Create stunning displays and interactive experiences with FT900 and ATmega328P
Visual experiences that leave a lasting impression
Published Feb 14, 2024
Click board™
Matrix RGB Click
Dev Board
Arduino UNO Rev3
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
ATmega328P
Our solution is explicitly designed to provide the essential power and control required for driving 16x32 RGB LED matrices, offering a gateway to brilliant visual displays, animations, and real-time data presentations
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Matrix RGB Click is based on the FT900, a complete System-on-Chip 32-bit RISC microcontroller from FTDI Chip. The FT900 runs at a frequency of 100MHz and is equipped with 256Kb Flash memory. The firmware inside the FT900 can be updated over unpopulated the 10-pin Prog header. Although this Click board™ is a 3.3V only, it still can use the 5V power rail of the mikroBUS™ socket to power the programmer if needed. The Matrix RGB Click can’t power the panel by itself, and neither does it have any power line connected to it. To power the RGB LED panel (or panels), you need to have an appropriate power adapter. The FT900 is connected to the A, B, and C row selections, and R1, G1, and B1 top row and R2, G2, and B2 bottom row shift registers (there are nine shift registers for each panel). The shift registers drive LED colors and rows effectively. In
addition, the FT900 is connected to the clock pins (CLK), latch pins (STB), and enable pins (OE) of the shift registers over the HUB75 RGB LED Panel connector. Row selection registers are used to make rewrites appear more fluent. Adding more than one RGB LED panel does not require extra pins; everything is done in the software. The FT900 on Matrix RGB Click uses an SPI serial interface to communicate with the host MCU over the mikroBUS™ socket, supporting data transfer with 25MHz. After filling the buffer with data of a text size, color, start row, start column, and then finally data, the host MCU will wait for the RDY pin to be set HIGH and then send the data to the FT900. After receiving data, the FT900 will perform the action based on the data it just received. In addition, the FT900 can be reset via the RST pin and put to sleep via the SLP pin. To use this Click
board™, you need to have one or more RGB panels and a power adapter, so make sure to buy them along with this Click board™. A complete Matrix RGB development kit is also available. It includes Matrix RGB click, 32x32 RGB LED Matrix Panel - 6mm pitch, 12V-3A power supply with EU plug (can power up to two panels). It is possible to drive more than 16 of these matrices, even up to 32, but flickering may occur. This Click board™ can only be operated with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.
Features overview
Development board
Arduino UNO is a versatile microcontroller board built around the ATmega328P chip. It offers extensive connectivity options for various projects, featuring 14 digital input/output pins, six of which are PWM-capable, along with six analog inputs. Its core components include a 16MHz ceramic resonator, a USB connection, a power jack, an
ICSP header, and a reset button, providing everything necessary to power and program the board. The Uno is ready to go, whether connected to a computer via USB or powered by an AC-to-DC adapter or battery. As the first USB Arduino board, it serves as the benchmark for the Arduino platform, with "Uno" symbolizing its status as the
first in a series. This name choice, meaning "one" in Italian, commemorates the launch of Arduino Software (IDE) 1.0. Initially introduced alongside version 1.0 of the Arduino Software (IDE), the Uno has since become the foundational model for subsequent Arduino releases, embodying the platform's evolution.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU
Architecture
AVR
MCU Memory (KB)
32
Silicon Vendor
Microchip
Pin count
28
RAM (Bytes)
2048
You complete me!
Accessories
Click Shield for Arduino UNO has two proprietary mikroBUS™ sockets, allowing all the Click board™ devices to be interfaced with the Arduino UNO board without effort. The Arduino Uno, a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P, provides an affordable and flexible way for users to try out new concepts and build prototypes with the ATmega328P microcontroller from various combinations of performance, power consumption, and features. The Arduino Uno has 14 digital input/output pins (of which six can be used as PWM outputs), six analog inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator (CSTCE16M0V53-R0), a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and reset button. Most of the ATmega328P microcontroller pins are brought to the IO pins on the left and right edge of the board, which are then connected to two existing mikroBUS™ sockets. This Click Shield also has several switches that perform functions such as selecting the logic levels of analog signals on mikroBUS™ sockets and selecting logic voltage levels of the mikroBUS™ sockets themselves. Besides, the user is offered the possibility of using any Click board™ with the help of existing bidirectional level-shifting voltage translators, regardless of whether the Click board™ operates at a 3.3V or 5V logic voltage level. Once you connect the Arduino UNO board with our Click Shield for Arduino UNO, you can access hundreds of Click boards™, working with 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels.
The high-brightness RGB LED matrix panel features 1024 RGB LEDs meticulously arranged in a 32x32 grid on the front, ensuring stunning clarity and color accuracy. The LEDs are spaced at a 6mm grid, creating a seamless and captivating visual experience. The panel itself boasts a compact yet impactful size, measuring 190x190mm. The package includes a convenient IDC cable for seamless connectivity and a power cable to keep your display powered up. Upgrade your projects and designs with this versatile LED matrix panel, perfect for adding a touch of brilliance to any setting.
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Click board™ Schematic
Step by step
Project assembly
Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Arduino UNO Rev3 as your development board.
Track your results in real time
Application Output via Debug Mode
1. Once the code example is loaded, pressing the "DEBUG" button initiates the build process, programs it on the created setup, and enters Debug mode.
2. After the programming is completed, a header with buttons for various actions within the IDE becomes visible. Clicking the green "PLAY" button starts reading the results achieved with the Click board™. The achieved results are displayed in the Application Output tab.
Software Support
Library Description
This library contains API for Matrix RGB Click driver.
Key functions:
matrixrgb_set_power- Set Powermatrixrgb_set_brightness- Set Brightnessmatrixrgb_write_pixel- Write Pixel
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 MatrixRGB Click example
*
* # Description
* This application is used for powering 16x32 RGB LED matrices.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes driver, reset device and initializes
* firmware depend on pattern used alongside with fonts
*
* ## Application Task
* Test of panel brightnes, draws red cross on
* the panel using pixel write function, writes text on panel using
* write text function and finaly displays image on the panel.
*
* \author MikroE Team
*
*/
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "matrixrgb.h"
#include "matrixrgb_fonts.h"
#include "matrixrgb_images.h"
// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES
static matrixrgb_t matrixrgb;
static log_t logger;
// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg;
matrixrgb_cfg_t cfg;
matrixrgb_font_t font_cfg;
/**
* Logger initialization.
* Default baud rate: 115200
* Default log level: LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
* @note If USB_UART_RX and USB_UART_TX
* are defined as HAL_PIN_NC, you will
* need to define them manually for log to work.
* See @b LOG_MAP_USB_UART macro definition for detailed explanation.
*/
LOG_MAP_USB_UART( log_cfg );
log_init( &logger, &log_cfg );
log_info( &logger, "---- Application Init ----" );
// Click initialization.
matrixrgb_cfg_setup( &cfg );
MATRIXRGB_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
matrixrgb_init( &matrixrgb, &cfg );
matrixrgb_device_reset( &matrixrgb );
matrixrgb_pattern_settings ( &matrixrgb, MATRIXRGB_PATTERN_1_MAP_5MM, 1000 );
matrixrgb_set_power( &matrixrgb, 1 );
Delay_ms( 1000 );
font_cfg.p_font = Arial9x9;
font_cfg.color = 0xFFFF;
font_cfg.orientation = MATRIXRGB_FONT_HORIZONTAL;
matrixrgb_set_font ( &matrixrgb, &font_cfg );
matrixrgb_fill_screen( &matrixrgb, 0xFFFF );
Delay_ms( 1000 );
}
void application_task ( )
{
uint16_t test;
// Brightness Test
for ( test = 5; test < 50; test++ )
{
matrixrgb_set_brightness( &matrixrgb, test );
Delay_ms( 50 );
}
for ( test = 50; test > 5; test-- )
{
matrixrgb_set_brightness( &matrixrgb, test );
Delay_ms( 50 );
}
// Pixel Write Test
matrixrgb_fill_screen( &matrixrgb, 0x0000 );
for ( test = 0; test < 32; test++ )
{
matrixrgb_write_pixel( &matrixrgb, test, test, 0xF100 );
Delay_ms( 100 );
}
for ( test = 32; test > 0; test-- )
{
matrixrgb_write_pixel( &matrixrgb, 31 - test, test, 0xF100 );
Delay_ms( 100 );
}
Delay_ms( 2000 );
//Text Write Test
matrixrgb_fill_screen( &matrixrgb, 0x0000 );
matrixrgb_write_text( &matrixrgb, "RGB", 6, 5 );
matrixrgb_write_text( &matrixrgb, "Demo", 4, 20 );
Delay_ms( 5000 );
// Image Test
matrixrgb_draw_image( &matrixrgb, mikroe_logo_32x32_bmp );
Delay_ms( 1000 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
