I have followed all the directions and i have connected everything(more than once) the way the NK guide instructed still nothing(it is not the battery, ive tested for that). Does it matter which space on the rows you connect a wire ( does" connect a wire to breadboard row 27"differ from "connect a wire to 27c or 27a"? Is it possible that have to much insulation removed from the wire tips can mess something up?

www.flickr.com/photos/codenamejupiterx/5922115573/

By "still nothing" do you mean you cannot see the 1st congratulations? Or do you mean you cannot transfer a program?

Double check your contrast resistor. Make sure it is 1k and not 10k the 1k is brown black RED the 10k is brown black ORANGE. Sometimes they are pretty hard to tell apart. also, I can't tell from your picture but make sure the 5th wire of the LCD is going to the ground rail and not the 5v rail.

Secondly, while having extra length on your leads will not necessarily keep your circuit from working, it can lead to accidental short that will. It's always best to keep the leads as clean as possible with little bare wire exposed outside the breadboard. This holds true for components as well such as the bypass capacitor between pins 7&8.

Rick

Based on the symptoms, I would say the most likely issue is the contrast resistor like Rick mentioned. The 10K and the 1K look very similar. If you have a multimeter you can use that to double check the resistance and make sure.

Humberto

Thanks guys i will check these issues out and tell you what happens.....

HURRRAYYYYYY it worked...I had to get a magnifying glass to tell the orange from the red stripes on the resistor..and that was it!!!!!! Thanks hevans and Rick_S