Given the change @Thorrak just made with his project to allow auto-detection of the LCD, do you see a conflict here with this? Seems like having two I2C devices would remove the ability to auto detect those devices unless they respond with unique information when queried. I don't know a lot about I2C so maybe there's a way around the various addresses that seem to be used by manufacturers.Update:
1. I was wrong about the rotary encoder. Now the rotary encoder is not supported by direct connecting to ESP8266.
2.To support the rotary encoder, an additional PCF8574 board is necessary. Please check the source code for detail information. (I don't recommend to do this. Therefore, I am going to save some typing about it.)
I've been messing with my Arduino and shield a bit and can see where having the encoder might become a more firm need with the LCD - without a timeout the screen will likely burn-in. Without an encoder there's few choices to be able to wake the screen back up.