Project 002 Luminator flip dots panel

I bough a Luminator flip dot panel and try to drive it.

Here is a shematic with the panel wiring

www.gueniffey.com/FLIP02.pdf

example:
A, B, C, D are 4 dots of the panel. The diodes are FDK400

To put the "A" dot "on" you must drive c1 at 5V, and r2a at 0V
To put the "A" dot "off" you must drive r2B at 5V and c1 at 0V

and here is my drive for one dot. Transistors are BD138 NPN

www.gueniffey.com/FLIP03.pdf

It works, but I would like to know if this is a good way for the 30 columns and 7 rows or if another better way exist. Because I will need 2 transistors for each column (60) and 2 for each row (14)!!!!

The code is very simple, just for one dot :

int T1= 0;
int T2 = 1;
int T3= 2;
int T4 = 3;



void setup() {
  
  pinMode(T1,INPUT_PULLUP);
   pinMode(T2,INPUT_PULLUP);
    pinMode(T3,INPUT_PULLUP);
     pinMode(T4,INPUT_PULLUP);
  pinMode(T1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(T2, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(T3, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(T4, OUTPUT);
}
  
  void loop(){
    // raz
    digitalWrite(T1, HIGH);
      digitalWrite(T2, HIGH);
    digitalWrite(T3, HIGH);
      digitalWrite(T4, HIGH);
      // on
 digitalWrite(T1, HIGH);
      digitalWrite(T2, LOW);
    digitalWrite(T3, HIGH);
      digitalWrite(T4, LOW);
      delay(50);
   // raz
    digitalWrite(T1, HIGH);
      digitalWrite(T2, HIGH);
    digitalWrite(T3, HIGH);
      digitalWrite(T4, HIGH);
    // pause ON
      delay(700);
      // OFF
    digitalWrite(T1, LOW);
      digitalWrite(T2, HIGH);
    digitalWrite(T3, LOW);
      digitalWrite(T4, HIGH);
      delay(50);
      
       // raz
    digitalWrite(T1, HIGH);
      digitalWrite(T2, HIGH);
    digitalWrite(T3, HIGH);
      digitalWrite(T4, HIGH);
   // PAUSE off
 delay(700);  
  }

Great stuff, I've not seen a flip dot panel in years. Where did you get the flip dots from?

From here:

http://www.rollsigngallery.com/transitstore-esigns.html

ask Joseph

"Because I will need 2 transistors for each column (60) and 2 for each row (14)!!!!"

That's multiplexing, no getting around it.
Can you use parts like ULN2803 or TPIC6B595 to reduce your resistor/transistor parts count?

Yes, I will use ULN, I believe they may handle the current for the coils, actually, the pulse is only 1mS but I haven't any tools to see how much mA it takes but I guess it is less than 500mA for one dot (max for the ULN).

For multiplexing, is there a way better than 4 or 5 74595 ?

Post the flip dot specification for better advice on driving them.
I think they are like mini latching relays, pulse current one to flip and current the other way to flip back?
So really need equivalent of h-bridge to make them move?

Unfortunatly, I have no specs the coils.
May be it is not useful to use half bridge, but in this case I need to find tri state buffers.

I also picked up a similar flip dot display from Joe @ Rollsigngallery. Same company display (Luminator) but a different model. I have a total of six display units allowing for 30 characters. Eventually it will be an (awesome) clock.

I found the patent MAGNETIC DISPLAY ENERGIZATION SYSTEM AND METHOD HAVING IMAGE DATA COMPARISON. for Gulton Industries (the division that owns Luminator) that explains a lot about how the logic for these signs works; it even recaps the internal software specs. That was pretty useful.

But Claude - I was planning on using a bunch of shift registers and H-bridges to control the row/column voltages. There are also some lines dedicated to doing row blanking (setting an entire column to black). However, I haven't figured out which junction points on the PCB correspond to each row and column. Can you show or explain which ones you are using for your proof of concept?

Hello dhenshaw,

Many thank's for the link to the patent, very interresting !

I'm out of home until friday, I will tell you friday or saturday when back to home the way I drive it.
Just some infos I remember:
There are 50 pins for 6 characters 5x7 dots panel.
14 pins for rows (2 for each row)
30 pins for each column
and actually I don't know for the 6 others, but as writen in the patent may be one for each character?

More to come !

OK, back to home !

Columns from left to right (1 to 30) :

Pins :

30/29/28/27/26/1/2/4/6/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/19/21/23/24/25/50/49/48/47/46

Rows, from bottom to top (1 to 7); 2 pins for each row:

Pins:

3/5///17/18///7/8//15/16///9/10///13/14///11/12

For example,

to put On the dot at Column17 and row 2:

pin 40 : +5V
pin 17 : 0V
one millisecond pulse

to put Off the same dot at C17 and row 2:

pin 18 : +5V
pin 40 : 0V
one millisecond pulse

Hope it helps.