Hello Arduino folks,
this is both my first post and first project, so please excuse any mistakes/faux pas/noobness.
I'm hoping to built a project which utilizes a display which will be placed in my window and visible from the street. It does not need to display images, only alpha-numeric characters. I've looked into individual fourteen-section displays and 5x7 led matrices, but I cannot seem to find anything larger than four inches tall (and even that seems rare) which I don't think will be visible enough from my window. I was thinking at least seven inches.
Is there a source I haven't checked yet? Must I create an led matrix from scratch?
Welcome to the forum.
Large displays typically use LEDs in strings for each segment. Common is 3,6 or 9 LEDs. Each set of 3 has its own current limit resistor and is powered from 12V.
6 makes a nice tall digit.
You need a buffer/driver that can handle the current and 12V. TPIC6B595 is great for that - 150mA current sink capability from up to 50V source. Each one can control 8 segments. Use 2 for a 14-segment display.
I have several boards that combine Arduino functionality and 3,4, up to 12 TPIC6B595s, here is the largest one; an offboard FTDI Basic is plugged into the corner for programming. http://www.crossroadsfencing.com/BobuinoRev17/
