Over the weekend I spent some time on the LCD text display using the LiquidCrystalFast library. There's still work to do, but the core hardware is working. When I've finished the hardware and software I'll post the details but first I thought I'd document the mistakes I made and the processes I followed to troubleshoot the project and get it back on the rails. My normal workflow for a new hardware design takes things in small steps, with lots of testing as I go. I start with a rough design, which may be on paper or in my head, and then I breadboard and test. Once the breadboarded version is working I transfer the design to stripboard or to one of Adafruit's wonderful PermaProto boards , and test again. If appropriate, I then design a board and send the files off to a PCB fab shop to make the first PCB version, which may need further testing and revision. My First Mistake This time I took a short cut. I've built a dozen or so Arduino clones on stripboa