At 12:46 PM 12/11/97 +1300, Steve Baldwin wrote:
>>     Without software control of the contrast, a new user faced with
>>     a blank (or black) display might not think to turn the contrast
>>     knob.
>
>As opposed to a mesage on the display that says "Press button A if you
>can't read this".

Actually, Steve, he suggested having the LCD repeatedly cycle back & forth
 through all values of contrast upon startup, with the user pressing a button to
 "lock in" the current value when the display was legible.

I would suggest storing the "last" value in EEPROM, and using that if the user
 does nothing for 5 seconds or so.  That way, your project will restart cleanly
 without intervention after losing and regaining power.

Not a bad idea for eliminating a moving part from the design.

 - Rick "PWM and Pwoper" Dickinson