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Seven Segment Displays consist of several small LED’s put together in such a way as to display the decimal numbers 0-9 when combinations of the segments light up.
Common Cathode displays are a common type of display and are so called because the negative sides of the LED’s (the cathodes) are joined together. Common Anode displays also exist which you may wish to research further but for this exercise we will concentrate on the Common Cathode type. The circuit we will be using here uses a 4026 IC to drive a Common Cathode Seven Segment Display.The counter moves up one on each ‘low’ to ‘high’ pulse put into the input. The input signal can be provided using many different circuits, such as an astable, monostable a switch or a light sensor.
Fig 1 and Fig 2 show the circuit diagram and breadboard layout for a 4026 driver IC with the input from a 555 IC set up as a Monostable. The input trigger to the Monostable could be connected to a sensor or switch for counting applications. In the setup shown in Fig 1, the monostable 555 timer circuit provides the input pulse to allow the 4026 IC to count up. You will need to build this circuit first followed by the 4026 circuit shown in Fig 2. This is quite a complex piece of circuitry – take your time and be accurate with your connections. Remember to use the basic hand tools when putting together your circuit.
Common Cathode displays are a common type of display and are so called because the negative sides of the LED’s (the cathodes) are joined together. Common Anode displays also exist which you may wish to research further but for this exercise we will concentrate on the Common Cathode type. The circuit we will be using here uses a 4026 IC to drive a Common Cathode Seven Segment Display.The counter moves up one on each ‘low’ to ‘high’ pulse put into the input. The input signal can be provided using many different circuits, such as an astable, monostable a switch or a light sensor.
Fig 1 and Fig 2 show the circuit diagram and breadboard layout for a 4026 driver IC with the input from a 555 IC set up as a Monostable. The input trigger to the Monostable could be connected to a sensor or switch for counting applications. In the setup shown in Fig 1, the monostable 555 timer circuit provides the input pulse to allow the 4026 IC to count up. You will need to build this circuit first followed by the 4026 circuit shown in Fig 2. This is quite a complex piece of circuitry – take your time and be accurate with your connections. Remember to use the basic hand tools when putting together your circuit.
In addition to a Prototype board (Breadboard), wire for connections and a power source, you will need the following components to build the 4026 driver circuit:
1 x 47KΩ Fixed Resistor1 x Common Cathode Seven Segment Display (Data Sheet)1 x 4026 Seven Segment Display Driver IC (Data Sheet)
Could you think of another way of providing the input pulse? For those of you who have advanced onto the Arduino section, could you set the Arduino up to provide the pulse to the 4026 IC?
1 x 47KΩ Fixed Resistor1 x Common Cathode Seven Segment Display (Data Sheet)1 x 4026 Seven Segment Display Driver IC (Data Sheet)
Could you think of another way of providing the input pulse? For those of you who have advanced onto the Arduino section, could you set the Arduino up to provide the pulse to the 4026 IC?
Fig 1
Fig 2
SevensegOnce you have successfully built and tested this circuit, you might wish to have a go at building a digital version using an Arduino such as the one shown here. By building and testing the two circuits you will then be able to appreciate the differences between the two approaches to Electronics.
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