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 Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays

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Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« on: Feb 20, 2023, 11:16 AM »
Hello MMCC!

I've just bought a amount of vintage russian surplus 8 segment displays, in a very unusual layout (meant to display Cyrillic I believe), and intend to develop a basic alien language based on what these can display, and then create some pre-programmable gadgets using the displays. I've bought 30 displays, so I'll have more than I need myself.

The catch is I have no idea how to program these things, or where to start with something like this. I am completely new to electronics. I've seen a lot of people on here doing some amazing things though, so I'm hoping for some help!




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Arminius


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Re: Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« Reply #1 on: Feb 20, 2023, 12:43 PM »
So, I have never seen one of those but I assume they work the same way regular 7-segment displays work just with an extra pin.

Here's a video by GreatScott, one of my favorite electronics youtubers, that explains 7-segment displays.

A 7-segment display has 8 pins in total. One of those pins is a common for all the segments, either the negative (cathode) or positive (anode) terminal. The other 7 pins each correspond to a segment. When you run a voltage between the common pin and each of the segments the LED inside the segment activates. If you're not sure if they're common anode or cathode you should google the serial number on the side and you should find the datasheet for that component, which tells you everything you need to know about it like its internal architecture, operational voltage, etc.



These are usually controlled by a microcontroller or Arduino board that sends a binary code which corresponds to the order g,f,e,d,c,b,a. For example, in a 100110 the pins g,c and b would turn on as they have a 1 state. Sometimes they are programmed using hexadecimal which is converted to binary.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions about how these displays work. Again, I recommend you search for the component datasheet so you know the internal architecture of the components and identify what pin belongs to each segment.

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Re: Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« Reply #2 on: Feb 20, 2023, 12:47 PM »
Ok, I was going to be all helpful and do some research. I'm retired so I have time to waste. I can't find squat. It's going to need to be carefully plotted out. I'm to sure how to explain how to do that. You will need a multimeter with a good range of options for Ohms. You will want one of the leads, the ground I suggest, set up with an aligator clip. Then you will want to go a random testing.  Click the aligator clip on one of the pegs and start testing the other pegs. Where you find high or infinate resistance you have nothing. Low resistances mean you have a link between the two. Since these are LEDs they only let power go one way if you don't get any low resistance readings that means your ground aligator clip isn't on a ground. Move it to another and continue. When you have a ground it should connect with low resistance to 2 of the posts.  Plot all this out in a chart or diagram that you will understand. Now all of this could be BS too. A typical 7 LED display has 8 pins. One ground and seven positive inputs. Why this russian thing has 12 I can't say for sure. But what I described is how I would start.

Another option is send me a PM. I will give you my address and you send me a couple of them and I will test it for you and generate a wiring diagram for what various inputs do. I've got a lot of scrap laying around and could likely set up a harness and solder the pegs to wires and create a "Power to lead X, Ground to lead Y makes segment A light up. I've got lots of resistors laying around to test and wire in so the LEDs don't burn out under power. You need to use a resistor or else you create a short condition across your power supply and bad things happen.

I'd of course want a few for my own use in exchange for doing this. We could then colabarate on the language when we have a list of options.

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Re: Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« Reply #3 on: Feb 20, 2023, 01:47 PM »
Thank you both for the great input!

I've noticed these ones have 10 pins in the back, which seems odd for having 8 segments right?

I've found this: http://lampes-et-tubes.info/cd/cd113.php?l=e

Which isn't the exact same display, but is from the same series. Also 10 pins.

Also 155la3.ru should presumably have more info, but it's all in Russian, and I haven't been able to navigate the website. It's the website used in a YouTube video for which there is a link on the above mentioned website. Maybe someone else can get something of use out of this.

I might take you up on that offer medieval! As mentioned I have very little knowledge in this field, and just jumped on some interesting parts when I saw them. Already been working on the alphabet, and have some ideas in that regard.

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Arminius


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Re: Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« Reply #4 on: Feb 20, 2023, 01:57 PM »
I've noticed these ones have 10 pins in the back, which seems odd for having 8 segments right?

No, that's normal. There are 2 common pins in those displays, and the other 8 are the regular segments pins.

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The strongest stars have hearts of kyber, but the strongest warriors have hearts of beskar.
Re: Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« Reply #5 on: Feb 20, 2023, 02:53 PM »
http://155la3.ru/iel_o_iv.htm
http://155la3.ru/electroluminescent.htm

This appears to be it!

Needing 220V AC at 400hz. So quite a different animal than something LED based. Does this kill my project?

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Re: Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« Reply #6 on: Feb 20, 2023, 04:15 PM »
No, that's normal. There are 2 common pins in those displays, and the other 8 are the regular segments pins.

Yeah, now that I look closer what I thought were two pins were reflections on the black surface. Ten makes a lot more sense.  Odds are the middle pins at each end are the grounds.

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Arminius


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Re: Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« Reply #7 on: Feb 20, 2023, 04:27 PM »
Needing 220V AC at 400hz. So quite a different animal than something LED based. Does this kill my project?

Unfortunately. These appear to be AC-supplied displays. Battery-powered devices run on direct current (DC), so if you want to use these you'd have to connect them to a wall socket (assuming your country runs on that voltage and frequency, because if not they're practically useless) and walk around with a big cable behind you.

But not all is lost, you can use regular displays (Latin alphabet) which do run on DC and are much easier to find/

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The strongest stars have hearts of kyber, but the strongest warriors have hearts of beskar.
Re: Help needed: Programming of 8 segment displays
« Reply #8 on: Feb 21, 2023, 12:38 AM »
Gonna have to see if I can find s stationary use for these. I have no interest in using a regular display though. It was the unique aesthetic of these that appealed to me.  :like:

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