Hey all,
Jumping back into Arduino again after 8 years. Ill start by saying I like to track down answers to my thoughts before asking anyone but I'm having a hard time coming up with an answer. On to my project.. I own a 1981 Delorean and I'm doing a time machine build. I'm pretty set in knowledge with a lot of the electronics, and coding for most of the props I have to do as I've actually built some of them as stand alone's before. The past few days I've been searching up and down on how to build what is called the SID in the car. Its a spectrum analyzer essentially. The display is 10 crossed and 20 high(200 LEDS). I've come up with first needing to build the custom LED matrix display but most all I see are in the 8X8, 16x16, even 10X10. Any one have any suggestion on how to tackle the display? I understand how to wire all the LED's together but what I'm seeing is finding drivers that will control the correct amount of LEDS? Maybe theres a project on here I'm missing that might get me on the right track. any help would be appreciated. I want to run this all on an Arduino hopefully. Thanks in advance!
You could use 4 MAX719s and whatever size LEDs you want, each can control up to 64 LEDs.
Or use 10 strings of 20 WS2812Bs, either pre-wired strings, or individual LEDs with whatever spacing you need.
10x20 is an awkward size for a matrix because most driver chips have 8 or 16 pins.
If 8x16 was acceptable, that would be much easier to construct, using 2 x max7219 as already suggested. Another option would be ht16k33 which can drive an 8x16 matrix.
One of the simplest ways to produce a matrix these days is to use an addressable LED strip. You can make it any size you want.
Thanks for all the input! It absolutely has to be 10x20. I know it’s possible because I’ve seen accurate builds of the prop from others, Of course they aren’t showing how to do it. It has to be individual conventional through hole LEDs for it to match the prop accurately, it unfortunately can’t be the strip surface mount LEDs, unless them make them in non surface mount?. I’m looking further into Crossroads asnwer, thinking if I cascade the chips correctly I could get my result maybe...also I forgot to mention there are 13 green, 6 yellow, and 1red per band.
You can get addressable 5mm thru-hole LEDs. They are called apa106.
PaulRB:
You can get addressable 5mm thru-hole LEDs. They are called apa106.
Is it just me or do all the colors not look rich? I was searching the apa106 and everything I saw looks “Washy” or even pastel
You can't judge by photos. Get a few and try them, see what you think.
I think your other option would be 2 x ht16k33. Organise your matrix into 20x5, then organise each half into 8x5 + 8x5 + 4x5 and an ht16k33 can run each half.
PaulRB:
You can't judge by photos. Get a few and try them, see what you think.I think your other option would be 2 x ht16k33. Organise your matrix into 20x5, then organise each half into 8x5 + 8x5 + 4x5 and an ht16k33 can run each half.
Paul,
Thanks for the advice. I had thought about the display splitting option myself earlier today, I may give it a try, I’ll also try out the RGB leds.
You just try photographing an LED it is very hard because of the point source gives a much bigger dynamic range than a photograph can cope with. Those examples look very good for a photograph, you won’t do any better yourself.