Hello All!
I hope someone will help me in this new forum! My school require me to build a 32x8 (or biger) matrix LED display, a single color, to display animations, clock and date (with DS1307), indoor and outdoor temperature (with 2 digital sensors DS18B20), humidity (with SYH-1 sensor), EEPROM 24LC256, switches or encoder etc... I prefer to use MAX7219 but I think they will accept and 74HC595 in project ... Someone has done something? Or something similar? I need the code, please!
Thank you!
Arduino Playground - LedControl a library to use with MAX7221/MAX7219. With this you can easily drive all leds.
http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1191209057/0 a library to use with DS1307.
Arduino and DS18B20 – 1-wire digital thermometer – Ogalik setup and link to a library to read from DS18B20 temperature sensors.
Couldn't find a library for the SYH-1 
http://10kohms.com/arduino-external-eeprom-24lc256 tutorial on how to use the 24LC256 with arduino.
Arduino Playground - RotaryEncoders a tutorial on how to use encoders with arduino.
Arduino Playground - Bounce a library for debouncing buttons.
So, I think you are going to go through these links for some time. Then you're done I think you have some ideas.
Jan
P.S. If you are going to use all the above things I think you are going to need to use an Arduino Mega or Sanguino. Not only because of the code, even because you are going to need "some" pins.
Take a look at these boards from Sure Electronics. Many users have used these on this forum so a good search for code should not be too hard and can be used with any micro-controller including the Arduino.
Hello and thanks a lot Jan and Tim!!!
Hopefully someone can help me with some code similar to what I need ... I don't have time to learn to program well in Java, to combine and to modify some codes. After school, I work until late at night ... This is something normal in Romania. My school require 5mm LED array with 1 cm distance between LEDs, custom made with hi-bright general purpose clear LEDs. The matrix from Sure have 3mm LEDs.
Thank you again!
piticasgabriel:
Hello and thanks a lot Jan and Tim!!!Hopefully someone can help me with some code similar to what I need ... I don't have time to learn to program well in Java, to combine and to modify some codes. After school, I work until late at night ... This is something normal in Romania. My school require 5mm LED array with 1 cm distance between LEDs, custom made with hi-bright general purpose clear LEDs. The matrix from Sure have 3mm LEDs.
Thank you again!
This is going to be an interesting project, and I can almost guaranty you what you are going make it. It will not be too easy but as sad, completely doable.
Jan
Piticasgabriel,
The link I posted before was to show you the many types of displays that Sure Electronics have some in just 3 mm LEDs and others in both 3 mm LEDs and 5 mm LEDs.
Currently I have 4 working displays and hope to have 8 of them working together of their 5 mm type for the 3216 RG displays by Sure Electronics.
http://www.sureelectronics.net/goods.php?id=1122
You really want to utilize premade LED matrix modules with LED driver chips already installed and ready to just connect up to a micro-controller like an Arduino. If you must design your own LED display board with a custom printed circuit board and individual LEDs, it will be very time consuming and expensive.
Let us know if you have any other questions or require further details.
Hi!
Finaly, I will insist with MAX7219 because is easy to find/import in Romania, is not very expensive and is a great chip. And I prefer to make a hard job for a great satisfaction!
I observe that many avoid using more than one MAX7219 and I don't understand why?
Awaiting your opinions and suggestions!
A 595 shift register is almost 10 times cheaper than MAX7219. You will need either one of these chips for each 8x8 single color LED matrix. Therefore, for a 8x32 LED matrix, you will need either 4 x 595 (plus an ULN2803) or 4 x MAX7219.
MAX7219 can be daisy-chained, according to the data sheet.