Interesting LED Matrix board
Gadgetman
Posts: 2,436
Found this DIY board online...
http://dx.com/p/diytj-16-x-32-dual-color-dot-matrix-module-kit-green-white-202393
8 x 8x8 Bicolor (Red/Green) LED matrix
8 x 74HC595 16pin SOIC
8 x 4953 8pin SOIC
2 x 74HC138 16pin SOIC
The boards can be serially connected to expand the matrix.
(Only horizontally, though. )
All those goodies for $17.50
(Free worldwide shipping)
That's barely $2 for each matrix.
The only thing that sucks is that buying 2 at a time will put me over the toll free limit here in Norway.
Not all that well-documented(there's a single thread in the support forum, explaining the basics, and maybe a link to Arduino code), but I figure that a Propeller should be able to drive 'quite a few' of those...
(I'm going to order them one at a time, about one every 2 or 3 weeks, and 'stuff' the order up to the limit with other goodies)
4 of the boards should give a total matrix size of 64 x 32 LEDs... I wonder what that can be used for?
So far I can think of one desperately needed project;
'B!gger off' sign in my office.
A Propeller and a couple of buttons. When I press a button, a predetermined message is dumped onto the matrix:
1 - I'M ON THE PHONE. STOP TALKING, THE NOISE IS DISTRACTING ME!
(Some people never realise that I'm trying to help a user over the phone and stand behind me, yapping about their problems and thinking that I actually care... )
2 - DO NOT SWITCH OFF COMPUTER!
(I sometimes use the Remote Access system at the office, and since I'm a server admin I have privileges to connect to computers further in than the DMZ. I usually Remote into my office PC, and use Remote Desktop from there to access servers. Much easier to do PING tests from a machine I'm not trying to reboot... )
Shouldn't take too long to find more messages to add...
Maybe add a thermometer so that it can flash RED whenever the temperature in my office hits 28C in the summer...
(That may cause the others at the office to close my window and door, though, just to see the effect... )
http://dx.com/p/diytj-16-x-32-dual-color-dot-matrix-module-kit-green-white-202393
8 x 8x8 Bicolor (Red/Green) LED matrix
8 x 74HC595 16pin SOIC
8 x 4953 8pin SOIC
2 x 74HC138 16pin SOIC
The boards can be serially connected to expand the matrix.
(Only horizontally, though. )
All those goodies for $17.50
(Free worldwide shipping)
That's barely $2 for each matrix.
The only thing that sucks is that buying 2 at a time will put me over the toll free limit here in Norway.
Not all that well-documented(there's a single thread in the support forum, explaining the basics, and maybe a link to Arduino code), but I figure that a Propeller should be able to drive 'quite a few' of those...
(I'm going to order them one at a time, about one every 2 or 3 weeks, and 'stuff' the order up to the limit with other goodies)
4 of the boards should give a total matrix size of 64 x 32 LEDs... I wonder what that can be used for?
So far I can think of one desperately needed project;
'B!gger off' sign in my office.
A Propeller and a couple of buttons. When I press a button, a predetermined message is dumped onto the matrix:
1 - I'M ON THE PHONE. STOP TALKING, THE NOISE IS DISTRACTING ME!
(Some people never realise that I'm trying to help a user over the phone and stand behind me, yapping about their problems and thinking that I actually care... )
2 - DO NOT SWITCH OFF COMPUTER!
(I sometimes use the Remote Access system at the office, and since I'm a server admin I have privileges to connect to computers further in than the DMZ. I usually Remote into my office PC, and use Remote Desktop from there to access servers. Much easier to do PING tests from a machine I'm not trying to reboot... )
Shouldn't take too long to find more messages to add...
Maybe add a thermometer so that it can flash RED whenever the temperature in my office hits 28C in the summer...
(That may cause the others at the office to close my window and door, though, just to see the effect... )
Comments
I wonder if the code in my RGB LED array project could be adapted for your purposes (there's code posted in the thread).
Ever since seeing SparkFun's LED coffee table, I've wanted one myself. I figure you could play some low res video games on it and have to display cool patterns and of course text. Another application is a Close Encounters of the Third Kind billboard (jump to 5:08).