Intermediate
30 min

Transform your message with captivating numbers and letters using 160100-71 and PIC18LF47K42

RGB 7-segment display: Where numbers come to life

7-SEG RGB Click with EasyPIC v7

Published Nov 01, 2023

Click board™

7-SEG RGB Click

Dev. board

EasyPIC v7

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18LF47K42

Our full-color RGB 7-segment digit display is engineered to provide a vibrant and dynamic visual experience, enabling you to express your creativity and showcase information with dazzling, customizable colors

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

7-SEG RGB Click is based on the 160100-71, a full-color single 7-segment digit display from Elektor. The click is designed to run on either 3.3V or 5V power supply. It communicates with the target microcontroller over the CS, and PWM pin on the mikroBUS™ line. The click can be connected in a chain, in order to display a larger number of characters. Unlike with conventional 7

segment displays, you will be able to use multiple colors on the display. Each segment has R, G, B LEDs that can be adjusted in 255 steps and therefore 16,581,375 color combinations are available for each segment of the digit on the display. Also, the ability to control the brightness of all the LED's is driven at 255 steps. It should be noted that the brightness values above 80 should

rarely be used. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the LOGIC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. Also, this Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing easy-to-use functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

7-SEG RGB Click top side image
7-SEG RGB Click bottom side image

Features overview

Development board

EasyPIC v7 is the seventh generation of PIC development boards specially designed to develop embedded applications rapidly. It supports a wide range of 8-bit PIC microcontrollers from Microchip and has a broad set of unique functions, such as a powerful onboard mikroProg programmer and In-Circuit debugger over USB-B. The development board is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements in one place, such as switches, buttons, indicators, connectors, and others. With four different connectors for each port, EasyPIC v7 allows you to connect accessory boards, sensors, and custom electronics more efficiently than ever. Each part of

the EasyPIC v7 development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. An integrated mikroProg, a fast USB 2.0 programmer with mikroICD hardware In-Circuit Debugger, offers many valuable programming/debugging options and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment. Besides it also includes a clean and regulated power supply block for the development board. It can use various external power sources, including an external 12V power supply, 7-23V AC or 9-32V DC via DC connector/screw terminals, and a power source via the USB Type-B (USB-B) connector. Communication options such as

USB-UART and RS-232 are also included, alongside the well-established mikroBUS™ standard, three display options (7-segment, graphical, and character-based LCD), and several different DIP sockets. These sockets cover a wide range of 8-bit PIC MCUs, from PIC10F, PIC12F, PIC16F, PIC16Enh, PIC18F, PIC18FJ, and PIC18FK families. EasyPIC v7 is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem for rapid development. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping and development thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

EasyPIC v7 horizontal image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

PIC18LF47K42

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

40

RAM (Bytes)

8192

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
Write Enable
RE0
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Data Input
RC0
PWM
NC
NC
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

7-SEG RGB Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

EasyPIC v7 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the EasyPIC v7 as your development board.

EasyPIC v7 front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
MCU DIP 40 hardware assembly
EasyPIC v7 Access MB 1 - upright/background hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
NECTO Compiler Selection Step Image hardware assembly
NECTO Output Selection Step Image hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Necto DIP image step 7 hardware assembly
EasyPIC PRO v7a Display Selection Necto Step hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Necto PreFlash Image hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output

1. Application Output - In Debug mode, the 'Application Output' window enables real-time data monitoring, offering direct insight into execution results. Ensure proper data display by configuring the environment correctly using the provided tutorial.

2. UART Terminal - Use the UART Terminal to monitor data transmission via a USB to UART converter, allowing direct communication between the Click board™ and your development system. Configure the baud rate and other serial settings according to your project's requirements to ensure proper functionality. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to the provided tutorial.

3. Plot Output - The Plot feature offers a powerful way to visualize real-time sensor data, enabling trend analysis, debugging, and comparison of multiple data points. To set it up correctly, follow the provided tutorial, which includes a step-by-step example of using the Plot feature to display Click board™ readings. To use the Plot feature in your code, use the function: plot(*insert_graph_name*, variable_name);. This is a general format, and it is up to the user to replace 'insert_graph_name' with the actual graph name and 'variable_name' with the parameter to be displayed.

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for 7-SEG RGB Click driver.

Key functions:

  • c7segrgb_set_num - The function sets character and its color

  • c7segrgb_set_seven_seg - The function sets the state and color of every segment from click board object segment array data

Open Source

Code example

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.

/*!
 * \file 
 * \brief 7-SEG RGB Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This Click shows all ten digits on a full-color single 7 segment digit display. 
 * Each segment has R, G, B LEDs that can be adjusted in 255 steps and 
 * the ability to control the brightness of all the LED.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initialization driver enables - GPIO.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * This is an example which demonstrates the use of 7-SEG RGB Click board.
 * This simple example shows all ten digits in different colors on 7-SEG RGB Click.
 * 
 * @note 
 * Make sure the logic delays are defined for your system in the c7segrgb_delays.h file.
 *
 * <pre>
 * Additional Functions :
 * void logic_one ( )  - Generic logic one function.
 * void logic_zero ( ) - Generic logic zero function.
 * </pre>
 * 
 * - segments layout
 *       _0_
 *     5|   |1
 *      |_6_|
 *     4|   |2
 *      |_3_|.7
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "c7segrgb.h"
#include "c7segrgb_delays.h"

// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES

static c7segrgb_t c7segrgb;

static uint8_t CHARACTER_TABLE[ 10 ] = 
{
    0x3F, // '0'
    0x06, // '1'    _a_
    0x5B, // '2'  f|   |b
    0x4F, // '3'   |_g_|
    0x66, // '4'  e|   |c
    0x6D, // '5'   |_d_|.dp
    0x7D, // '6'
    0x07, // '7'
    0x7F, // '8'
    0x6F  // '9'
};
                                       
static c7segrgb_segment_t segments_data[ 8 ] = 
{
    { true, 40, 0, 0 },
    { true, 0, 40, 0 },
    { true, 0, 0, 40 },
    { true, 10, 40, 40 },
    { true, 40, 10, 40 },
    { true, 40, 40, 10 },
    { true, 10, 20, 30 },
    { true, 30, 20, 10 }
};

// ------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS

void logic_one ( void )
{
    hal_ll_gpio_set_pin_output( &c7segrgb.pwm.pin );
    DELAY_T1H;
    hal_ll_gpio_clear_pin_output( &c7segrgb.pwm.pin );
    DELAY_T1L;
}

void logic_zero ( void )
{
    hal_ll_gpio_set_pin_output( &c7segrgb.pwm.pin );
    DELAY_TOH;
    hal_ll_gpio_clear_pin_output( &c7segrgb.pwm.pin );
    DELAY_TOL;
}

// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS

void application_init ( void )
{
    c7segrgb_cfg_t cfg;

    //  Click initialization.
    c7segrgb_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    cfg.logic_one = &logic_one;
    cfg.logic_zero = &logic_zero;
    C7SEGRGB_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    c7segrgb_init( &c7segrgb, &cfg );
    
    for ( uint8_t cnt = 0; cnt < 8; cnt++ )
    {
        c7segrgb.segments[ cnt ] = segments_data[ cnt ];
    }
    c7segrgb_set_seven_seg( &c7segrgb );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    for ( uint8_t cnt_i = 0; cnt_i < 10; cnt_i++ )
    {
        for ( uint8_t cnt_j = 10; cnt_j > 0; cnt_j-- )
        {
            c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, CHARACTER_TABLE[ cnt_i ], 4 * cnt_i, 4 * cnt_j, cnt_i * cnt_j );
            Delay_ms ( 100 );
        }
    }
    
    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_POINT, 10, 10, 10 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    
    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_ZERO, 40, 40, 40 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_ONE, 40, 0, 0 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_TWO, 0, 40, 0 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_THREE, 0, 0, 40 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_FOUR, 40, 0, 40 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_FIVE, 0, 40, 40 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_SIX, 40, 40, 0 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_SEVEN, 20, 30, 40 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_EIGHT, 40, 15, 31 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    c7segrgb_set_num( &c7segrgb, C7SEGRGB_NINE, 20, 10, 30 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
}

int main ( void ) 
{
    /* Do not remove this line or clock might not be set correctly. */
    #ifdef PREINIT_SUPPORTED
    preinit();
    #endif
    
    application_init( );
    
    for ( ; ; ) 
    {
        application_task( );
    }

    return 0;
}


// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END

Additional Support

Resources

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