----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Sochon" To: Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 12:39 PM Subject: [pic] : serial decoders > Can anyone please tell me what chip/shift register I > should use for a 4mhz pic if i want to run a 3 > wire/line lcd interface. Where can I purchase the > chip? and the LCD? That I want to use a 2*20 Lcd as > well. I just don't seem to be able to find them! I am > basing it on the project on microchip website and also > in myke predko's book - I am missing something I no > that to well! > any help will be greatfully received. I need all the > help I can get I am on an a-level Dt project! Since you're in the UK you might want to look at www.greenweld.co.uk who stock surplus LCDs, the site layout is appaling but you can download their catalogue or get the dead-tree version by post. Just make sure the one you get uses a 44780 compatible controller, not all surplus LCDs are created equal! There's some useful character LCD info at http://home.iae.nl/users/pouweha/lcd/lcd.shtml too. Try www.farnell.co.uk for chips. They do LCDs too at fairly reasonable prices. Avoid Maplin is my other advice, they're too often out of stock and expensive in my opinion. There are quite a lot of shift registers that are suitable, it isn't really critical in this application, just look for serial in/parallel out devices. It's a while since I read Myke's book but I think he uses the LCD in 4 bit mode so an 8-bit register should be plenty. 74HC164 is a good place to start looking, it's an 8-bit serial in/parallel out device, a search on the Farnell site for shift registers will no doubt give plenty of other options. If you're interested in other approaches there are also some PIC based solutions to running an LCD serially. One of the PIC'n series books has a design, I think it's in "PIC'n Up The Pace", and the software for that is downloadable from their website www.sq-1.com. A web-search will probably produce others. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.