Led Panel

[gonzogonzo]

First of all sorry for the bad English,
I would like to make a LED panel, preferably with 7x5 LED matrix, which is composed of at least
5 lines with 20 characters (100 characters total) would be nice if the scheme used a PIC and that the
programming was possible, as well as PC, even on their own.
The main purpose of this panel is to display warnings and then scroll or similar effects
are not necessary even if they are still desirable.
I ask you all if someone has already successfully achieved something similar and if they can provide at least
scheme because I have some ideas but I find it hard to realize because even the prototype would be expensive
I would like to avoid unnecessary costs and if anyone has had better ideas of mine.
I also think that this circuit can still be of common interest.
Thank you to all.

[zuisti]

I would like to make a LED panel, preferably with 7x5 LED matrix, which is composed of at least
5 lines with 20 characters (100 characters total)...

A solution: use the Holtek's chip HT1632C.  Look at this Sure Electronics panel:
http://www.sureelectronics.net/goods.php?id=1137
It is cascadable and cheap: one "24x16 Red LED Dot Matrix SPI Like Board" costs now USD14 only.
The free Amicus compiler (PIC18) has drivers for it.
But ... it is not an easy task ...
Good luck!

[LabVIEWguru]

http://para.maxim-ic.com/en/search.mvp?fam=disp_driv&397=LED&tree=master

Maxim offers 38 devices. They offer example code and you can search with your favorite search engine for example code.
As pointed out in the message above, Holtek also makes a neat device.

[gonzogonzo]

Many thanks to ALL for very usefull suggest;
i think that best solution for my problem, like zuisti says,
is used very low cost modules from Sure Electronic with
a soft touch display from Mikroelektronica for data input....
Now i order some module and made a test.
Chip from Maxim are more elegant but they need a most
difficult test for me...
If i can have a good circuit i share with all!

[DarkClover]

Well the modules from Sure Electronics look very good. I wish I had them for my LED-panel.
I got a few 8x8 RG-led dot matrix modules from a friend. The controller was made with with some
74HC595 shift registers for the colums and ULN2803 for the rows.
My ATmega32 is the brain of all and the text is stored in an external EEPROM. Over RS232 you can
send some messages where every character can be displayed in one of the three possible colors.
(Red/Green/Yellow).

It looks pretty nice but it was a lot of work so if I build my next one I definitely will use modules
wit SPI or another bus.

[gonzogonzo]

Hi DarkClover,
i have previous made a mini panel scrolling with some 4017, ULN2803
and  7x5 dot matrix led with pic and serial to program with PC and
work very well but only with charater...
Now i want some more big and more flexible and Sure module look best...

[DarkClover]

I'm really looking forward into your project. Will you be able to display some pictures
on it or is it just for text messages?

I wonder how you manage to make more than two lines with those modules?
They have a really big backplate so it's hard to make more than two lines.

[gonzogonzo]

Sorry DarkGlover
i am not great english speaker and i don't understud very well if You refer
at project that i have just made (see my previous post) or next project..
If You refer at next project with Sure module i have see ( i belive), in their datasheet,
that there is a possibility to use more that two line (cut something in module i am not
understud very well) with more than one driver board...
In any case i want buy some modules and boards and when they arrived, two - three week
 i think for economical reason, i responde to You.
There is also possibility not only for text ( i think) because character can be personalized...

[TomJackson69]

gonzogonzo,

I see this on ebay:

LED Display panel (dot matrix 80x8) [LDP-8008]


The cost is about US $30.84

And this is what it claim:

“
LED Display Panel 80x08
The LDP-8008 is a dual-LED, tri-colour 80 pixel by 8 pixel LED matrix display.  Each pixel consists of a red and green LED (commonly referred to as “1R1G”).  There are 640 pixels and 1280 individually addressable LED elements.  It includes shift-register circuitry such that all 1280 LEDs can be controlled with only 10 microcontroller I/O lines.  Pixels can show as black (that is, completely unlit), red, green or orange (red+green).

These panels can be daisy chained horizontally to create a longer message display board.

The board comes with a 16-way IDC connector and power cable.
 
Module: LDP-8008
Hackability: 100% (full datasheet and driver source code available)
Datasheet: LDP-8008
Dimensions: 320mm x 54mm (12.60in x 2.12in)
Website: EmbeddedAdventures for LED display panels electronic kits and microcontroller based projects

http://www.embeddedadventures.com/pages/p/News/id/51
“

This is microcrontroller base so it should be ready for you to control with the PIC. It is from England and item number is 220737947074.

I am not anyway associate with this company.

Tom

[gonzogonzo]

Thanks TomJackson69,
this is other good point of start and i have more ideas now.
The link that You write don't work but is accessible from main site....