Connect Arduino to Crystalfontz CFA533 With I2C

Intro: Connect Arduino to Crystalfontz CFA533 With I2C

We've been working with LCD displays, for a long time so we thought we'd show you how to hook up a CFA533 I2C LCD with a Keypad to an Arduino. Giving you the ability to output and control your arduino via I2C.

STEP 1: Electrical Connections

On the Arduino side you simply need to grab +5v, GND, SDA (I2C Serial DAta) and SCL (I2C Serial CLock). We used a few wire jumpers out of a WR-JMP-Y40 and standard male-to-male headers to make the connection.

STEP 2: Connect to CFA533

On the I2C LCD side, all the connections are made to the CFA533's 10-pin connector (ref: CFA533 I2C datasheet). The jumpers push on directly with no fuss.

STEP 3: Jumper Check

Check to make sure that JP13 is closed, so the module can get its 5v power from the Arduino.

STEP 4: Power Up!

Now you are ready to connect your PC's USB cable to the Arduino. Since the LCD gets its power from the Arduino, the LCD will instantly power up and show its boot screen

STEP 5: Software

On the software side of things, we have sample a CFA-533 I2C project for the Arduino: I2C_533_Test.ino

The project will run a couple of simple demos.

STEP 6: Sample Code

It is easy for you to use the functions included in the .INO file to write text to the display, read the keys or any other function supported by the CFA-533.

Write to Display

cfPacket->writeText(0,0, "Hello World", 11);

Read the keys:

uint8_t
    keys_down;
  uint8_t
    key_presses;
  uint8_t
    key_releases;
  . . . 
  //Ask the module what is happening with the keys
  cfPacket->getKeys(&keys_down,&key_presses,&key_releases);

STEP 7: Where to Get?

You can get an Arduino Compatible LCD from crystalfontz here.

You can read the complete tutorial on our forum here: https://forum.crystalfontz.com/showthread.php/7377...

Let us know if you have any questions or need help!

Comments

[seamster]

Very nice, thank you for sharing this!

[crystalfontz]

You're very welcome! Thanks for the feedback.

[t3eaOregon]

Do you have the code available for download?