LED Dot-Matrix Display

Step 3 Get the Parts

Once you know what your going to do you need the parts.

I used:

20 Diffused Blue LEDs
1 PICAXE 18X Microcontroller
1 serial socket
1 22kOhm resistor
1 10kOhm resistor
lots of black multicore wire
lots of red multicore wire

I used a PICAXE PIC as I've used them in school, they are very simple. I find them very simple to program, and then download the program to. PICAXE BASIC is of course the only PIC language I know as well, so that limits them. They are meant to be quite easy to find, although in the UK you can just go to

Rapid Electronics - PICAXE

PICAXE manual - It is a .pdf
PICAXE chip data - also a .pdf

I bought the LEDs at the same time, now as I was going for a blue dot-matrix these were my choice, and I paid for that, 48p per LED, so £12 for the whole lot, it was cheaper to buy in a pack of 25. Of course if your going make it you can use what you want, although to use my PCB layouts you'll be wanting a 5mm package.

I needed the 4k7 Ohm resistor for the reset, unless the reset pin (pin 4) is pulled high by the 4k7 ohm resistor then the PIC will constantly reset, which is bad.

I used the stereo socket, 10k ohm resistor and the 22k ohm resistor for the download socket, this means the whole unit is self contained, which is very handy. Also prevents the PIC being ruined becasue I keep having to pull it out and eventually end up snapping the legs off, what a way to waste £4.75...

I had the PCBs etched at school so they were essentially free. However we use poor quality boards so the tracks can be pulled off quite easily, but I didn't think that would be a problem, not yet at least. Oh was I in for pain.

Comments

[jayceemay123]

Hi Po, pashare naman po sa project nyo kung andyan pa.please