We really like the range of LCDs we stock in the shop, such as our classic blue & white and the fancy RGB negative and RGB positive. Unfortunately, these LCDs require quite a few digital pins: 6 to control the LCD and then another 3 to control the RGB backlight for a total of 9 pins. That's half of the pins available on a classic Arduino!

The 16x2 Character LCD is NOT, repeat, NOT included in this product listing.

With this in mind, we wanted to make it easier for people to get these LCDs into their projects, so we devised a shield that lets you control a 16x2 Character LCD, up to 3 backlight pins, AND 5 keypad pins using only the two I2C pins on the Arduino! The best part is you don't really lose those two pins either, since you can stick i2c-based sensors, RTCs, etc, and have them share the I2C bus. This is a super slick way to add a display without all the wiring hassle.

This shield is perfect for building a stand-alone project with its own user interface. The four directional buttons plus a select button allow basic control without attaching a bulky computer.

The shield is designed for 'classic' Arduino-shaped boards such as the Uno, Metro, etc. But it will also fit "Mega" sized boards because the I2C pins are labeled SCL/SDA. This used to come as a kit but now comes as an assembled SMT design, so much less soldering is required.

An LCD is not included; you will need one of our fine 16x2 Character LCDs. If you don't already have an LCD, we suggest picking up a 'pack' that includes it and will save you a bundle: RGB Positive Pack, RGB Negative Pack, and Basic Blue&White Pack.

Assembly is easy, even if you've never soldered before; you need to put the headers on to plug it into your 'duino, which takes about 5 minutes.

Of course, we even wrote an easy-to-use Arduino library that you can easily add to your project. It acts like the built-in LiquidCrystal library but automatically uses the shield pins. You can also easily query the 5 keypad buttons to get input through the library, so you get extra buttons without using any more pins.

Currently, the library and shield can control the RGB backlight of our character LCDs by turning each LED on or off. This means you can display the following colors: Red, Yellow, Green, Teal, Blue, Violet, White, and all. There is no support for PWM control of the backlight, so if you need more granular control of the RGB backlight to display a larger range of colors, this shield can't do that (the I2C expander does not have PWM output).

Play video: #NewProducts 5/29/24 Feat. #Adafruit I2C Controlled + Keypad Shield Kit for 16x2 LCD!