Example Code for Arduino-LCD Distance Display
Last revision 2026/06/05
In this tutorial, an Arduino Uno reads distance and signal strength from the TF03 sensor and displays the data on an RGB LCD. The entire system is powered by a Li-ion battery, allowing it to operate without a PC.
Hardware Preparation
- DFRduino UNO R3 (or similar) x 1
- Gravity: I2C 16x2 Arduino LCD with RGB Backlight Display x 1
- 7.4V 2500MA Li-ion Battery (With rechargeable protection board) x 1
- USB to Serial Cable x 1
- Jumper wires
Software Preparation
- Arduino IDE
- Click to download DFRobot TF Mini Library
- Click to download DFRobot LCD library file
Wiring Diagram
Other Preparation Work
Ensure the LCD is initialized correctly and the Li-ion battery is charged. Use software serial (D12/D13) for TF03 communication.
Sample Code
/*
* @File : DFRobot_TFmini_test.ino
* @Brief : This example use TFmini to measure distance
* With initialization completed, we can get distance value and signal strength
* @Copyright [DFRobot](https://www.dfrobot.com), 2016
* GNU Lesser General Public License
*
* @version V1.0
* @date 2018-1-10
*/
#include <Wire.h>
#include <DFRobot_LCD.h>
#include <DFRobot_TFmini.h> //TF Mini header file
SoftwareSerial mySerial(12, 13); // RX, TX
DFRobot_TFmini TFmini;
uint16_t distance,strength;
unsigned int lcd_r = 0, lcd_g = 0, lcd_b = 0;
unsigned long delaytime = 0, lighttime = 0;
DFRobot_LCD lcd(16, 2);
void setup()
{lcd.init();
delay(5000);
Serial.begin(115200);
Serial.println("hello start");
TFmini.begin(mySerial);
lighttime = millis();
lcd.setCursor(0, 0);
lcd.print("Dis:");
lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
lcd.print("Str:");
lcd.setRGB(255, 255, 000);
}
void loop() {
/******************LCD*******************/
lcd_r = random(256);
delayMicroseconds(10);
lcd_g = random(256);
delayMicroseconds(10);
lcd_b = random(256);
if (millis() - lighttime > 3000)
{
lcd.setRGB(lcd_r, lcd_g, lcd_b);
lighttime = millis();
}
//delay(100);
/**************TF Mini***************/
if(TFmini.measure()){ //Measure Distance and get signal strength
distance = TFmini.getDistance(); //Get distance data
strength = TFmini.getStrength(); //Get signal strength data
lcd.setCursor(5, 0); //LCD display
lcd.print( distance / 10000);
lcd.print( distance/ 1000 % 10);
lcd.print('.');
lcd.print( distance / 100 % 10);
lcd.print( distance / 10 % 10);
lcd.print( distance % 10);
lcd.print(" m");
lcd.setCursor(5, 1);
lcd.print(strength / 10000);
lcd.print(strength / 1000 % 10);
lcd.print(strength / 100 % 10);
lcd.print(strength / 10 % 10);
lcd.print(strength % 10);
}
}
Result
The following data format will be displayed on the LCD screen:
Dis: 05.000 m
Str: 00600
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