Adafruit USB and Serial LCD Backpack Kit with 16x2 RGB LCD

The Adafruit USB and Serial LCD Backpack Kit makes it simple to add a character display to your computer or microcontroller project. Featuring an AT90USB162 controller, it drives an included 16x2 positive LCD with full 8-bit PWM control over the RGB backlight. It is ideal for makers, students, and hobbyists building custom terminal readouts or hardware interfaces.

Dual interface connectivity

The onboard AT90USB162 microcontroller accepts commands through both a mini-B USB port and a TTL serial input pin. The USB interface appears as a standard serial COM port on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems at any baud rate, while the TTL connection supports configurable baud rates from 2400 to 57600 baud.

Customisable RGB display

The included 16x2 LCD displays black text on an adjustable multi-colour background using full 8-bit PWM backlight control. User configurations such as backlight colour, brightness, splash screens, and baud rates are stored permanently in onboard EEPROM.

Software and command compatibility

The backpack supports standard Matrix Orbital command sets for software such as LCD Smartie, as well as extended Adafruit commands for RGB adjustment. It also features 4 general purpose outputs and supports up to 8 user-defined custom characters alongside its built-in English and Japanese character set.

Kit contents and assembly

The mini-kit includes the Adafruit USB and serial backpack PCB, a 16x2 RGB positive backlight LCD, and a strip of header pins. Simple through-hole soldering is required to attach the header strip and join the LCD to the backpack.