Adafruit
RGB backlight positive LCD 16x2 + extras [black on RGB]
A 16 × 2 character LCD with a full RGB backlight, displaying black text on a customisable colour background. Set the backlight to any colour — red, green, bl...
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A 16 × 2 character LCD with a full RGB backlight, displaying black text on a customisable colour background. Set the backlight to any colour — red, green, blue, purple, teal, white, or anything in between — by controlling three independent LED channels. With excellent daylight readability and vibrant colours, this display is a versatile upgrade over standard single-colour LCDs.
The LCD is pin-compatible with standard 16 × 2 HD44780 displays. Pins 1–16 follow the standard pinout (only the red LED is used in legacy setups), while pins 17 and 18 control the green and blue backlight LEDs. On-board resistors allow direct 5 V drive at approximately 20 mA per LED. A single LED backlight illuminates the entire display.
Key Features
- Full RGB Backlight – Independent red, green, and blue LED control for any background colour
- Black on RGB Text – High-contrast black characters on a coloured background
- HD44780 Compatible – Standard 16 × 2 pinout with two extra pins for green and blue LEDs
- 5 V Logic – On-board resistors for direct drive at ~20 mA per LED
- Excellent Daylight Readability – Clear, legible text in bright conditions
Specifications
- Display – 16 × 2 character LCD
- Text Colour – Black
- Backlight – RGB (pins 16, 17, 18)
- Logic Voltage – 5 V
- Backlight Current – ~20 mA per LED channel
- Interface – Parallel (HD44780-compatible)
Package Contents
- 1× RGB Backlight Positive LCD (16 × 2, black on RGB)
- 1× 10 kΩ Contrast Potentiometer
- 1× Header Pin Strip
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- LCD
- LCD stands for liquid crystal display, a screen technology that uses a backlight and liquid crystals to show images or text. It matters because LCD modules usually need a display driver and enough controller pins or a bus interface to send image data.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode (LED) is a small electronic component that emits light when current flows through it in the correct direction. Because it only conducts one way, its polarity matters, and a through-hole LED must be soldered the correct way around to light up.
- potentiometer
- A variable resistor usually turned with a knob or shaft to create an adjustable electrical signal. It is often used for inputs such as volume, brightness or position, so it helps beginners learn how a microcontroller reads changing values.
- RGB
- Short for red, green and blue, the three primary colours of light that are mixed in varying amounts to make a wide range of colours. In electronics RGB can refer to an LED or pixel that blends these three colours, or to a colour signal or interface that carries separate red, green and blue channels.
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