Adafruit
RGB LCD Shield Kit w/ 16x2 Character Display - Only 2 pins used! [POSITIVE DISPLAY]
This Arduino shield kit combines a 16×2 RGB character LCD with five navigation buttons, all controlled over I2C using just two pins (Analog 4 and 5). An on-b...
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This Arduino shield kit combines a 16×2 RGB character LCD with five navigation buttons, all controlled over I2C using just two pins (Analog 4 and 5). An on-board I2C port expander handles the LCD, RGB backlight, and keypad inputs, leaving your remaining pins free for sensors and other peripherals — and the I2C bus can still be shared with other devices.
The five directional buttons (up, down, left, right, select) provide a built-in user interface for standalone projects without needing a computer. This is the positive display version (black text on RGB backlight).
Key Features
- I2C Control – LCD, backlight, and buttons all managed via two I2C pins
- 16×2 RGB LCD Included – Positive display (black on RGB) with 7 backlight colours (red, yellow, green, teal, blue, violet, white) plus off
- 5 Navigation Buttons – Up, down, left, right, and select with automatic debouncing
- Shared I2C Bus – Other I2C devices (sensors, RTCs, etc.) can share the bus
- Arduino Library – Drop-in replacement for LiquidCrystal with built-in keypad support
Compatibility
- Arduino Uno, Duemilanove, Diecimila – Direct plug-in
- Arduino Mega R3 – Works with the extra SDA/SCL pins
- Earlier Mega – Requires two wires soldered from the shield I2C pins to Digital 20 and 21
Ideal For
- Standalone projects with on-device user interfaces
- Menu-driven Arduino applications
- Sensor readout displays
- Learning to solder (beginner-friendly kit)
Package Contents
- 1× PCB shield board
- 1× 16×2 RGB positive LCD
- 5× Navigation buttons
- Headers and all required components
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- Headers
- Rows of connector contacts on a fixed pitch (commonly 2.54 mm) used to link a board to a breadboard, jumper wires, or another board. They come as male pin headers and female socket headers; when a module ships with pre-soldered headers it can be used straight away, whereas bare pads require soldering the pins yourself.
- I2C
- I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
- 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.
- PCB
- A printed circuit board (PCB) is a board, usually rigid, with etched copper tracks that connect electronic components together without loose wiring. Components are mounted on the board and signals route between them through the copper layout.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
- 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.
- SDA/SCL
- SDA and SCL are the two signal lines used by an I2C bus: data and clock. Seeing these names helps you identify the correct connections when wiring I2C devices, even though Qwiic cables usually hide that wiring for you.
- Shield
- An add-on board that plugs into a main controller board to give it extra features such as sensing, motor control or communication. Knowing a product supports shields helps you judge whether it can connect neatly into an existing maker-board setup.
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