I2C LCD Controller

A Python interface to an alphanumeric liquid crystal display (LCD) module connected via an I2C port expander.

Currently, the code has only been tested with the DFRobot 20x4 display module connected to a Raspberry Pi.

I bought the display for a possible project using the Raspberry Pi, but then found that the only code they supply is in C for the Arduino (which depend on other hardware interface libraries). Rather than try and rewrite their library in Python, I decided it was better to look at the datasheets and write a simple interface class.

(I have since found several other Python interfaces for this type of display, many of which have more functionality than this one. But this is tuned for my needs, so I will stick with it now. It has the advantage of simplicity.)

Documentation

• I2C LCD API documentation

Installation

$ python3 -m venv .venv
$ source .venv/bin/activate
$ python3 -m pip install https://github.com/JamesRandom/i2c-lcd-controller

Requirements

• Python version 3.9 or later (it may work with earlier versions but it isn't tested)

• Requires a compatible SMBus interface, such as smbus2

Enable I2C interface on Raspberry Pi

On the Raspberry Pi, you will need to enable the I2C interface. This can be done in any of the following ways:

• Using the configuration tool (select "Interface Options" then "I2C"):

  ```bash
  $ sudo raspi-config
  ```
  

• From the command line:

  ```bash
  $ sudo raspi-config nonint do_i2c 0
  ```
  

• By changing the following line in /boot/config.txt and then rebooting:

  ```bash
  dtparam=i2c_arm=on
  ```