10);
  }
  for (int x=0; x<12; x++)
  { // Shutter swipe
    setRect(0, 0, x, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, 1);
    setRect(11, 0, x+12, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, BLACK);
    setRect(23, 0, x+24, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, BLACK);
    setRect(35, 0, x+36, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, BLACK);
    setRect(47, 0, x+48, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, BLACK);
    setRect(59, 0, x+60, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, BLACK);
    setRect(71, 0, x+72, LCD_HEIGHT, 1, BLACK);
    updateDisplay();
    delay(10);
  }
  // 3 Dee!
  setRect(25, 10, 45, 30, 0, WHITE);
  setRect(35, 20, 55, 40, 0, WHITE);
  setLine(25, 10, 35, 20, WHITE);
  setLine(45, 30, 55, 40, WHITE);
  setLine(25, 30, 35, 40, WHITE);
  setLine(45, 10, 55, 20, WHITE);
  updateDisplay();
  delay(2000);

  /* setCircle Example */
  clearDisplay(WHITE);
  // setCircle takes 5 parameters -- x0, y0, radius, bw, and
  // lineThickness. x0 and y0 are the center coords of the circ.
  // radius is the...radius. bw is the color (0=white, 1=black)
  // lineThickness is the line width of the circle, 1 = smallest
  // thickness moves in towards center.
  for (int i=0; i<20; i++)
  {
    int x = random(0, LCD_WIDTH);
    int y = random(0, LCD_HEIGHT);

    setCircle(x, y, i, BLACK, 1);
    updateDisplay();
    delay(100);
  }
  delay(2000);

  /* setChar & setStr Example */
  // setStr takes 4 parameters: an array of characters to print,
  // x and y coordinates for the top-left corner. And a color
  setStr("Modern Art", 0, 10, WHITE);
  updateDisplay();
  delay(2000);

  /* setBitmap Example */
  // setBitmap takes one parameter, an array of the same size
  // as our screen.
  setBitmap(xkcdSandwich);
  updateDisplay();
}


// Because I keep forgetting to put bw variable in when setting...
void setPixel(int x, int y)
{
  setPixel(x, y, BLACK); // Call setPixel with bw set to Black
}

void clearPixel(int x, int y)
{
  setPixel(x, y, WHITE); // call setPixel with bw set to white
}

// This function sets a pixel on displayMap to your preferred
// color. 1=Black, 0= white.
void setPixel(int x, int y, boolean bw)
{
  // First, double check that the coordinate is in range.
  if ((x >= 0) && (x < LCD_WIDTH) && (y >= 0) && (y < LCD_HEIGHT))
  {
    byte shift = y % 8;

    if (bw) // If black, set the bit.
      displayMap[x + (y/8)*LCD_WIDTH] |= 1<<shift;
    else   // If white clear the bit.
      displayMap[x + (y/8)*LCD_WIDTH] &= ~(1<<shift);
  }
}

// setLine draws a line from x0,y0 to x1,y1 with the set color.
// This function was grabbed from the SparkFun ColorLCDShield
// library.
void setLine(int x0, int y0, int x1, int y1, boolean bw)
{
  int dy = y1 - y0; // Difference between y0 and y1
  int dx = x1 - x0; // Difference between x0 and x1
  int stepx, stepy;

  if (dy < 0)
  {
    dy = -dy;
    stepy = -1;
  }
  else
    stepy = 1;

  if (dx < 0)
  {
    dx = -dx;
    stepx = -1;
  }
  else
    stepx = 1;

  dy <<= 1; // dy is now 2*dy
  dx <<= 1; // dx is now 2*dx
  setPixel(x0, y0, bw); // Draw the first pixel.

  if (dx > dy)
  {
    int fraction = dy - (dx >> 1);
    while (x0 != x1)
    {
      if (fraction >= 0)
      {
        y0 += stepy;
        fraction -= dx;
      }
      x0 += stepx;
      fraction += dy;
      setPixel(x0, y0, bw);
    }
  }
  else
  {
    int fraction = dx - (dy >> 1);
    while (y0 != y1)
    {
      if (fraction >= 0)
      {
        x0 += stepx;
        fraction -= dy;
      }
      y0 += stepy;
      fraction += dx;
      setPixel(x0, y0, bw);
    }
  }
}

// setRect will draw a rectangle from x0,y0 top-left corner to
// a x1,y1 bottom-right corner. Can be filled with the fill
// parameter, and colored with bw.
// This function was grabbed from the SparkFun ColorLCDShield
// library.
void setRect(int x0, int y0, int x1, int y1, boolean fill, boolean bw)
{
  // check if the rectangle is to be filled
  if (fill == 1)
  {
    int xDiff;

    if(x0 > x1)
      xDiff = x0 - x1; //Find the difference between the x vars
    else
      xDiff = x1 - x0;

    while(xDiff > 0)
    {
      setLine(x0, y0, x0, y1, bw);

      if(x0 > x1)
        x0--;
      else
        x0++;

      xDiff--;
    }
  }
  else
  {
    // best way to draw an unfilled rectangle is to draw four lines
    setLine(x0, y0, x1, y0, bw);
    setLine(x0, y1, x1, y1, bw);
    setLine(x0, y0, x0, y1, bw);
    setLine(x1, y0, x1, y1, bw);
  }
}

// setCircle draws a circle centered around x0,y0 with a defined
// radius. The circle can be black or white. And have a line
// thickness ranging from 1 to the radius of the circle.
// This function was grabbed from the SparkFun ColorLCDShield
// library.
void setCircle (int x0, int y0, int radius, boolean bw, int lineThickness)
{
  for(int r = 0; r < lineThickness; r++)
  {
    int f = 1 - radius;
    int ddF_x = 0;
    int ddF_y = -2 * radius;
    int x = 0;
    int y = radius;

    setPixel(x0, y0 + radius, bw);
    setPixel(x0, y0 - radius, bw);
    setPixel(x0 + radius, y0, bw);
    setPixel(x0 - radius, y0, bw);

    while(x < y)
    {
      if(f >= 0)
      {
        y--;
        ddF_y += 2;
        f += ddF_y;
      }
      x++;
      ddF_x += 2;
      f += ddF_x + 1;

      setPixel(x0 + x, y0 + y, bw);
      setPixel(x0 - x, y0 + y, bw);
      setPixel(x0 + x, y0 - y, bw);
      setPixel(x0 - x, y0 - y, bw);
      setPixel(x0 + y, y0 + x, bw);
      setPixel(x0 - y, y0 + x, bw);
      setPixel(x0 + y, y0 - x, bw);
      setPixel(x0 - y, y0 - x, bw);
    }
    radius--;
  }
}

// This function will draw a char (defined in the ASCII table
// near the beginning of this sketch) at a defined x and y).
// The color can be either black (1) or white (0).
void setChar(char character, int x, int y, boolean bw)
{
  byte column; // temp byte to store character's column bitmap
  for (int i=0; i<5; i++) // 5 columns (x) per character
  {
    column = ASCII[character - 0x20][i];
    for (int j=0; j<8; j++) // 8 rows (y) per character
    {
      if (column & (0x01 << j)) // test bits to set pixels
        setPixel(x+i, y+j, bw);
      else
        setPixel(x+i, y+j, !bw);
    }
  }
}

// setStr draws a string of characters, calling setChar with
// progressive coordinates until it's done.
// This function was grabbed from the SparkFun ColorLCDShield
// library.
void setStr(char * dString, int x, int y, boolean bw)
{
  while (*dString != 0x00) // loop until null terminator
  {
    setChar(*dString++, x, y, bw);
    x+=5;
    for (int i=y; i<y+8; i++)
    {
      setPixel(x, i, !bw);
    }
    x++;
    if (x > (LCD_WIDTH - 5)) // Enables wrap around
    {
      x = 0;
      y += 8;
    }
  }
}

// This function will draw an array over the screen. (For now) the
// array must be the same size as the screen, covering the entirety
// of the display.
void setBitmap(char * bitArray)
{
  for (int i=0; i<(LCD_WIDTH * LCD_HEIGHT / 8); i++)
    displayMap[i] = bitArray[i];
}

// This function clears the entire display either white (0) or
// black (1).
// The screen won't actually clear until you call updateDisplay()!
void clearDisplay(boolean bw)
{
  for (int i=0; i<(LCD_WIDTH * LCD_HEIGHT / 8); i++)
  {
    if (bw)
      displayMap[i] = 0xFF;
    else
      displayMap[i] = 0;
  }
}

// Helpful function to directly command the LCD to go to a
// specific x,y coordinate.
void gotoXY(int x, int y)
{
  LCDWrite(0, 0x80 | x);  // Column.
  LCDWrite(0, 0x40 | y);  // Row.  ?
}

// This will actually draw on the display, whatever is currently
// in the displayMap array.
void updateDisplay()
{
  gotoXY(0, 0);
  for (int i=0; i < (LCD_WIDTH * LCD_HEIGHT / 8); i++)
  {
    LCDWrite(LCD_DATA, displayMap[i]);
  }
}

// Set contrast can set the LCD Vop to a value between 0 and 127.
// 40-60 is usually a pretty good range.
void setContrast(byte contrast)
{
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x21); //Tell LCD that extended commands follow
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x80 | contrast); //Set LCD Vop (Contrast): Try 0xB1(good @ 3.3V) or 0xBF if your display is too dark
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x20); //Set display mode
}

/* There are two ways to do this. Either through direct commands
to the display, or by swapping each bit in the displayMap array.
We'll leave both methods here, comment one or the other out if
you please. */
void invertDisplay()
{
  /* Direct LCD Command option
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x20); //Tell LCD that extended commands follow
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x08 | 0x05); //Set LCD Vop (Contrast): Try 0xB1(good @ 3.3V) or 0xBF if your display is too dark
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x20); //Set display mode  */

  /* Indirect, swap bits in displayMap option: */
  for (int i=0; i < (LCD_WIDTH * LCD_HEIGHT / 8); i++)
  {
    displayMap[i] = ~displayMap[i] & 0xFF;
  }
  updateDisplay();
}

// There are two memory banks in the LCD, data/RAM and commands.
// This function sets the DC pin high or low depending, and then
// sends the data byte
void LCDWrite(byte data_or_command, byte data)
{
  //Tell the LCD that we are writing either to data or a command
  digitalWrite(dcPin, data_or_command);

  //Send the data
  digitalWrite(scePin, LOW);
  SPI.transfer(data); //shiftOut(sdinPin, sclkPin, MSBFIRST, data);
  digitalWrite(scePin, HIGH);
}

//This sends the magical commands to the PCD8544
void lcdBegin(void)
{
  //Configure control pins
  pinMode(scePin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(rstPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(dcPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(sdinPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(sclkPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(blPin, OUTPUT);
  analogWrite(blPin, 255);

  SPI.begin();
  SPI.setDataMode(SPI_MODE0);
  SPI.setBitOrder(MSBFIRST);

  //Reset the LCD to a known state
  digitalWrite(rstPin, LOW);
  digitalWrite(rstPin, HIGH);

  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x21); //Tell LCD extended commands follow
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0xB0); //Set LCD Vop (Contrast)
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x04); //Set Temp coefficent
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x14); //LCD bias mode 1:48 (try 0x13)
  //We must send 0x20 before modifying the display control mode
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x20);
  LCDWrite(LCD_COMMAND, 0x0C); //Set display control, normal mode.
}

For help understanding the sketch, check the comments in the code. Most of the action takes place in the lcdFunTime() function.

The Sketch in Action

Once uploaded to your Arduino, the sketch will begin by running the demo – a set of basic animations and graphics functions. To begin, we’ll draw some random pixels on the screen (“It’s full of stars…”). Then we’ll move on to examples of drawing lines, rectangles, and circles. Throughout there are examples of drawing characters and strings. Finally the demo closes out with an homage to a monochrome comic which seems a perfect fit for this little monochrome LCD.

This is a demo of drawing bitmaps on the screen, which is one of the more rewarding tasks we can accomplish with the ‘duino/LCD combo.

After the demo runs its course, the sketch will enter into a serial echo mode. Open the serial monitor (set the baud rate to 9600 bps), and type stuff over to the Arduino. It should start printing everything you send it onto the LCD.

If you’re intrigued by the possibilites of drawing bitmaps on the screen, check out the next page! We’ll show you how to import your own 84x48 bitmap and draw it on the screen.

Example Code 2: Drawing Bitmaps

If the last demo has you chomping at the bit to design your own 84x48 bitmaps and display them, continue reading through this example. We’ll show you how to scale and import a bitmap, then compile it into your Arduino code and send it to the LCD, so you can have your own, sillly graphic.

Find/Make/Modify a Bitmap

To begin, find a bitmap image that you’d like to print to the LCD. 84x48 monochrome pixels doesn’t give you a lot of room, but you can still get some fun stuff on there. Here are a few examples:

After you’ve picked an image, you’ll need to massage it to make it both monochrome (2-bit color) and 84 x 48 pixels. Most standard image editors can help with this. For Windows users, Paint is all you need to scale the image. Then save it as a monochrome bitmap.

Convert Bitmap to Array

The next step is converting that regular image file to a 504-byte array of char’s. There are a number of programs that can help with this around the web. We recommend LCD Assistant.

To load up an image in LCD Assistant, go to File>Load Image. A preview of the image should open up, make sure it’s the right size – 84 pixels wide, 48 pixels tall. Also make sure the Byte orientation is set to Vertical and the Size endianness is set to Little. The rest of the default settings (8 pixels/byte, etc.) should already be set correctly:

Then go to File>Save output to generate a temporary text file. Open that text file to have a look at your shiny new array. You’ll need to modify the type of the array to be just a char (no unsigned or const). Also make sure the array has the proper naming conventions (no dashes, don’t start with a number, etc.).

Import into the Sketch and Draw!

With that array created, copy the entire table over to your Arduino sketch. Use the same sketch from Example 1. Paste the array wherever you’d like. Now, to test out your drawing, replace the setup() and loop() in the last sketch with the below (making sure the rest of the functions and variables remain in the sketch):

language:c

// ...LCD definitions, variables, and bitmap array defined above.

void setup()
{
  lcdBegin(); // This will setup our pins, and initialize the LCD
  setContrast(60); // Good values range from 40-60
  setBitmap(flameBitmap); // flameBitmap should be replaced with the name of your BMP array
  updateDisplay();  // Update the display to make the array show up.
}

void loop()
{
}

// LCD control and graphics functions defined below...

Fun stuff! Now you can overlay text, or draw on on your bitmap. You can even try importing multiple graphics to create animations!

Resources & Going Further

Thanks for checking out our Monochrome 84 x 48 Graphic LCD Hookup Guide! Should you require any further resources to get your LCD up and running, here are some handy places to look:

LCD and Driver Resources
- PCD8544 LCD Controller Datasheet
- LCD Datasheet– Not exactly SparkFun’s LCD, but a pretty close match.
Arduino Libraries and Code
- PCD8544 Arduino Library– A dependable Arduino library for the PCD8544 LCD driver.
- AdaFruit LCD Library– Adafruit has an amazing Arduino library to help interface with this LCD. Also requires their graphics library.
Bitmap Tools
- LCD Assitant
- Bitmap2LCD
- TheDotFactory– Nifty tool to create array definitions for custom fonts.

Going Further

Now that you’ve got control of your graphic LCD, you can embed it into all sorts of cool projects. If you need some inspiration, here are some related tutorials to help you out:

OLED Display Hookup Guide– While not exactly an LCD, this OLED provides a nice, crisp text display to your project.
MP3 Player Shield Music Box– This MP3 Player Music Box could be well served by a sweet graphic display. Hmm…
ITG-3200 Hookup Guide– The ITG-3200 is a fully-featured 3-axis gyroscope sensor. This display could be used to create a visual angular velocity meter.

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