“This is a simple way to control 16x2 LCD Display via Windows PC software.
Тhis time I will present you a simple way to control 16x2 LCD Display via Windows PC software. For this purpose, we use an Arduino microcontroller, which in this case has the function of an interface between the Display and the USB port of the Computer. Also the LCD display can be controlled directly through the LPT port, but nowadays that port is no longer used and has been replaced by USB.
I use Open Source software for Windows LCD Smartie that you can use to show lots of different types of information on your LCD or VFD. The program has built in support for many systems statistics (i.e. cpu load, network utilization, free disk space…), downloading RSS feeds, Winamp integration and support for several other popular applications. Supported devices include displays based on the Hitachi HD44780 LCD controller like in our case, the Matrix Orbital Serial/USB LCD, and Palm OS devices.”