We’ve been displaying numbers using segmented displays for almost 120 years now, an invention that predates the LEDs that usually power the ubiquitous devices by a half-dozen decades or so. But LEDs ...

[Sean Hodgins] has a knack for coming up with simple solutions that can make a big difference, but this is one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” things: addressable seven-segment LED displays.

Many options exist to drive seven-segment LED displays, but most are limited to low output currents. The approach described here uses one 74ALS374 or 74AS374 octal latch, wired as a shift register, ...

In a previous article, we explored the behavior of an LED diode as a small light source. We have seen how important a protection resistor is to light up this component. In this article, we will ...