Controlling a Multi Character LED array

Archiver

so this is for re-code.com

we are coding upc id numbers and other information into a midi file
when running such a midid file from our application we want to (as
the sound file plays) display each decrypted character one at a time
externally on large maybe 3" multi character LED displays. This
means we would have a set of 12 LED character displays and we will
be reading the midi file (including its time signature) as binary.
We were then thinking...ok let's send this info via serial port and
control our wonderful LED's with a Basic Stamp....

any ideas of past work similar to this we could look at for
inspiration?

thanks
Nathan
http://www.re-code.com

Archiver

I've had really good luck with the Max7219 drivers, and they are
pretty simple to hook up to a stamp, I believe they can multiplex up
to 64 leds with either 1-16 or 1-32 PWM each (can't remember the
exact fig) The 7219 has a bigger brother too that can do twice the
leds I think, is a Max6?? something or other. Go sniff around on
Maxim's website and you will find a whole family of the things with
different configs. I believe they are all 1-3 wire serial/ic2
controlled. If you sniff around the Nuts/Volts doc section on
Parallax's website you will find some info on how it is implemented
both in the dot-matrix format and the standard digit format in a few
of their articles.
I'm presently working on a large RBG matrix but won't be finished
designing the pcb/scmtcs for some time as there are 4 leads on my
RGB leds and they are pretty scrunched together which makes it quite
painful to figure out and even more painful to solder not to mention
an odd multiprocessor mix between an oopic2, atom24pro, a couple of
bs2sx's with a couple of Pak V hardware pwm copros.

If you guys want some good deals on LEDs check out LSDIODES.COM (no
affiliation with myself)

$0.45 - $0.60 for high bright 5mm's and $1.10 for RGB 5mm's, it's
the best deal I've found so far. I think they have some Luxeons
there too, I highy recommend checking out out those beasts, they're
my next project, RGB Luxeon matrix.. They're expensive but insanely
bright.

Resc.


--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "binaryisdeath01" <nathan@h...>
wrote:
> so this is for re-code.com
>
> we are coding upc id numbers and other information into a midi file
> when running such a midid file from our application we want to (as
> the sound file plays) display each decrypted character one at a
time
> externally on large maybe 3" multi character LED displays. This
> means we would have a set of 12 LED character displays and we will
> be reading the midi file (including its time signature) as binary.
> We were then thinking...ok let's send this info via serial port
and
> control our wonderful LED's with a Basic Stamp....
>
> any ideas of past work similar to this we could look at for
> inspiration?
>
> thanks
> Nathan
> http://www.re-code.com