Wednesday 30 September 2020

Large 7-Segment Dual Display with Constant Current Driver

7-Segment displays have been a part of hardware hacking for decades. While most can easily fit between your thumb and index finger, this dual digit display will… at least make you stretch out a little bit. The two digits together measure in at 96.5mm wide x 69.8mm high, or 82.1mm in height including the PCB. This is roughly 3.8 by 2.7/3.2inches if you’re more familiar with the US system, towering over the puny 7-segment displays that you may have used in your other projects.

The device is controlled by three data pins, meaning you don’t have to control each segment individually, and there’s also an optional PWM dimming signal. Power is provided by a DC jack, and it uses a constant current driver to supply the LEDs. This allows the unit to work without multiplexing, meaning no flickering if recorded with a camera, and a longer LED life.

If you need more than 2 digits, multiple modules can snap together, but the connector does require some support. Conveniently, mounting holes are already provided, so this should be fairly easy to integrate into your project.

Of course, this isn’t the only large 7-segment displays available at Tindie. Largish digits featured here, and here both allow for multi-colored LED output, and we’ve even seen a controller for a mechanical version.



source https://blog.tindie.com/2020/09/large-7-segment-dual-display-with-constant-current-driver/

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