Breadboarding: Connecting an LCD Display to the Microcontroller Using a DIY Interface for the LCD

An interface (breakout) was created to make the connection from the LCD to the microcontroller easier. The DIY interface contains a trimmer potentiometer to adjust the contrast of the LCD. The interface has ribbon cable soldered and connected to the data lines of the LCD. The power, RS, R/W and Enable share another cable assembly that go to another part of the microcontroller. This reduces the amount of space that the LCD uses on the breadboard. In this case, the LCD data lines are connected to the PORT B of the AVR microcontroller. The E (enable), RW (Read Write) and RS (Register Select) are all plugged into PORT D. The power is plugged into the power rail.