Author Topic: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.  (Read 9257 times)

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Offline IY3775Topic starter

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Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« on: February 25, 2019, 08:32:36 am »
The TM1637 4 digit 7 segment display module comes with a tiny 0.5" display attached. Now I want to build a large 7 segment display with red LED strips, remove the 0.5" display and attach the large one. I don't think the TM1637 will be able to handle the load, question is how do I connect my own large display to the module? http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/5c73a808a128c/Datasheet_TM1637.pdf

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Online janoc

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2019, 09:26:34 am »
Depends on the display you have. If your large display can fit within the 50mA or so capability of the chip (many largeish ones can, 50mA is a ton of current for a LED), then you can just swap them and it will work (modulo things like common anode/cathode differences - make sure your display has the right setup!)

If you need more, then you will need to either look for a driver with more current capability or use some transistors as drivers to boost the current capability.
 

Offline IY3775Topic starter

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2019, 09:34:23 am »
I'll be making my own display with LED strips, it's going to draw a lot of current. How to I add transistors to this setup? A diagram is much appreciated.

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Offline SteveyG

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2019, 11:20:36 am »
The TM1637 is designed for common anode displays. You will need to buffer the outputs from this chip with external transistors to allow you to drive your LED strips from a presumably higher supply voltage since the maximum input voltage is only 7V.
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Offline IY3775Topic starter

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2019, 11:23:16 am »
The TM1637 is designed for common anode displays. You will need to buffer the outputs from this chip with external transistors to allow you to drive your LED strips from a presumably higher supply voltage since the maximum input voltage is only 7V.
Will a uln2005a work in this application? Could you provide a diagram if I have to use individual transistors?

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Online janoc

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2019, 09:31:02 pm »
If you want to drive LED strips, there is not much point in trying to reuse TM1637 which isn't designed for that. Without knowing how many LEDs, how are they going to be connected, what type of LED strip ("dumb" one, "neopixels", whatever),  what current/voltage, etc. it is impossible to tell you whether uln2005a or whatever else will work. Draw some diagrams so that we know what you are trying to do, people don't read minds here.
 

Offline IY3775Topic starter

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2019, 03:23:35 am »
If you want to drive LED strips, there is not much point in trying to reuse TM1637 which isn't designed for that. Without knowing how many LEDs, how are they going to be connected, what type of LED strip ("dumb" one, "neopixels", whatever),  what current/voltage, etc. it is impossible to tell you whether uln2005a or whatever else will work. Draw some diagrams so that we know what you are trying to do, people don't read minds here.
The reason I want to use TM1637 is I can't use 12 I/O pins from the Arduino, (& they're cheap and easy to work with).
I'll be using regular 12V 2835 red LED strips, which may take about 150ma on the longest segment for each digit, half for the smaller segments, so about 500ma per digit. The display  would be in common anode. Will it work as below?:

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Offline kjr18

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2019, 05:51:04 am »
You still need more transistors, one for every segment line, that would be a total of 12 transistors, 8 for segments, 4 for digits.
 

Online janoc

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #8 on: February 26, 2019, 09:58:39 pm »
As kjr18 said, you must have a transistor for each segment too. The IC cannot handle neither the 12V (minus whatever drop the strip has) nor sink 150mA of current - according to the datasheet it can sink only 50mA so it would be overloaded 3x and most likely release the magic smoke.

You will also need a current limiting resistor in the base of each transistor or you will likely blow them.
 

Offline IY3775Topic starter

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2019, 01:45:15 am »
As kjr18 said, you must have a transistor for each segment too. The IC cannot handle neither the 12V (minus whatever drop the strip has) nor sink 150mA of current - according to the datasheet it can sink only 50mA so it would be overloaded 3x and most likely release the magic smoke.

You will also need a current limiting resistor in the base of each transistor or you will likely blow them.
Could you show me how to connect transistors to each segment then? Is it npn or pnp?

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Online janoc

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2019, 09:02:26 pm »
For each segment you will need an PNP transistor (or an P-channel MOSFET), emitter/source to the segment (LED), collector/drain to ground. The reason for this emitter follower arrangement is that your segment outputs of the IC are active low (it is meant for a common anode display). Alteratively you could use NPN transistors but then you would need two per segment - the first one would be inverting the driving signal from the IC for the second one.

You need to find transistors that can handle the current, of course, but 150mA per segment isn't that much.

 

Offline IY3775Topic starter

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2019, 02:16:06 am »
For each segment you will need an PNP transistor (or an P-channel MOSFET), emitter/source to the segment (LED), collector/drain to ground. The reason for this emitter follower arrangement is that your segment outputs of the IC are active low (it is meant for a common anode display). Alteratively you could use NPN transistors but then you would need two per segment - the first one would be inverting the driving signal from the IC for the second one.

You need to find transistors that can handle the current, of course, but 150mA per segment isn't that much.
Thx, and the gate/ base to the corresponding pin of tm1637?

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Online janoc

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2019, 07:45:21 pm »

Thx, and the gate/ base to the corresponding pin of tm1637?

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Yes, of course.
 

Offline fawad

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2022, 01:09:23 pm »
any try to run big seven segment disply with tm1637 driver. if any one kiindly give circuit diagram, i try to run 3/2 inch comman anode segment
 

Offline Genilson Silva

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Re: Using a TM1637 for a large 4 digit display.
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2024, 04:57:36 pm »
Hi friend, you were successful in creating a power interface to use a led strip with the tm2637 chip
 


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