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Dot Matrix Displays — Parallax Forums

Dot Matrix Displays

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2003-07-16 16:44 in General Discussion
I've picked up a few of those LED dot matrix displays... a few 8x8 and a few
5x7. I know the Max7219 can handle up to a 8x8 display but there is a problem,
I have an 8x8 dot matrix display BUT it is actually a 16x8 display because for
each dot there is a red and a green LED. I'm unsure how I could interface this
into a stamp. That's even to many I/O lines for anything but the BS2P40 to
handle and of course I don't want to dedicate an expensive BS2P40 to
multiplexing a 8x8 (16x8) Dot Matrix LED Display. Is there a chip out there
that can do this or is there another multiplexing technique that I'm not aware
of that I could use to achieve this? I would also like to, once I get the stamp
able to control one display, be able to control multiple displays side by side
to essential make one big display. I've also ran accross displays that do 8x8
with blue, green and red on each dot so that would make the wiring something
like 24x8 and I'd like the explore the possibilities of interfacing these too.

I know I could go get a nice Beta Bright/Alpha LED sign and use the code samples
that were posted to interface to it, but that takes some of the fun out of the
idea. =)

Any suggestions?

Chris Shuster

[noparse][[/noparse]Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-07-16 14:31
    Depends on the pin-out, and how they
    light the Red versus Green LED's.
    What's the part number of your display?
    Do you have a link to a PDF document?

    Brute force, you can use multiple
    74HCT595 Parallel Out chips to drive the
    beast -- but there's probably a more elegant
    solution.

    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Shuster" <cpuman3@h...>
    wrote:
    > I've picked up a few of those LED dot matrix displays... a few 8x8
    and a few 5x7. I know the Max7219 can handle up to a 8x8 display but
    there is a problem, I have an 8x8 dot matrix display BUT it is
    actually a 16x8 display because for each dot there is a red and a
    green LED. I'm unsure how I could interface this into a stamp.
    That's even to many I/O lines for anything but the BS2P40 to handle
    and of course I don't want to dedicate an expensive BS2P40 to
    multiplexing a 8x8 (16x8) Dot Matrix LED Display. Is there a chip
    out there that can do this or is there another multiplexing technique
    that I'm not aware of that I could use to achieve this? I would also
    like to, once I get the stamp able to control one display, be able to
    control multiple displays side by side to essential make one big
    display. I've also ran accross displays that do 8x8 with blue, green
    and red on each dot so that would make the wiring something like 24x8
    and I'd like the explore the possibilities of interfacing these too.
    >
    > I know I could go get a nice Beta Bright/Alpha LED sign and use the
    code samples that were posted to interface to it, but that takes some
    of the fun out of the idea. =)
    >
    > Any suggestions?
    >
    > Chris Shuster
    >
    > [noparse][[/noparse]Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-07-16 16:41
    Well the displays are designed to be multiplexed... the pin out is as
    follows one row of 8 controls the colom/row selection (depending on which
    way the display is orientated) then 8 pins control the red part of the LED
    dots for that colom/row and then 8 control the green for that colom/row. I
    don't know the part # or have a data sheet off hand, I'll see if I can find
    one later.

    Chris

    Original Message
    From: "Allan Lane" <allan.lane@h...>
    To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 7:31 AM
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Dot Matrix Displays


    > Depends on the pin-out, and how they
    > light the Red versus Green LED's.
    > What's the part number of your display?
    > Do you have a link to a PDF document?
    >
    > Brute force, you can use multiple
    > 74HCT595 Parallel Out chips to drive the
    > beast -- but there's probably a more elegant
    > solution.
    >
    > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Shuster" <cpuman3@h...>
    > wrote:
    > > I've picked up a few of those LED dot matrix displays... a few 8x8
    > and a few 5x7. I know the Max7219 can handle up to a 8x8 display but
    > there is a problem, I have an 8x8 dot matrix display BUT it is
    > actually a 16x8 display because for each dot there is a red and a
    > green LED. I'm unsure how I could interface this into a stamp.
    > That's even to many I/O lines for anything but the BS2P40 to handle
    > and of course I don't want to dedicate an expensive BS2P40 to
    > multiplexing a 8x8 (16x8) Dot Matrix LED Display. Is there a chip
    > out there that can do this or is there another multiplexing technique
    > that I'm not aware of that I could use to achieve this? I would also
    > like to, once I get the stamp able to control one display, be able to
    > control multiple displays side by side to essential make one big
    > display. I've also ran accross displays that do 8x8 with blue, green
    > and red on each dot so that would make the wiring something like 24x8
    > and I'd like the explore the possibilities of interfacing these too.
    > >
    > > I know I could go get a nice Beta Bright/Alpha LED sign and use the
    > code samples that were posted to interface to it, but that takes some
    > of the fun out of the idea. =)
    > >
    > > Any suggestions?
    > >
    > > Chris Shuster
    > >
    > > [noparse][[/noparse]Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
    >
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-07-16 16:44
    See some of the toshiba drivers on http://www.marktechopto.com/ I've used a
    TB62713N with single color 5x7 displays with great success and I believe
    they have a bicolor driver chip too but I'm not sure. Maybe they could be
    multiplexed if they don't have a bicolor driver?

    Very easy to interface with, take 2-3 stamp lines (depending on what all you
    want to do). I think they still offer free samples.

    I used it to display current gear # in my WRX.
    http://www.digitalimpreza.com/

    Rob


    Original Message
    From: "Chris Shuster" <cpuman3@h...>
    To: "Stamp Mailing List" <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 3:03 AM
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Dot Matrix Displays


    > I've picked up a few of those LED dot matrix displays... a few 8x8 and a
    few 5x7. I know the Max7219 can handle up to a 8x8 display but there is a
    problem, I have an 8x8 dot matrix display BUT it is actually a 16x8 display
    because for each dot there is a red and a green LED. I'm unsure how I could
    interface this into a stamp. That's even to many I/O lines for anything but
    the BS2P40 to handle and of course I don't want to dedicate an expensive
    BS2P40 to multiplexing a 8x8 (16x8) Dot Matrix LED Display. Is there a chip
    out there that can do this or is there another multiplexing technique that
    I'm not aware of that I could use to achieve this? I would also like to,
    once I get the stamp able to control one display, be able to control
    multiple displays side by side to essential make one big display. I've also
    ran accross displays that do 8x8 with blue, green and red on each dot so
    that would make the wiring something like 24x8 and I'd like the explore the
    possibilities of interfacing these too.
    >
    > I know I could go get a nice Beta Bright/Alpha LED sign and use the code
    samples that were posted to interface to it, but that takes some of the fun
    out of the idea. =)
    >
    > Any suggestions?
    >
    > Chris Shuster
    >
    > [noparse][[/noparse]Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
    >
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >
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