Dual 7-segment Displays Controlled by Potentiometer in CircuitPython - Demonstration of Persistence of Vision

This project uses a potentiometer to control the display on a couple of 7-segment LED displays (F5161AH). As the potentiometer knob is turned the displayed number changes in the range 0 to 99. Only one LED is lit at any moment, very briefly, but the eye or a camera does not notice the flicker. This is persistence of vision.

Pressing the button slows down the action and you can see the individual LEDs turning on and off.

I've noticed that there are very few Instructables using CircuitPython so this project uses an Adafruit Itsybitsy M4 development board which runs CircuitPython beautifully. If you want to use a Raspberry Pi, or other microprocessor development board you only need to change the pins and their setup in the script.

Step 1: What We Need for the Project

Hardware:

Adafruit Itsybitsy M4 - a small, powerful and inexpensive development board
microUSB cable - for programming from PC
breadboard (or stripboard and soldering iron)
breadboard jumper cables (or connecting wire and solder)
a pair of F5161AH 7-segment displays
a 10 K Ohm potentiometer
a button switch
a pair of 330 Ohm resistors

Software:

Mu Editor - to write the code and program the board

Setting up the Itsybitsy is explained here: https://learn.adafruit.com/introducing-adafruit-it...

The latest version of CircuitPython: https://circuitpython.org/board/itsybitsy_m4_expre...

CircuitPython libraries: https://circuitpython.org/libraries

Mu Editor: https://codewith.mu/

I normally build a project with stripboard after testing out a few ideas out on a breadboard. This means I can keep finished projects ready for demonstrations at 'show & tell' events or to show my students.

Step 2: Building the Circuit

The 7 segment displays each have 10 pins. The centre pins at the top and bottom are connected internally and are common cathodes. That means that all the 8 LEDs, 7 segments and a decimal point, on the display share a common line to a GND connection. This should be via a 330 Ohm resistor to limit the current. Each of the other 8 pins are anodes and are connected directly to output pins on the Itsybitsy.

This means that pin 13 on the Itsybitsy, which controls the centre top segment (A), is connected to pin 7 on BOTH 7-segment displays. Similarly, pin 12 on the Itsybitsy, which controls the top right segment (B), is connected to pin 6 on BOTH 7-segment displays. The rest of the anodes are similarly connected.

The common cathodes are connected, via resistors, to pins D3 and D4 on the Itsybitsy. They are NOT connected to GND, so that we can select the display chips individually by pulling their cathodes low to select the required one..

Step 3: Itsybitsy M4 Pinout

This shows the pins on the Itsybitsy M4 more clearly.

Step 4: Stripboard Connections

This should help your understanding. The left hand block of connections (red ... grey) are the anodes and are connected to pins: D13, D12, D11, D10, D9, D7, Tx and Rx.

In the centre pair of connections; Pin 8, the cathode of the left (tens) display is connected to D4 via a resistor. Pin 3, the cathode of the right (units) display is connected to D3 via a resistor. They are 330 Ohm

Important: All the tracks under the display have been cut. In the 4th track from the right there is a cut on the 12th row from the bottom of the board. It is between thee black and white wires

The right hand connections are:

White to A0 from left side of button
Green, wiper of the potentiometer to A4
Orange to 3.3v and right pin of potentiometer - high end
Black to GND: right side of button and left pin on potentiometer - low end

Step 5: Code: Part 1 - Setting Up Digital Pins

This setups up the digital pins - anodes, cathodes and the button. These loop are an efficient method of setting several similar pins.

Step 6: Code: Part 2 - Set Up Analog Pins and Code the Numeric Characters

Only one of the analog pins is used here.

Each line of the table represents a single character. The 7 ones or zeros, left to right, represent the segments A to G. A '1' means the segment is ON and a 0 that the segment is OFF.

Once you have got this project working you might want to extend the table to include a,b,c,d,e and f and modify the code for a hexadecimal display (base 16).

Step 7: Code: Part 3 - Procedures

This is where the real work is done. The LED segment will only light up if the cathode is LOW and the anode HIGH.

Method:

split the number into its tens and units components
pull the cathode low on one display to turn it on and then flash the segments one at a time if needed
pull the cathode high to turn off that display
repeat for other display
Do this over and over very quickly so that the observer cannot see the flicker.

Slow things down if button pressed.