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Scrolling Text on LCD I2C Display Using Arduino
2026-05-11 | By Ron Cutts
License: GNU Lesser General Public License Displays I2C / TWI Microcontrollers Arduino ESP32
In this tutorial, we will learn how to use an LCD I2C to make a scrolling text project using Arduino.
Watch the video!
Learn more about Visuino: What is Visuino
What You Will Need
LCD Display I2C 20X4 (if you use a different LCD, then make sure that you specify the right Columns and Rows in the Visuino component)
Arduino UNO or any other board
Visuino software: Download here
The Circuit
Connect LCD Display pin VCC to Arduino pin 5V
Connect the LCD Display Module pin GND to the Arduino pin GND
Connect LCD Display pin SCL to Arduino pin SCL
Connect LCD Display pin SDA to Arduino pin SDA
Start Visuino, and Select the Arduino UNO Board Type
The Visuino: https://www.visuino.eu also needs to be installed. Download the free version or register for a free trial.
Start Visuino as shown in the first picture. Click on the "Tools" button on the Arduino component (Picture 1) in Visuino. When the dialog appears, select "Arduino UNO" as shown in Picture 2
In Visuino, Add Components
Add "Clock Generator" component
Add "Clock Multi Source" component
Add "Formatted Text" component
Add "Text Multi Source" component
Add "Measure Text Length" component
Add "Counter" component
Add "Extract Sub Text" component
Add "Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) - I2C" component
In Visuino Set Components
Select "ClockGenerator1" and in the properties window set "Frequency" to 3 <
Select "FormattedText1" and in the properties window set "Text" to "%0%1"
Double-click on the "FormattedText1" and in the "Elements" window, drag 2x "Text Element" to the left side
Select "TextElement1" and in the properties window set "Initial Value" to Hello World this is a scrolling text project. Have a nice day! << Change the text to your own if you want.
Select "TextElement2" and in the properties window set "Length" to 20
Close the "Elements" window
Select "Counter1" and in the properties window set "Max">"Value" to 0 and "Min">"Value" to 1
and select "Max">"Value" and click on the pin Icon and select "Integer SinkPin" (see picture)
Also set "Initial Value" to -1Select "SubText1" and in the properties window set "Wrap Around" to True
and select "Length" and click on the pin Icon and select "Cardinal SinkPin" (see picture)
and select "Position" and click on the pin Icon and select "Cardinal SinkPin" (see picture)Select "LiquidCrystalDisplay1" and in the properties window, depending on the type of your display, set the number of Columns and Rows, in this case "Columns" 20 and "Rows" 4
Double-click on the "LiquidCrystalDisplay1" and in the elements window, drag "Text Field" to the left side, and in the properties window, set "Width" to 20, a different row if you want. Experiment with it to see what fits you.
Close the "Elements window"
In Visuino Connect Components
Connect "ClockGenerator1" pin [Out] to "ClockMultiSource1" pin [In]
Connect "ClockMultiSource1" pin [0] to "FormattedText1" pin [Clock]
Connect "ClockMultiSource1" pin [1] to "Counter1" pin [In]
Connect "FormattedText1" pin [Out] to "TextMultiSource1" pin [In]
Connect "TextMultiSource1" pin [0] to "TextLength1" pin [In]
Connect "TextMultiSource1" pin [1] to "SubText1" pin [In]
Connect "TextLength1" pin [Out] to "SubText1" pin [Length]
Connect "TextLength1" pin [Out] to "Counter1" pin [Max Value]
Connect "Counter1" pin [Out] to "SubText1" pin [Position]
Connect "SubText1" pin [Out] to "LiquidCrystalDisplay1" > "Text Field1" pin [In]
Connect "LiquidCrystalDisplay1" pin I2C [Out] to Arduino pin I2C [In]
Generate, Compile, and Upload the Code
In Visuino, at the bottom, click on the "Build" tab, make sure the correct port is selected, then click on the "Compile/Build and Upload" button.
Play
If you power the Arduino module, the LCD will start to scroll the text.
Congratulations! You have completed your project with Visuino. Also attached is the Visuino project that I created for this. You can download it and open it in Visuino: https://www.visuino.eu
