Programmable Scrolling massage Sign Board

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GENRAL DISCRIPTION

This is a great kit to help you build your electronics knowledge, plus when you're done building it you'll have a product that you'll actually use. This scrolling sign has different characters and can store messages up to 4000 characters long. The messages are stored in memory even after power-down, so it'll be there when you turn it back on. The scroll rate is adjustable to 10 different speeds. You can connect it directly to your computer and type in messages with your keyboard. The PC is only required for programming in your message. This is done via any spare serial port on your PC.
MAIN FEATURES Fully micro controller based interface using PIC16F72 Display size: 8x34 pixels, (26.5.cm) x (5.5.cm) Input Power: 8 -12V DC, 500mA RS232 serial port interface Windows based interface works with WIN95, 98, 2000, ME and XP Power-On LED indicator Data receiving LED Diode protection against reverse polarity connection of power supply How its work? Displaying characters on a sign is pretty easy, right? You just power on the lights you need and whale! Well, its not quite that simple. If we just made a big array of LEDs and controlled each one separately then wed need a chip with about 200 pins for this small sign, and hundreds or thousands more for a larger sign. By using a few handy control and power techniques weve managed to build a scrolling LED sign with a lot of functionality in a small package and everything runs on a very simple 8-bit microcontroller. So how do we control 192 pixels with a 28 pin microcontroller? A process called multiplexingits a lot like how youre TV or computer screen works. Instead of trying to control each pixel all the time we scan through them much faster than the eye can see. Take a look at the schematic you can see how all of the LEDs are connected. An individual LED has a cathode (negative) and anode (positive) lead. To make it light we just give it power and current flows from anode to cathode. Every LED in a given row has a common anode (most of these connections are made inside the LED matrix) and theyre connected to a transistor to VCC. The microcontroller can turn on any of the 8 row transistors and provide that row with a path to VCC (+V). Ok, now what about the cathode/negative terminal? On any given column all of the cathode are common and connect to the output pins of column selector IC (shift registers). That pin can either be low/0/negative in which case it will not supply current to flow through the LED, or it can be high/1/positive. Why use shift registers here, cant we just connect directly to the microcontroller? There are two good reasons why its designed this way and one has to do with power (explained below). The other is that its difficult/expensive to find a microcontroller with enough output pins. We would need 35 output pins just to control all the columns, but in this setup we just use 2 pins to provide clock

and data to the shift registers. Also, this setup is infinitely expandable just daisy chain more shift registers together to make a longer display. CIRCUIT EXPLANATION 1] Micro controller PIC 16F72 is the heart of the circuit which calls all of the shots. In normal operation when the display is scrolling a message its task is to read data from the EEPROM, clock out a pulse to the column selector ICs, which drive the columns, then spit out data at the rows. This is all done very, very fast as you would imagine. A 20MHz crystal and associated 22pf caps provide a clock source for the micro. All of the magic is in the software. The bulk of the hardware is configured as a work horse if you like. Its a no brainier. During programming of the message into the display via the Windows based software, the micros main role is to read the serial data and organize it into the EEPROM. Programming the message involves pressing the program button of the unit so that the PIC micro is ready to receive serial data from the Windows based software. This data is then transferred into a serial 24C256, 256Kb EEPROM for later recall. After successful programming the display will scroll from right to left the message that you just programmed in. The scroll speed can be tweaked via the Windows based software and you can set the number of times the message repeats. In data terms, whats actually stored on the EEPROM is the row data that is broken down from the characters that you program. The characters are all upper case, In normal operation the PIC just scans through this data in the EEPROM and outputs it at the rows and provides a clock source that increment 5 column counters that are connected to the columns. Its just a common multiplexing arrangement procedure, 2] MCU Clock Clock signal for the micro controller provided by crystal Y1 (20MHZ) the two 22PF capacitors hanging off it ensure correct loading for the crystal, so that it starts reliably. 3] Display Column selection In essence a column selector IC receives clock pulses at its clock pin and in turn increments one of its output lines (Q0 Q7) sequentially. When first powered up Q0 will be set high. As soon as the first clock pulse arrives Q0 will go low and Q1 will go high. At the arrival of the next pulse Q1 will swing low and Q2 will go high. There are only eight outputs on this IC so by itself it cant possible be used to drive the required 35 columns. The solution is whats called a cascaded arrangement. All of the column selector ICs outputs are buffered via ULN2803 driver IC. 4] Display Row selection The PIC directly controls the rows via emitter follower buffers (Q1 - Q7). These are also driven well and truly into saturation by their respective 4K7 base resistors. 22E resistors limit the peak current to the LEDS. 5] Data communication RC3 on the micro is the RX line designated to receive the serial data from the PC, because we are only using the RX line on the serial port to program in the message. These communicate with PC serial (RS232) port via current limiting resistor (R20). LED L2 provides data receiver indication and is driven by port RC1 via a 220E resistor. the excellent IO capabilities of the PIC micro controller range of devices, and the adoption of TTL levels on most modern PC serial ports, a line driver is
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often unnecessary unless long distances are involved between the transmitter and the receiver. Instead a simple current limiting resistor is all that's required 6] EEPROM interfacing RA0 & RA1 connect to the clock & data lines of IC9, serial EEPROM. This is a 256Kb device which operates serially at up to 600KHz!. The two 4K7 pull ups are essential since the data & clock lines are bipolar. 7] Program button interfacing Programming the message involves pressing the program button of the unit so that the PIC micro is ready to receive serial data from the Windows based software. Port RC3 is pulled up via 10K resistor and used for programming message. 8] Power supply Fig 3 shows the power supply circuit. Its based on 3 terminal voltage regulators, which provide the required +5V. Power is derived initially from standard 12V AC/DC adapter or 12V_500ma Transformer. This is fed to bridge rectifier D2 D8, the output of which is then filtered using 1000uf electrolytic capacitor and fed to U3 (voltage regulator). U3 +5V output powers the PIC micro controller and other logic circuitry. LED L1 and its associate 1K current limiting resistors provide power indication. The
unregulated voltage of approximately 12 V is required for matrix display driving circuit..

PART EXPLANATION
PIC 16F72 Micro controller

PIC (Peripheral interface controller) is the IC while was eveloped to control the peripheral device, dispersing the function of the main CPU. PIC has the calculation function and the memory like the CPU and is controlled by the software. However the throughput, the memory capacity aren't big. It depends on kind of PIC but the maximum operation clock frequency is about 20MHZ and the memory capacity to write the program is about 1K to 4K words. The clock frequency is related with the speed to read the program and to execute the instruction. Only at the clock frequency, the throughput cannot be judged. It changes with the architecture in the processing parts for same architecture; the one with the higher clock frequency is higher about the throughput. The point, which the PIC convenient for is that the calculation part, the memory, the input/output part and so on, are incorporated into one piece of the IC. The efficiency, the function is limited but can compose the control unit only by the PIC even if it doesn't combine the various IC's so, the circuit can be compactly made. More information please refer Data sheet 0f PIC 16Fxx
Special Micro controller Features:

High performance RISC CPU Operating speed: DC - 20 MHz clock input DC - 200 ns instruction cycle 2K FLASH Program Memory, 128bytes of Data Memory (RAM) Power-on Reset (POR) Power-up Timer (PWRT) and Oscillator Start-up Timer (OST) Watchdog Timer (WDT) with its own on-chip RC oscillator for reliable operation Programmable code protection Power saving SLEEP mode Selectable oscillator options Low power, high speed CMOS FLASH / EEPROM technology Fully static design Single 5V In-Circuit Serial Programming capability Wide operating voltage range: 2.0V to 5.5V High Sink/Source Current: 25 mA Commercial, Industrial and Extended temperature ranges Low-power consumption:

FLASH EEPROM AT24Cxxx

The AT24C256 are 256K bit electrically erasable programmable memories (EEPROM), They are manufactured in SGS-THOMSONs Hi-Endurance Advanced CMOS technology, which guarantees an endurance of one million erase/write cycles with a data retention of 40 years. The memories operate with a power supply value as low as 1.8V for the ST24Cxxx The memories are compatible with the I2C standard, two wire serial interface which uses a bi-directional data bus and serial clock.

The memories carry a built-in 4 bit, unique device identification code (1010) corresponding to the I2C bus definition. This issued together with 2 chip enable inputs (E2, E1) so that up to 4 x 4K devices may be attached to the I2C bus and selected individually. The memories behave as a slave device in the I2C protocol with all memory operations synchronized by the serial clock. Read and write operations are initiated by a START condition generated by the bus master. The START condition is followed by a stream of 7 bits (identification code 1010), plus one read/write bit and terminated by an acknowledge bit. LM7805 (3 TERMINAL VOLTAGE REGULATER) This is used to make the stable voltage of +5V for U2 (MCU). The LM7805 is three terminal positive regulators are available in the TO-220/D-PAK package and with several fixed output voltages, making them useful in a wide range of applications. Each type employs internal current limiting, thermal shut down and safe operating area protection, making it essentially indestructible. If adequate heat sinking is provided, they can deliver over 1A output current. Although designed primarily as fixed voltage regulators, More information please refer Data sheet 0f LM7805 ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS Use the component overlay on the PCB to place the components starting with the lowest height components first. Make sure that the diode, LED and electrolytic capacitors are inserted the right way around.
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Resistors and diodes IC sockets LED s Ceramic capacitors. And crystal Transistors (Q1 ~ Q7) Electrolytic capacitors. Make sure you insert them the correct way around. switches and Relimate connector 8. LM7805 regulators. Use needle nosed pliers to bend the leads of the regulator. It does not require a heat sink. Screw down onto to PCB.
NOTE: - the LED display board is assembled and tested. U can interface with the main board with help of multi colure ribbon wire. {for display board and main board connection refer PCB layout}

PC Soft wear The soft wear for Scrolling massage Sign Board has been tested with windows XP, but should also work with Windows 95, 98, 2000 and ME. THE WINDOWS BASED SOFT WEAR GUI

LED matrix board wire color code

Four pin Relimate connector (Control Signal INPUT) PIN No 1 2 3 4 Wire Color Orange Red Brown Black PIN NAME GND CLK VCC DIN

Seven pin Relimate connector (ROW INPUT) PIN No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

PART (COMPONENTS) LIST R1, 15, 21 R2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11 R13, 16, 18 R10, 21 R22 R5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 17, 19 C1, 2 C3 C4 C5, 6 Y1 D1 D2 ~ 5 L1 L2 U1 U2 U3 Q1 ~ Q7 CN1 CN2 CN3 SW1 1nos 2nos 1nos 1nos - 1K - 4K7 - 10K - 220E - 22E [BROWN, BLACK, RED] [YELLOW, VIOLET, RED] [BROWN, BLACK, ORANGE] [RED, RED, BROWN] [RED, RED, BLACK] (2) (2) (3) (9) (2) (7)

Wire Color Blue Green Yellow Orange Red Brown Black

PIN NAME R2 R1 R3 R5 R7 R4 R6

- 22PF / 33PF DISC - 1000UF / 16V Electrolytic - 47UF / 16V Electrolytic - 0.1UF DISC 100n /104 - 20 MHZ Crystal - 1N4148 DIODE - 1N4007 DIODE - 3mm 5mm GREEN LED - 3mm - 5mm RED LED

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- PIC16F72 Pre Programmed Micro Controller - AT24C256 SERIAL EEPROM - LM7805 3 Terminal Voltage Regulator - BC547 NPN Transistors (7) - Three PIN Relimate connector (MALE) - FOUR PIN Relimate connector - SEVEN PIN Relimate connector - 4 PIN TAG SWITCH - Seven Digit LED Dot Matrix Display Board (Assembled & Tested) - 14 PIN IC SOCKET FOR U1 - 8 PIN IC SOCKET FOR U2 - RS232 Data Cable