Here is a copy of a document that I wrote a few years ago for a Farnell application directory. The subject matter has been requested a few times now so I thought that I would offer it to a wider audience for new users wishing to interface to alphanumeric LCD displays using microcontrollers etc. The text also covers the manual driving methods, useful when you are suspecting an LCD fault but don't know if the fault lies within the microcontroller or the display.
Carl Scargill