Minimalist Numeric Display ideas

[Heckler]

hey Group,

I am building an hour meter for my Honda Generator...
(I know, I know... I can buy one for around $35...
but then where would the FUN be in that? :D)

I am trying to think of a simple method of displaying the current hour meter value.

Some possibilities...

Use an LED (possibly bi-color) to count (blink) for each digit. Possibly in morse code.
An inexpensive 3 or 4 digit LCD (I don't have a source for this, any help is appreciated)


Any ideas from the group on some sort of "minimalist" display would be appreciated, or a source for a small 4 digit LCD. I am trying to keep this small and simple.

Thanks

[ScaleRobotics]

Is this too big? I have not used it, but the price seems good, and it would be durable.

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9480

Or use a piezo speaker, and buzz out each digit.

Then if you want a little more difficult, have it talk the numbers out with Roman Black sound. See: http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=8113&p=90131#post90131

[Heckler]

duh... don't know why I did not think of a 7 seg LED display!!

I can even just use one digit and briefly display each digit of the total.
For some reason I was stuck on LCD (and the associated difficulty of finding and interfacing to the pic with a non 44780 hitachi controller.) I know it would be easy to interface a 2x16 LCD or what ever but that is overkill and drives up the cost.

THANKS! for opening up my eyes. Mabie it was actually "Tunnel Vision" that I had, or a "one track mind".

Still open to other ideas and suggestions, but now I can start on the code. :o

this place is the greatest!!

[languer]

Take a look at KTM-S1201 (http://www.dspradio.org/catalog/38).

SPI, 12-digit LCD.

[Acetronics2]

Hi, Heckcler

Sometimes ago I've built a little onboard computer for my lawntractor ( RPM,temps,voltage,hours, ... + servicing alerts ) ... everything displayed with a little 2x8 LCD ... a GDM0802B from Xiamen Ocular

for just an hour meter, you could easily build that around a 16F628 ... or 16F88 if you need voltages.

Not bashing ( who, me ???) Honda sells nice hour meters ... ref: 08174-ZL8-000HE

ah, I forgot ... I'ts a computer for a Honda tractor !!!

Alain

[LinkMTech]

Currently playing around with the 16F913 and a LCD-S401M14TF (Mouser $1.26). The 16F913 has the LCD driver and the LCD is tiny and cheap!
I have them on a 1.61" x 1.61" PCB but plan on making it smaller yet.

[Archangel]

Make it as big or small as you like, the PIC has the power . . . Another way is to use 8 SMD LEDs and display in binary 0 to 255 hours. It can get very small that way.

[languer]

Take a look at KTM-S1201 (http://www.dspradio.org/catalog/38).

SPI, 12-digit LCD.

One thing I forget to mentioned; the display is priced at $0.95. Not bad for SPI (3-wire, 5 actually) interface, 12 digit (7-seg) display.

[Heckler]

Thanks to "The Group" for all the various ideas and comments... I have plenty to consider and play with.

Question to Langure...
Have you used these displays? Are they allready set up for serial communication? What baud?
They are amazingly inexpensive... great find!

Thanks
Dwight

[ScaleRobotics]

If you want a character lcd display for cheap, here is a single line 24 character display for $1.49. It's not very small though.

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G15318

[languer]

Question to Langure...
Have you used these displays? Are they allready set up for serial communication? What baud?
They are amazingly inexpensive... great find!

Thanks
Dwight

I did, different programming environment -> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/pic_sim_ide/message/2016

[El_AMPo]

Just to add to the "idea pool" of minimal digit displays.

Usually i'm too lazy to wire a seven segment display to a protoboard design just to debug a value in a variable.
For that reason, i've made a small subroutine that blinks a led according to the value of a variable, For fast and ease of translation the variable is divided in its digits. Easy and fast to read.

Here is a code sample:



'["asynchronous serial protocol for human eye..."]

'[put your port configs and more here]
'---- Define Variables part
x var byte
Y var byte
n var byte

'---- Main program
main:

x = 123 'any value
gosub blinkled 'blink led according to X

goto main

'--- Subroutine part
blinkled: 'blink led on GPIO.1 according to X value
if x > 99 then '1st digit
y = x dig 2
gosub blinkloop 'blink the digit
gpio.1 = 1 'one final large blink to separate digits
pause 1000
gpio.1 = 0
pause 400
endif
if x > 9 then '2nd digit
y = x dig 1
gosub blinkloop 'blink the digit
gpio.1 = 1 'one final large blink to separate digits
pause 1000
gpio.1 = 0
pause 400
endif
y = x dig 0 '3rd digit
gosub blinkloop 'blink the digit
return

blinkloop: 'blink subroutine
for n = 1 to y
gpio.1 = 1
pause 100
gpio.1 = 0
pause 400
next n
return

Actually i've made a wrist clock out of it with just 2 leds as a display
Enjoy