What is top, bottom, left or right here?

Hi all,
A couple of months ago I bought this (nameless) 74HC595 regulated 16x16 dot led matrix board. When the demo script is run, nice Chinese character (s) (?) is/are displayed that scroll in the direction of the arrow. Obviously one of the short sides must be top or bottom. The wiring is such that it is easy to place multiple 16x16's next to each other, long sides side by side. No confusion with that.

A nice character set for similar boards is Nathan Bayer's "Dot Monoco" by Nathan Bayer (created for the Wrobot 16x16 dot led Arduino compatible board) (http://prettyuglycode.net/16X16_font.pdf)

The characters of Nathan's Monoco set scroll in the direction of the arrow, but they appear on this board as kind of mirror image characters or anyway they llok interlaced with empty horizontal lines. Slight incompaticibility. This makes me suspect that this board scrolls from right to left and that the short edge, closest to the arrow/text "scrolling", may be "top". I don't know what is up or down from the Chinese character because I am unfamiliar with Chinese. Do Chinese ticker texts scroll from right to left?

I saw the same board on 16x16 Dot Matrix LED Display Module - ElectroDragon

Who can help me out: which short side should be considered top, bottom of this board? Thanks a lot in advance, Floris

I am not Chinese. But since it says "scrolling" on the RHS, I would guess that the modules are designed to be rotated clockwise. i.e. with "scrolling" at the bottom.

Western ticker tapes move from right to left. I suspect that Chinese ones would scroll up. And Arabic would move from left to right.

I do know that books are back to front in a Synagogue.

Surely you just run any example sketches and see what happens.

David.

:slight_smile: Thanks ! I wrote a few scripts and definitely the (wide ridge) short side with the 74HC138s appears top and the (narrow ridge) short side with the 74HC595s is bottom (see uploaded picture. This configuration is a little weird in my mind because the flatcable with the datalines connects in the upper corner. The board is then top heavy and has a tendency to capsize. I need to support it >:( 5V and GND are in the left lower corner

I will post an article describing the board for beginners on www.zonnepanelen.wouterlood.com (site in Dutch) - page Arduino hoekje (in English) - Floris

top_bottom_16x16_dot_led_board.jpg