Simple soldering question about 16*2 LCD

Hi everyone!

I'm new to arduino. I tried to both google and search the forum, but could not find answer. I know this is so basic, but I have to ask this anyway: Is it normal to have a short circuit between the VDD and VSS or V0 pins?

I bought a cheap starter kit of from ebay and it did not have pin header strips included. I tried to solder temporary legs to get display attached to breadboard. Before plugging the power I tested my work with a multimeter. At first VDD and V0 pins had a short circuit between them, but not between VDD and VSS. After taking a bit of solder away with a tinsucker I noticed that the short circuit was now between VDD and VSS pins, but not between VDD and V0. I tried to fix my work many times, but the short circuit stays all the time even while it sometimes switches back to the earlier combination.

I read somewhere from Google that this could be due to uncharge some capacitors on a LCD circuit, but could not be sure. My sight is not so good either, so I might actually have some mysterious hair on my circuit that causes the problem or I might have fried my LCD-board somehow while soldering those temporary pins to it. I did not want to plug it in and risk my other equipment while being unsure if the short circuit is actually intentional or not.

Could you help me with it: Should I just order a new LCD with pin header strip included, or could I still salvage this one just by soldering pins again more carefully, or is it just normal behaviour of a LCD?

A short between VDD and VSS pins is not good!

Make sure you are on the X1 range when you measure resistance to see if there is indeed a short.

On the X1 range what is read?

Show us a photo of your soldering.

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Thanks for quick reply! I got to admit that I am bit new to electronics also, but I think I got the resistance measured between VSS and VDD and it was 805ohms. While measuring short circuit mystically switched again to VDD and V0, and that resistance was 797ohms. Sorry for not-so-good photos, since forum SW did not somewhy allow to upload the better one.

805 - 797 are not shorts.

A short is 0

Ok! As I said, I am bit new to electronics also. I just tested connections with a multimeters buzzer that there is some conductivity in where I did not expect it to be. I assume because of your short answer that it is safe to plug it on. Thank you for straightening me out.

When you connect the device - Vss to Vdd - to power, it draws current, so clearly it must show as some sort of "resistance" (or in fact, conductivity).

Also, if you connect the meter so that it is applying voltage in reverse to Vss and Vdd, the IC will behave as a diode and conduct quite well. As it happens, on many multimeters, the "buzzer" position is also the diode test.