Create your own LARGE 7-segment LED display!
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Published 2022-05-26
So, I decided to create my own display using a WS2812B programmable LED strip. It uses a modular design, which means it can be scaled to accommodate pretty much any number of digits, of any size - you just need to use a longer length of LED strip!
If you have access to a 3D printer, you can print an enclosure for each digit and diffusers for the individual segments (the version I demonstrate in the video are 8" high), but you can also create these on a CNC, or just layout LED strips by hand and use baking paper or thin white plastic sheet as a diffuser. And, because the LEDs have separate RGB components, you can even create animated colour-changing effects on the digits !
STLs remixed from a design by sockser (www.thingiverse.com/thing:5236055), based on an original design by parallyze: (www.thingiverse.com/thing:5001559), licenced under a CC-BY-SA licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and can be downloaded from drive.google.com/drive/folders/1huCT0Ul6ZWJePj50ln…
To demonstrate the display, I've created an Arduino sketch that implements both a count-up stopwatch and also a countdown timer, displaying the time in MM:SS or SSSS format. This could be used in any kind of exercise challenge, escape room, or even as a timer to monitor how much screen-time allowance your kids have still got left :)
Timings---00:00:00 - 00:02:13 Introduction00:02:14 - 00:05:22 Using WS2812B ("Neopixel") LED strips00:05:23 - 00:08:28 3D Printed modular 7 segment case00:08:29 - 00:10:41 Arduino stopwatch timer and countdown
00:10:42 - 00:11:31 Fritzing wiring diagram00:11:32 - 00:39:55 Arduino code
00:39:56 - 00:41:07 Wrapup and conclusionIf you enjoyed this video or found it helpful, please like and subscribe to this channel! And, if you'd like to download the code for the Arduino IDE, the wiring diagram, or other resources used in this and all the other escape room projects shown on this channel (and support me to continue making more tutorials in the future!), please check out my Patreon at www.patreon.com/playfultech
All Comments (21)
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Interesting project explained very clearly. Thank you. 👍
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Hi! Simply brilliant, I appreciate your work, thank you for all the efforts you take to make this wonderful project.
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Great job, nicely explained....thanks! Very timely (no pun intended) as I am looking into escape room timers as we speak.
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Very good tutorial. Will use the display for keeping score in a roller ball game.
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Nice info, thanks for sharing it :)
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Brilliant tutorial.... this is my first comment ever for any tutorial
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super i like u r display program and definition 👍
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Awesome - love the simple solution of rgb strips with one data line and only 5v
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I have found this very interesting. I am hoping to build a cricket scoreboard during the winter. Would these digits be visible from a wide angle and can the digits be made a bit bigger?
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This is awesome!
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Thank you
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Thank you for this tutorial, this is a brilliant idea. But is it possible to get this countdown timer on the edsim51 simulator?
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This tutorial is brilliant, thanks for it, finally it helps me to understand the LED strips programming. How could I contact you if I would like to do more stuff like this? Thanks a lot
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Thanks!
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This is the Video I've been looking for. I want to use this as a count down timer for our Archer Club, but I need to set the time in minuites and seconds. for example if I need 4:10sec. Can it do that. Also when the count down timmer reaches 30Seconds I want to turn the LEDs colour yellow and when it reaches 0 mins. I want it to turen Red. Thanks for sharing.
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nice !!!
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where is the arduino code for this? ty
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Thanks for your great tutorial. I built my own 7-segment display following your instructions. Unfortunately, the timer always stops counting - at different times, sometimes at 1 minute 13 seconds, sometimes at 3 minutes and then starts again from the beginning. Could you give me a tip as to why this could be?
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How would you turn it into a clock?
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4:30 It's good practice to add them why? What electrical effect does it 'solve'
