OLED Display Hookup Guide

Contributors: Joel_E_B

Firmware

For this example, we'll be using the Adafruit OLED library fork by Technobly found on GitHub.

Download the library, and copy it to your libraries folder in Arduino. If you need a refresher on how to install a library, check out our tutorial.

Once you have the library installed, you can copy this example sketch into the Arduino IDE.

language:c
/*
Based on the LiquidCrystal Library

 Demonstrates the use a SparkFun 16x2 OLED display. This OLED screen 
 utilizes the RS0010 chipset instead of the HD44780 chipset which means 
 the pin out will be slightly different.  You will need 7 general 
 I/O pins to interface to this screen and 2 pins for power.

  The circuit:
 * GND (pin 1) to GND
 * VDD (pin 2) to 5V
 * RS (pin4) to digital pin 6
 * R/W (pin 5) to digital pin 7
 * Enable (pin 6) to digital pin 8
 * D4 (pin 11) to digital pin 9
 * D5 (pin 12) to digital pin 10
 * D6 (pin 13) to digital pin 11
 * D7 (pin 14) to digital pin 12


 There is no need for the contrast pot as used in the LCD tutorial

 Library originally added 18 Apr 2008
 by David A. Mellis
 library modified 5 Jul 2009
 by Limor Fried (http://www.ladyada.net)
 example added 9 Jul 2009
 by Tom Igoe
 modified 22 Nov 2010
 by Tom Igoe
 Library & Example Converted for OLED
 by Bill Earl 30 Jun 2012

 This example code is in the public domain.
 */

#include <Adafruit_CharacterOLED.h>//include the OLED library 

// initialize the library with the OLED hardware
// version OLED_Vx and numbers of the interface pins.
// OLED_V1 = older, OLED_V2 = newer. If 2 doesn't work try 1 ;)
Adafruit_CharacterOLED lcd(OLED_V2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12);

void setup() 
{
  lcd.begin(16, 2);// Initialize the LCD with 16 characters and 2 lines
}

void loop() 
{
  scrollingMarquee();
  counter();
  tempAndHumidity();
 }
//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
void scrollingMarquee()
{
//This function scroll text across the screen on both lines
  lcd.clear(); // it's always good to clear the screen before movonh onto a new print
  for(int j = 0; j < 17; j++)
  {
    lcd.setCursor(0, 0);
    lcd.print("SPARK");
    lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
    lcd.print(" FUN ");

    lcd.scrollDisplayRight();

    delay(100);

  }
}
//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
void counter()
{
  //this function prints a simple counter that counts to 10
  lcd.clear();
  for(int i = 0; i <= 10; i++)
  {
    lcd.home();// set the cursor to column 0, line 1
    lcd.print("Counter = ");
    lcd.print(i, DEC);
    delay(500);
    lcd.clear();
  }
}


//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
void tempAndHumidity()
{
  //this function shows how you could read the data from a temerature and humidity 
  //sensor and then print that data to the LCD.

  //these could be varaibles instead of static numbers 
  float tempF = 77.0; 
  float tempC = 25.0;
  float humidity = 67.0;

  lcd.clear();
  lcd.home();
  lcd.print(" Temp = ");
  lcd.print((long)tempF, DEC);
  lcd.print("F ");
  lcd.print((long)tempC, DEC);
  lcd.print("C");
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
  lcd.print(" Humidity = ");
  lcd.print((long)humidity, DEC); 
  lcd.print("%");
  delay(2500);
}
//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This example is very similar to the example sketch that comes with the library, but it adds a few more demonstration functions. The first function scrolls some text across the screen. The second function displays a simple counter. And the third function shows how you could display data from sensors or other variables to the display. These are just a few of the functions you can use to control the OLED display. Explore the library more to see what else is possible, or create your own functions.