Thread: Need some help with a program for a LED matrix.

Hey.

I've recently received a 32x16 LED matrix board from Sure Electronics along with a driver card with a e PIC16F723 on it.
I thought at the time of purchase, that the software they had, would be compatible with the board, but it wasn't. This forced me to get into C-coding.

I'm sorta getting a hand of it by writing the sample program they provided with the baord, and reading up on things to understand the program.
However, I'm sorta stuck at the moment.

The board uses 4 HT1632C chips to control the LED displays. They each control a 16x8 part of the board. The board has both red and green LEDs in each pixel.
The way the chips operate, is that they have divided their 16x8 area into 32 8-bit areas. 16 for green and 16 for red.

Now, here comes the part where I'm stuck.
In this piece of code:

Code:

void main()
{
    unsigned char i,j;
    SystemInit();                //System Initialization
    SetHT1632C_As3208();        //Set all HT1632s to work in 32*8 master mode
    for(i=1; i<=CHIP_MAX; i++)
    {
        ChipSelect(i);            //Chip select the corresponding HT1632C
        AddressWriteHT1632C(0x00);    //Get the selected start address of the chip
        SPI_ModelConfigure();    //Open SPI mode, continuously send data to HT1632C    
        for(j=0; j<16; j++)        //Take "0x00" as the start address, continuously write data
        {
            SPI_DataSend(0x55);    //Write data as 2-digit hex number. The corresponding LEDs will light in binary code.
        }
        for(j=16; j<32; j++)
        {
            SPI_DataSend(0xaa);
        }
        SSPCON = 0x11;            //Clode SPI mode
    }
    while(1);
}

"j" is the definition of a column of LEDs, while SPI_DataSend() defines the pattern the LEDs light up in that column.

Now, what I want to do, is to i.e. only light up the LEDs in column 5 in a "aaHex" pattern.
The problem is that no matter what i try to put in the first part of the for-loop (j=0 or j=16 etc.) it always assumes that the number i entered is the first column.
Thus, I can only light up the first column and out. I can't get it to light up only a column in the middle of the board.

Can anyone see what I'm doing wrong here, or how i can possibly solve this?

Thanks for any help

My first thought is I don't think its actually receiving the value of 'j'. I think its only writing at this address 'AddressWriteHT1632C(0x00);' have you tried changing it and see what happens?

j is not being passed into any of the SPI functions. So if there isn't another function to set the column, then perhaps you would do this:

Code:

for(j=0; j<4; j++)
    SPI_DataSend(0x00);
SPI_DataSend(0xAA);   /* column 5 */
for(j=5; j<32; j++)
    SPI_DataSend(0x00);

Try this. It's just a guess. What does it do?

Code:

int main()
{
    SystemInit();                //System Initialization
    SetHT1632C_As3208();        //Set all HT1632s to work in 32*8 master mode
    ChipSelect(1);            //Chip select the corresponding HT1632C
    //AddressWriteHT1632C(0x00);    //Get the selected start address of the chip
    SPI_ModelConfigure();    //Open SPI mode, continuously send data to HT1632C    

    /* Light 5th column all green. */
    AddressWriteHT1632C(0x08);
    SPI_DataSend(0xFF);

    /* Light 5th column all red. */
    //AddressWriteHT1632C(0x28);
    //SPI_DataSend(0xFF);

    SSPCON = 0x11;            //Clode SPI mode

    while(1);
}

Tried the code. It didn't really produce anything. The screen was left blank.

The only other variation I can think of (with the given info) is this.

Code:

int main()
{
    SystemInit();               //System Initialization
    SetHT1632C_As3208();        //Set all HT1632s to work in 32*8 master mode
    ChipSelect(1);              //Chip select the corresponding HT1632C

    AddressWriteHT1632C(0x08);  //Get the selected start address of the chip

    SPI_ModelConfigure();       //Open SPI mode, continuously send data to HT1632C    
    SPI_DataSend(0xFF);
    SSPCON = 0x11;              //Clode SPI mode

    while(1);
}

This one actually works. Also, I can add a new SPI_DataSend under it and it appears on the next line.
Now I'm one step further down my line :P
However, if I wish to skip some lines, I have to repeat the Addresswrite... or send 0x00 several times :P
Thanks man

Is it possible to write functions for patterns such as characters and call them from a library file?

The compiler (HI TECH) gives me an error telling me that assert is undefined.
Guessing that perhaps assert.h isn't included with HI TECH?

Just get rid of the asserts then. However, the code I wrote made what I now believe is an incorrect assumption, that the memory map had one bit per led. But I now believe there are 2 bits per led (for 4 intensity levels, including off), which is a little more complicated. Still, it's a start!

I've read quite a bit on the board.
And as i get it, the board has 4 HT1632C chips that each control a 16x8 matrix with 2 different colors.
To get it to stay off, the corresponding address needs a binary low.
To get a green light, it needs a binary high on ports 0-15.
to get a red light, it needs a binary high on ports 16-31.
And to get a "yellow" or red+green light it needs a high on both corresponding addresses at both 0-15 and 16-31.

This page has some info:
Controlling the Sure Electronics 3216 LED matrix with an Arduino UNO | arduino education
It however says that they are divided into 64 addresses. It might be possible to use it that way, but since we can control a complete row using 8 bits (2 hex) I think it works better that way :P

Here's a picture of the board with your code without asserts.
http://i43.tinypic.com/dlsvwx.jpg

Interesting, but also confusing. It says there are 16 levels, which implies 4 bits per led. But the memory map seems to map one address to 4 leds. I suppose the memory could have 16 bits per address.... Have you tried the Plot function they give there? They also mention that someone has already created the kind of library you mentioned.

EDIT: The H looks good in the pic, but the I is totally out to lunch. Did you have to uncomment the second SPI_DataSend?

The picture is without uncommenting the SPI_DataSend.
Here it is uncommented:
http://i41.tinypic.com/o5821h.jpg

I've seen the library. That page has a link to it. However, the values are transmitted in pure binary.