Best Way to Physically Hookup LCD To Arduino

Other Hardware Displays
1

Hello and thank you! I am quite new to using LCDs and I have one with 16 copper terminals (for soldering I assume) on the two long parallel ends.
Now, I definately don't want to break it because I don't know how heat resistant it is, so I'm looking for advice.
I've seen people wire it various different ways, but since it was only in videos, I have no idea what they actually did.
One way I saw was they definately soldered to the terminals, and I assume they used a two way header, because then it was inserted into a breadboard.
Another way I saw was I wires coming directly out of the copper terminals. I'm not sure if they soldered the wires directly onto the terminals or wrapped the wires around. I think they'd wrap it around but I'm not sure about the security of the connection with that method. On the other hand, soldering wires directly to the terminals seems dangerous because I mean, what if they break?

So my is: what is the best way to physically hook up an LCD Display.

P.S. Why does my LCD have two 16 terminal rows? I've only ever seen people use one row. Infact, their Displays only have the one row.

2

A picture and a model number would help answer your question about two rows.

I think my soldering skills are on the low end of medium on the scale of ability. I am limited by aging eyesight. I have successfully soldered wires to at least a dozen LCDs without damaging any of them. The other ends of the wires can then be stuck in a breadboard or the terminals on the arduino.

At least a couple of times, I have use header pins. Once when I did it this way, the plastic holding the pins got too hot and some of the pins shifted upward. I was able to remove and redo.

3

Why does my LCD have two 16 terminal rows? I've only ever seen people use one row.

Most displays have only one row. Typically if a display has a second row of terminals on the opposite edge of the pc board then the two sets of terminals are duplicates of one another and the most convenient would be used. It is constructed this way to make it easier to incorporate the display into different final products.

Don