Documentation and Python library module for interfacing a PCD8544 LCD screen to a Rasbperry Pi. Cheap Nokia 5110 modules can be picked up on ebay with a breakout board for a few pounds.

Further technical details for the LCD screen can be found in the datasheet [PDF].

Compile and install the wiringPi python bindings from https://github.com/rm-hull/wiringPi. This library specifically requires the python binding baked into this software, which have not been pushed back to drogon.

Next, install PIL (Python Imaging Library) as follows:

$ sudo apt-get install zlibc libpng3 libfreetype6 libfreetype6-dev python-pip
$ sudo pip install pillow

After having cloned from github:

$ python setup.py clean build
$ sudo python setup.py install

This should install the files in your local dist-files ares (somewhere like /usr/local/lib/python2.7/distfiles/pcd8544).

Next, test at the hardware and software is working:

$ cd examples
$ sudo ./alphabet-text.py

Most of the ASCII character set should be displayed. There are a few other examples of graphics rendering in the same directory.

There appears to be different pin-out configurations on PCD8544 modules - beware!

Although the python library (currently) used software-base bit-banging to do the SPI chattering, the pins chosen should be compatible with hardware SPI. The above diagram was modified for my wiring setup from an SVG from http://shiro.be/ - all rights of the original author reserved.

With 4 push-buttons, resistor values 10K.

Buttons (from top to bottom) are wired onto BCM pins as follows:

• GPIO 14 (TxD)
• GPIO 17
• GPIO 25
• GPIO 22

The finished article, and a video:

• Documentation

• More examples

• Introduce small/tiny font handling onto drawable PIL surfaces

• Implement module for scanning push buttons

• Hardware SPI rather than software emulation

• http://elinux.org/Rpi_Low-level_peripherals#General_Purpose_Input.2FOutput_.28GPIO.29

• http://binerry.de/post/25787954149/pcd8544-library-for-raspberry-pi

• http://www.avdweb.nl/arduino/hardware-interfacing/nokia-5110-lcd.html

• http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=9814&start=100

• https://projects.drogon.net/raspberry-pi/wiringpi/pins/

• http://www.henningkarlsen.com/electronics/t_imageconverter_mono.php

• https://vimeo.com/41393421

• http://fritzing.org