diff --git a/src/lcd.c b/src/lcd.c
index e70b6ad..e79422f 100644
--- a/src/lcd.c
+++ b/src/lcd.c
@@ -16,11 +16,16 @@ void lcd_write(struct lcd_t *lcd, const uint8_t *cmdbuf, uint16_t len);
 int lcd_open(struct lcd_t *lcd, const bool reopen) {
 	applog(LOG_INF, "Opening serial port at %s", lcd->port);
 	if (lcd->fd <= 0 || reopen)
-		lcd->fd = open(lcd->port, O_RDWR | O_NOCTTY);
+		lcd->fd = open(lcd->port, O_WRONLY | O_NOCTTY);
 	if (lcd->fd <= 0) {
 		applog(LOG_ERR, "Error opening serial port %s", lcd->port); // err
 		return -1;
 	}
+	struct termios term = {};
+	term.c_cflag = lcd->baud | CS8 | CLOCAL | CREAD;
+	tcflush(lcd->fd, TCIFLUSH);
+	tcsetattr(lcd->fd, TCSANOW, &term);
+	applog(LOG_DBG, "file desc is %d", lcd->fd);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -98,8 +103,14 @@ void lcd_writef(struct lcd_t *lcd, const uint8_t x, const uint8_t y, const char
 
 inline void lcd_clear_buf(struct lcd_t *lcd) {
 	memset(lcd->writebuf.text, ' ', sizeof(lcd->writebuf.text));
+	// prepare commands for custom chars
+	for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
+		const uint8_t charbuf[] = {254, 78, i};
+		memcpy(lcd->writebuf.cchar[i], charbuf, sizeof(charbuf));
+	}
 }
 
+
 /* flushes writebuffer to lcd, hyperoptmized, flushes buffer and commands in a single write operation */
 inline void lcd_flush_buf(struct lcd_t *lcd) {
 	constexpr uint8_t set_disp[] = {254, 71, 1, 1}; // set cursor to char 1, line 1
@@ -127,18 +138,6 @@ int lcd_init(struct lcd_t *lcd) {
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	struct termios term = {};
-	term.c_cflag = lcd->baud | CS8 | CLOCAL | CREAD;
-
-	tcflush(lcd->fd, TCIFLUSH);
-	tcsetattr(lcd->fd, TCSANOW, &term);
-
-	// zero out custom chars
-	for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
-		const uint8_t charbuf[] = {254, 78, i, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0};
-		memcpy(lcd->writebuf.cchar[i], charbuf, sizeof(charbuf));
-	}
-
 	lcd_clear_buf(lcd);
 	constexpr uint8_t cmdbuf[] = {254, 75, 254, 84};
 	lcd_write(lcd, cmdbuf, sizeof(cmdbuf));