Book Image

C Programming for Arduino

By : Julien Bayle
Book Image

C Programming for Arduino

By: Julien Bayle

Overview of this book

Physical computing allows us to build interactive physical systems by using software & hardware in order to sense and respond to the real world. C Programming for Arduino will show you how to harness powerful capabilities like sensing, feedbacks, programming and even wiring and developing your own autonomous systems. C Programming for Arduino contains everything you need to directly start wiring and coding your own electronic project. You'll learn C and how to code several types of firmware for your Arduino, and then move on to design small typical systems to understand how handling buttons, leds, LCD, network modules and much more. After running through C/C++ for the Arduino, you'll learn how to control your software by using real buttons and distance sensors and even discover how you can use your Arduino with the Processing framework so that they work in unison. Advanced coverage includes using Wi-Fi networks and batteries to make your Arduino-based hardware more mobile and flexible without wires. If you want to learn how to build your own electronic devices with powerful open-source technology, then this book is for you.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
C Programming for Arduino
Credits
About the Author
Acknowledgement
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Quick introduction to LCD


LCD means Liquid Crystal Display. We use LCD technology everyday in watches, digicode display, and so on. Look around you, and check these small or great LCDs.

There exist two big families of LCD displays:

  • Character LCD is based on a matrix of characters (columns x rows)

  • Graphical LCD , is based on a pixel matrix

We can find a lot of printed circuit boards that include an LCD and the connectors to interface them with Arduino and other systems for cheap, nowadays.

There is now a library included in the Arduino Core that is really easy to use. Its name is LiquidCrystal, and it works with all LCD displays that are compatible with the Hitachi HD44780 driver. This driver is really common.

Hitachi developed it as a very dedicated driver, that includes a micro-controller itself, specifically to drive alphanumeric characters LCDs and to connect to the external world easily too, which can be done by a specific link using, usually, 16 connectors, including power supply for the...