Has anyone got some schematics for a stand alone POV controlled by the ATMEGA168, as i would like to make one independent of my Arduino.
If you have one that is already based on Arduino, you can just google "Arduino stand alone", or check
This shows how to implement a minimum Arduino system
Thank you MikMo, have now made the stand alone arduino but i am having trouble finding a "8 LED Arduino POV" with code.....
I built a POV gadget using an Atmega8, before I got an Arduino. I did a talk at Dorkbot Bristol about it, and there's a web page here: http://www.gifford.co.uk/~coredump/povwand.htm
Now, there isn't a full schematic, and the code is in assembler (AVR Studio 4), but it may help. If you want a full schematic, do let me know. It's just the ATmega8 (with crystal), two 74LS373 latches and a few 220 Ohm resistors. Oh, and the 16 LEDs, of course!
here's one with 6 LED's
"So it's an inspiring exercise for the clever student to develop it to one with 8 LED's"
(parafrasing anoying but clever math teacher from the past)
Any chance someone could check this for me (my first time using EAGLE and I really know very of anything.....but i think this my be a stand alone arduino with 8 LED output so i can maake my POV?
Yes it does look like a stand alone Arduino – very stand alone, you will need to program the chip using another board, it doesn't look like it supports access to the serial port or ICSP programming connecter.
Cool iv got a full Arduino and BBB coming in the post, and I will be using the full Arduino to program the chip for this stand alone POV, just wanted to check that the circuit works in principle, as it the first one iv ever designed one EAGLE or paper for that matter
Think it would be easy to add a 5 pin header for Direct AVR Parallel Access (but no real need for this first one)
I wonder if your 1k resistors may be too high a value for the brightness you will need. I suggest you do a brightness test before making up the board.
Thank you mem, That's exactly the sort of input im after.
What value resistor do your instincts suggest?.
If the LED's are standard LED's (20 mA) then resistors around 220 Ohm should be Ok. But as mem suggests make a test, there are so many different LED's that one can only give a rule of thumb, unless you have the full specs of the LED's
Check the circuit around your reset switch. That 1k looks like it's in series with the switch, but I would have expected a 10k pull-up and the reset switch tied directly between pin and ground.
Other than that, looks OK. I used 220 Ohm resistors in my circuit, with green LEDs, but you may find a different value works better for your LEDs.
Do I even need the reset switch as this POV has no facility to program it on bored?
was thinking it my be a better plan to just use a "PUSH TO MAKE" switch running into a I/O to give me the option of changing the POV text?
any thoughts?
You don't need a reset switch. But you may want to have some switches for some kind of user interaction. To restart the display from the beginning for example. Or to change the speed of scrolling text. You may also want to have access to the serial port so you can get new text programmed in without having to pull the chip. Or perhaps put an infra-red detector on one of the ports and send text to your board using a remote control protocol.
Its all depends on what you want to do and how complicated you want to make your project.
Have fun!
Any chance of a link or a quick sketch of how i could add the serial port in the context of my circuit?
(can really see the advantages, but am getting really far out of my comfort zone.....A good thing really as at least Im learning)
Can the Arduino supply power to all these leds?
Can the Arduino supply power to all these leds?
One standard LED per digital output pin (with limiting resistor) is fine. You start to get into trouble when you're using high-power LEDs or multiple-LED strings on each output pin, such as matrices. There are cheap LED driver chips that work for most POV systems. Which one you choose depends on your intentions.
Any chance of a link or a quick sketch of how i could add the serial port in the context of my circuit?
If you use one of the external USB (or RS-232) to ttl serial adapters you can just connect pin headers to the serial lines – these are same as digital pins 0 and 1.
Have a look at some of the boards that do this, like the Arduino mini : http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardMini
Thanks MEM, think i will go with the RS-232 to ttl serial adapters 
Now who wants to give me a tutorial on coding for a 8LED POV?
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