Hi there!
Basically my project is fairly simple (at least I thought/think it was:P). I want to have 6 buttons which will show the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 on a 7-segment display when pressed. Since I'm pretty new to Arduino/electronics I'm struggling a bit to make it all work.
I have bought a Kingbright SA23-12EWA SA (Common Anode) 7-segment display (http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/57143.pdf).
Also I’m gonna use an Arduino mini 05 for this project (not an Arduino Pro-mini).
I figured that the 5v the Arduino mini provides won't be enough to light up the display, therefore I want to use a 12v power source (a car battery).
This however brings 2 problems(?),
• The Arduino mini is not happy with being fed more than 9v (or so I’ve been told).
• A car battery is not giving a constant 12v?
Since my knowledge on electronics is at a minimum I then started to search for a way so that I could use the 12v to power my 7-segment display AND power my Arduino mini without cooking it. I found out that I probably need to use a transistor(TIP120)?
With this in mind I figured I could start to make a prototype, however as I already said I’m not really good with electronics (yet) and since I’ve already cooked my Arduino UNO with another project:P I’m a bit more careful testing my new prototype.
Therefore I made an image on how I’m planning to connect my project, I’m connecting all the buttons to Analog pins and the 7-segment display to digital pins.
I’m very curious whether I’m on the right path, or if I’m lost in the woods here. Using things like a transistor makes it more vague for me since I’m not sure how to use these things correct. I’m very happy to learn new things and take on a challenge!
Thank you!
