I have been experimenting with various sensors recently, and one common functionality I have needed with all of them is the ability to see the data being measured.
Thus, I am considering attaching a very inexpensive, compact LCD to each of my projects permanently from now on.
I have decided to use a basic, very compact display like the one pictured below (but no special custom symbols or backlight or anything; just a basic glass display with 4X1 digits or so).
My question is:
What are my most direct options to interface one of these LCDs/glass-panels to a microcontroller, in my case an Arduino/Atmega328? By "direct", I mean inexpensive and compact.
For example, should I:
use an in-between IC that can control the LCD's pins? If so, what is such an IC called, so that I can search for it?
use shift-registers so that I can directly connect my microcontroller pins to all the segments that the display has?
use some other, more direct method?
I am asking for some perspective because I am guessing there is just one or two standard/popular ways of interfacing with them, since these LCDs are found nearly everywhere, in lots of very cheap electronics, and have obviously been around for a very long time.