How To Create An External Hardware Monitor Using Arduino

Hi guys! Today I will show you how create an external hardware monitor with any Arduino board(in my case a pro micro board), a Nokia 5110 LCD and some VB programming! Let’s get started!
ps. Sorry for my bad English

External Hardware Monitor

Step 1: What Is the Aim?

The aim of this project is for monitoring pc hardware while you’re in game. There are other many system to do that, like afterburner ingame overlay, but for me is too cumbersome (this covers always the GUI in every videogame). So I decided to create my own external system for HW monitoring!

Step 2: Materials

-Arduino board

-Nokia 5110 LCD

-Some wires

-A breadboard

Step 3: Wiring the LCD to Arduino!

Here are my connections:

VCC -> Arduino 3.3V

LIGHT -> Arduino GND (I am going to be using it on)

GND -> Arduino GND

CLK (SCLK) -> Arduino pin 7

DIN (MOSI) -> Arduino pin 6

DC -> Arduino pin 5

CE or CS -> Arduino pin 4

RST (RESET) -> Arduino pin 3

Remember that! The LCD runs on 3.3V ! With 5V, it has worked but gave some weird effects, so I suggest connecting to the 3.3V output of the Arduino.

Step 4: Some Arduino Codes and Libraries!

For the LCD, we use Adafruits Libraries:

Adafruit_PCD8544: Here

Adafruit_GFX: Here

The code: For this code I decided to monitor Temperature, Load, Fan Usage, Clock and Memory Clock of my GPU. For these “parameters” I have created a few variables for serial reading and for casting to string(so we can display the values on the LCD)

You don’t know how works parseInt()? ->Solution!

Finally the code:

Step 5: Now VB 😀

First of ALL upload the sketch to your Arduino board, open the serial monitor and write “100,1500,60,100,100”

Read more: How To Create An External Hardware Monitor Using Arduino

 


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

Follow Us:
LinkedinTwitter

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top