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LED matrix array sink and source? Answered

Looking at  matth3w instructable https://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Umbrella-with-Arduino/ , as a rough guide line for hardware setup, He is just sourcing the rows with MIC2981 driver but has nothing to sink the current except the arduino.

Should I also use something to sink the current like a ULN2803 or HEF4794 to protect the arduino if all the LEDs in a column are on?

Tags:LEDmatrixarrayarduinoHEF4794MIC2981

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steveastrouk
steveastrouk

Best Answer 10 years ago

He actually SAYS he didn't use the MIC2981 !!

It would be MUCH better to drive the thing with decent drivers. The 2981 will do as a source, and the humble ULN 2803 would work well as a sink.

Steve

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belliedroot
belliedroot

Answer 10 years ago

Thanks for your response! I am just getting started with LED matrix arrays, so I am not too familiar with using drivers.

I had questions about matth3w's instructable because of the indepth details and that it revolved around the fact that he was going to use the MIC2981 but just didn't have the part at the moment.

I started to think about how much current would be sunk if all the LEDs were on at the same time and not much protection leading back the the arduino pins.

I thought, If I can do this with one chip, then great, but it looks like I will need more.

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belliedroot
belliedroot

Answer 10 years ago

I hooked up a couple of the ULN2803 for a sink on the columns. Works, no smoke! Now to figure out some code(the hard part for me).

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steveastrouk
steveastrouk

Answer 10 years ago

Yes, driving lots of LEDs can cause major headaches !

Steve

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lemonie
lemonie

10 years ago


Doesn't his "high-current source driver array" deal with this?

L

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belliedroot
belliedroot

Answer 10 years ago

At first I assumed it would, but I can't figure out from the data sheet to be certain and don't want to fry the arduino. I saw alot of things incorporated a sinking IC. This made me wonder since I plan on using a separated 5v power source for the driver and LEDs, grounding everything back to the arduino.