LCD not displaying text?

Other Hardware Displays
1

Hello, I've spent all day trying to assemble a circuit that will display text on my LCD, but I don't get any output. If I wiggle the 16th wire the backlight turns on, but there is no text and this does not solve my problem.

Here is the diagram I am following:

I'm using the provided code with all of the same pins. I have the pins plugged through the LCD pinholes and then into the breadboard holes. I'm not sure if this is correct, but I don't see any way to get a LCD on a breadboard/pins to stay in without doing it this way. I know you can solder it, but I'm just using push pins.

For the potentiometer I have the right pin going to ground, the middle is for the yellow wire, and the left pin is plugged into the positive column of the breadboard.


2

encryptio:
I have the pins plugged through the LCD pinholes and then into the breadboard holes. I'm not sure if this is correct, but I don't see any way to get a LCD on a breadboard/pins to stay in without doing it this way. I know you can solder it, but I'm just using push pins.

Without soldering pins/wires to the LCD PCB, it is very unlikely that you will get good enough connections on all the wires to work.
Usually if using a breadboad, you solder a header to the LCD that can be plugged into the bread board.

--- bill