2.3.3 Customizable LCD Power

The default setting uses a GPIO pin (BP2) to power the BoosterPack plug-in module at the GPIO voltage of the LaunchPad development kit. This allows removing power from the BoosterPack plug-in module entirely through software on the LaunchPad development kit. It is often beneficial to control the power of the LCD directly, and although the LCD is ultra-low power, completely powering it down can extend battery life.

By modifying the 0-Ω resistors, the setup can be changed to connect to V_CC all the time. This frees up one pin on the header of the BoosterPack plug-in module.

Additionally, there is a 3-V to 5-V DC/DC converter on board. In the default configuration this DC/DC converter is completely disconnected. Using 0-Ω resistors or solder bridges the converter can be enabled and the output used to power the display. Resistor R1 or R2 can be populated to supply the input voltage to the DC/DC converter. This can be useful to interface other displays that come with the same connector but require 5 V.

Table 2 lists the possible LCD power sources selectable with 0-Ω resistors on the back of the board.