Simple Serial Display

SIMPLE SERIAL DISPLAY YOU CAN BUILD THIS ON YOUR OWN – NO SOLDERING REQUIRED

About Me/Contact/Slideshare
mailto:wwward@newworldelectric.com
NYC Resistor – Hacker Collective in Brooklyn
This presentation is located on Slideshare.net under my username, “wwward”
Twitter @wwward
Just about everywhere as “wwward” except for that guy with kids on Flickr – I'm wwward0 there.

If you remember nothing else...
It is scary-simple to control physical things using a serial port.
Rich computer displays are great for conveying COMPLEX information, but it is hard to beat an “oh shit” light for telling you what matters quickly. Leverage novel ways of conveying information to reduce the attention cost of “digital” situational awareness.

What this is (and what to do w/It)
The Simple Serial Display is a 16 char by 2 line text display (other display sizes are available.)
If your code can write to a serial port, it can use the Simple Serial Display for text output
No soldering required if used with a breadboard
Process reporting, display tweets, CPU load
Keep important information visible while your screen drops to power-save mode

Component Overview LED Serial LCD Display USB to Serial Converter Resistor Breadboard

Components: USB to Serial Power Serial Control Line (RTS) Data (RX)

Components: Serial LCD ** Most LCD Displays are “parallel” - but this one has a serial to parallel “backpack” +5 Volts, Ground, Data

Components: LED Resistor limits voltage through LED 4-legged 5mm LED

Try Other Displays Image from sparkfun.com “Huge” mono dot-matrix 160x128 Sparkfun.com model LCD-08884 ~$70 Image from sparkfun.com Color 1.7” OLED Graphic Sparkfun.com model LCD-08543 ~$80 Image from sparkfun.com 20 char x 4 row text Sparkfun.com model LCD-00462 ~$33 ** The OLED model may require a minor 5 volt to 3.3 volt adjustment on the serial lines

Caveats and Tips
Tip: If you understand basic electronics, you can use other USB to Serial converters, including cabled USB to 5 volt RS232 boxes
Caveat: No-soldering implies that your Arduino Mini Serial already has the pins attached
Caveat: Some serial displays use SPI rather than RS232, this is an important distinction, so read the specifications before buying.
Tip: The newer Arduino Mini Serial adapters can still be used, but won't provide a pin for the LED.
Tip: There is another control pin (DTR) available for a second LED! Read the spec sheet!
Tip: Several cursor and screen controls involve sending control characters

Where to Buy
Arduino Mini USB to Serial Converter* Makershed.com MKSP3 ~$20
LCD 16x2 w/Serial Backpack Sparkfun.com LCD-00812 ~$25
Breadboard, LEDs, wire, and Resistors Radio Shack, Sparkfun.com, Superbrightleds.com, etc. ~$10 or so for breadboard, wire, cheap LED, resistor. (This LED is hf5-y5590 @ Superbrightleds resistor should be 140 or 150 ohms. When buying, find out the LED's voltage drop and current limit, the circuit source voltage is 5v, use a web based LED calculator to determine the appropriate resistor value for the LEDs you buy.)
* There is a newer Arduino Mini Serial that lacks the RTS control pin for the LED – and some may require soldering pins to the bottom, hunt around for the original model! ** Buy a cheap multimeter while you're at Radio Shack, you'll need it for troubleshooting!

Where to Learn More
New York City Resistor: www.nycresistor.com Soldering and basic electronics classes for adults. Free “Craft Nights” every Thursday in Brooklyn
groups.google.com/group/nycresistormicrocontrollers
Sparkfun.com Tutorials
Contact Me: [email_address]
Follow Me on Twitter: @wwward
Read my Blog: wwward.typepad.com

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Simple Serial Display

by William Ward

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