Charlieplexing 7 segment displays using Microcontroller

This instructable describes how to charlieplex a bunch of 7-segment led displays.
Charlieplexing of discrete leds has been the topic of a few other instructables. The Charlieplexing LEDs- The theory and the How to drive a lot of LEDs from a few microcontroller pins comes to mind. They are both excellent and should be read by anyone that wants to gain a deeper knowledge of how charlieplexing really works.
Charlieplexing 7-segment displays is more or less the same as doing it with discrete leds, but with some changes to handle the fact that all the led segments have a common pin instead of being separate, and the need for buffering of the common output so the poor microcontroller can cope with the load.
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Step 1: Why

While building a quick n’ dirty pulse generator that I needed to test coils for a HV power supply I decided that it’d look more funky if I used a 6-digit seven segment display instead of the ubiquitous and boring LCD display.
Due to a shortage of available i/o-pins on the Atmel Tiny26 that I’ve used for the pulse generator project I couldn’t use the standard multiplexed way of doing this. The standard multiplex would require 14 i/o-pins – 8 for the segments (don’t forget the dot) plus 6 for the common anode/cathode of each display.
By Charlieplexing the displays I only need 9 i/o-pins and the displays are still muxed in a 1:6 way acheving the same brightness as standard muxing. Charlieplexing usually only light up one led at a time thus giving a reduced brightness if you want several leds to be (visibly) lit at the same time.
Of course I could have used a BCDto7segment decoder chip (74LS48) plus a 1-to-8 decoder (74LS138) but that would have been cheating, and i didn’t have any ’48ths as hand and I really wanted to be able to fit the pulse generator in an Altoids-like box.

Step 2: Disclaimer for bad design practices

Normally you must connect leds via a current limiting resistor in order to keep them alive for more than a few milliseconds.
Here I’m not using any resistors since the display is connected to the output pins of a microcontroller that normally can’t sink or source more than a few times the current the leds/displays can handle continuously. Since we’re multiplexing the displays they will only be on for 1/6’th of the time and can handle much more current than if they were on all the time.
In the following schematics and in my construction I’ve left out the current limiting resistors, both for the leds themselves and also the base resistor for the transistors.
Please note the following
It is a really bad construction practice to skip the current limiting and rely on luck and that duty cycle combined with the relatively low sink capability of the processor and the probable underrating of the leds maximum specs.
In anything that you do professionally, or just want to keep running for an extended period of time (longer than your first test run) one should adhere to good construction practices, read the datasheets and to the maths.
And read rgbphils comment about running leds over the rated current in the comments section of this instrucatble.
For more details, click: Charlieplexing 7 segment displays using Microcontroller


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

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