{{:usblcd.png}}

This driver supports the USB to HD44780 interface module by [[http://www.usblcd.de|Robin Adams IT services]].

**Note**: All USBLCD's seem to be unavailable for months now... You may have a look at the [[http://bwct.de/lcd.html|BWCT USB-to-LCD adapters]] which provide a similar solution, and are supported by LCD4Linux using the [[BWCT|BWCT driver]]. Another (probably cheaper) alternative would be the do-it-yourself [[http://www.harbaum.org/till/lcd2usb|LCD2USB]] interface developed by Till Harbaum; of course there's a [[LCD2USB|LCD4Linux driver]] available..

LCD4Linux communicates with the USBLCD over a kernel driver. This driver is part of the standard kernel since 2.4.20-pre7 (2.5.32). If you have an older USBLCD (Version 1.10 or 1.11) you have to download a special kernel driver from http://www.usblcd.de because the USB device ID has changed.

While I developed the [[:BWCT|BWCT driver]], I realized how easy libusb programming is, and I integrated an alternative libusb interface in the USBLCD driver, too. You decide which method to use by specifying 'libusb' as the //Port// in the Display section. 

Some comments on the libusb method:

  * the libusb method does not care if you have an old or new USBLCD, it detects both of them.
  * libusb support is disabled if //configure// cannot find the file //usb.h//. You need to install //libusb-dev// or something similar (depends on your distribution)
  * you don't need a USBLCD kernel module with libusb; far from it, libusb does not work if you have the USBLCD kernel module loaded (which the //hotplug// system may have done for you)

The USBLCD works with every HD44780 or compatible display, power for the display (and even backlight) will be supplied by USB.

{{:usblcd1-sm.jpg}}
{{:usblcd5-sm.jpg}}
{{:usblcd7.jpg}}
{{:usblcd_blau1.jpg}}

----

===== Display Section =====

<code>
Display <name> {
    Driver    'USBLCD'
    Port      <string>
    Size      <string>
    asc255bug <0|1>
    Icons     <number>
}
</code>


----

===== Parameters: =====

|**Driver**|'USBLCD'|
|**Port**|either 'libusb' or the device file of your USBLCD (usually '/dev/usb/usblcd' or '/dev/lcd0')|
|**Size**|<columns>x<rows> e.g. "16x2"|
|**asc255bug**|set to 1 if you don't get solid blocks in bars, but an inverted P (the //Portishead syndrome// :-)|
|**Icons**|Number of user-defined chars reserved for Icons (default: 0)|

----

===== Example =====

using the kernel module:

<code>
Display USBLCD {
    Driver   'USBLCD'
    Port     '/dev/lcd0'
    Size     '20x4'
    asc255bug 0
    Icons     1
}
</code>


using libusb:

<code>
Display USBLCD {
    Driver   'USBLCD'
    Port     'libusb'
    Size     '20x4'
    asc255bug 0
    Icons     1
}
</code>


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