2004 Parallel LCD Module

The extra two lines are a game changer for debugging—I can keep sensor readings and status messages visible without scrolling. The parallel interface wired up cleanly to my Arduino Mega, and the contrast pot dialed in perfectly on the first try.

Finally a display that can show a full menu and status at once instead of making me scroll through two lines. The 20-character width is tight enough for clean formatting, and the parallel interface was dead simple to wire up on my bench.

Having the extra two lines compared to the 1602 makes monitoring sensor data much easier without constant scrolling. The 20 characters per line give plenty of room for clear, readable labels too.