user13913: I want to connect my Arduino UNO to a serial device that once powered displays signature numbers. I want to then display those numbers on an LCD display. I have my 16x2 LCD wired correctly and it works fine even when I use the SerialDisplay example code from the library. 
My questions are: 

Can I use a USB to TTL serial cable to connect the RX/TX pins of the serial device to the TX/RX pins of the arduino?
The two numbers are more than 16 characters. How can I cut the numbers down and then display the two numbers on two seperate lines of the LCD display?

Let me know if I should provide further details.

user7856: 
If the device is serial and you want to connect it to the Arduino serial port, why would you use a usb-to-serial converter?
For a serial to serial connection, you have to connect TX, RX and GND.
This is the bare minimum for bidirectional communication, if your device is really read only, you can use just the TX and GND.
it depends how you receive data from your "serial device" - btw, what is it? If the data comes as either ascii or individual characters, then it's easy: treat them as strings and display them separately. If the numbers arrive in binary format, you have to perform the conversion to string.

Questions like this should have attached at least a snippet, if not all, of code.

13913: <p>I want to connect my Arduino UNO to a serial device that once powered displays signature numbers. I want to then display those numbers on an LCD display. I have my 16x2 LCD wired correctly and it works fine even when I use the SerialDisplay example code from the library. </p>

<p>My questions are: </p>

<ol>
<li>Can I use a USB to TTL serial cable to connect the RX/TX pins of the serial device to the TX/RX pins of the arduino?</li>
<li>The two numbers are more than 16 characters. How can I cut the numbers down and then display the two numbers on two seperate lines of the LCD display?</li>
</ol>

<p>Let me know if I should provide further details.</p>
 7856: <ol>
<li><p>If the device <em>is</em> serial and you want to connect it to the Arduino <em>serial</em> port, why would you use a usb-to-serial converter?
For a serial to serial connection, you have to connect TX, RX and GND.
This is the bare minimum for bidirectional communication, if your device is really read only, you can use just the TX and GND.</p></li>
<li><p>it depends how you receive data from your "serial device" - btw, what is it? If the data comes as either ascii or individual characters, then it's easy: treat them as strings and display them separately. If the numbers arrive in binary format, you have to perform the conversion to string.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Questions like this should have attached at least a snippet, if not all, of code.</p>
