Beginner LED Question

ThirdChimpanZ

Hi.

I am new to basic stamp, and all sorts of hardware programming. I have been a software programmer for over a decade though.

I just got my brand spanking new basic stamp homework edition kit, and have a basic question.

I want to create an array of blinking LED lights on the board - say a 50x50 grid.

How does one do something like this? To connect one LED, i put the long lead on the white board, and the short lead on the black row up top. To connect a second LED, I put it's long lead on the second row of the white board, and the short lead on the next open space on the black top row.

But this will only allow me to put a handful of LED's. Any ideas on how i can make my array of 50x50?

Thanks,
ThirdChimpanZ

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Jon Williams

Wow, that's a lot of LEDs. What I suggest is that you look into a multiplexer than can be stacked (daisy chained) -- like the MAX7219; it will do an 8x8 array. You could use 36 of them to get a 48x48 array of LEDs... but at about $11 a pop, it'll cost you.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

Steve Rennells

The cheapest I've found the Max7219 is $8.50. There is a Nuts&Volts article and a chapter or two in the new Stampworks (both available on the parallax website) that detail driving led's with the 7219.

Jon. how would you provide power to an array that large?

- Steve

Jon Williams

BIG power supply....

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax