LCD cursor positioning in Arduino - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What is the cursor position after this code?

Given a 16x2 LCD, what will be the cursor position after running this code?

lcd.setCursor(5, 1);

Assume the cursor starts at (0,0).

Arduino

lcd.setCursor(5, 1);

A (5, 1)

B (1, 5)

C (0, 0)

D (15, 1)

💡 Hint

The first number is the column (x), the second is the row (y).

The setCursor function takes two arguments: column and row. So setCursor(5, 1) moves the cursor to column 5, row 1.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What does this code print on the LCD?

What will be displayed on the LCD after this code runs?

lcd.setCursor(0, 0);
lcd.print("Hi");
lcd.setCursor(3, 0);
lcd.print("There");

Arduino

lcd.setCursor(0, 0);
lcd.print("Hi");
lcd.setCursor(3, 0);
lcd.print("There");

A HiThere

B Hi There

C Hi There

D

Hi
There

💡 Hint

Think about spaces between printed words and cursor positions.

The first print writes "Hi" starting at column 0. Then the cursor moves to column 3 and prints "There". So the LCD shows "Hi There" with a space at column 2.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this code cause an error?

What error will this code cause and why?

lcd.setCursor(16, 0);
lcd.print("Hello");

Arduino

lcd.setCursor(16, 0);
lcd.print("Hello");

A Runtime error: Cursor position out of bounds

B Prints "Hello" starting at column 0

C No error, prints "Hello" starting at column 16

D Syntax error: Missing semicolon

💡 Hint

Remember the LCD columns are 0 to 15 for a 16-column display.

Column 16 is outside the valid range (0-15) for a 16-column LCD. This causes a runtime error or undefined behavior depending on the library.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Which option correctly sets the cursor to the second row, fifth column?

Choose the correct code to set the cursor to column 4, row 1 on a 16x2 LCD.

A lcd.setCursor(5, 2);

B lcd.setCursor(1, 4);

C lcd.setCursor(4, 1);

D lcd.setCursor(3, 0);

💡 Hint

Remember columns and rows start counting at 0.

Columns and rows start at 0, so column 4 is the fifth column, and row 1 is the second row.

🚀 Application

expert

How many characters fit on a 20x4 LCD and how to position cursor at last character?

A 20x4 LCD has 20 columns and 4 rows. How many characters fit on the screen? And what is the correct cursor position to print at the last character on the last row?

A 84 characters; cursor at (20, 4)

B 84 characters; cursor at (19, 4)

C 80 characters; cursor at (20, 3)

D 80 characters; cursor at (19, 3)

💡 Hint

Count columns * rows for total characters. Remember zero-based indexing for cursor.

20 columns * 4 rows = 80 characters total. The last column is 19 (0-based), last row is 3 (0-based), so cursor at (19, 3) is last character.