LED Segment and Matrix Driver

The LED Segment and Matrix Driver component is a multiplexed LED driver that can handle up to 24 segment signals and 8 common signals. It can be used to drive 24 7-segment LEDs, eight 14/16-segment LEDs, eight RGB 7-segment LEDs, or a tri-color matrix of up to 192 LEDs in an 8x8 pattern. APIs are provided to convert alpha-numeric values to their segment codes, and the brightness of each of the commons can be independently controlled. This component is supported for PSoC™ 3 and PSoC™ 5LP.

Multiplexing the LEDs is an efficient way to save GPIO pins, however the commons must be multiplexed at a steady rate. To address this latter issue, the component uses PSoC™’s DMA and UDBs to multiplex the LEDs without CPU overhead. This eliminates cases of non-periodic updating as the multiplexing is handled solely using hardware. The CPU is thus used only when updating the display information and to change the brightness settings.

When displaying the 7/14/16 segment digits, these digits do not have to be grouped as a single numerical display. An 8 digit display could be divided up into one 2-digit and two 3-digit displays for example. When operating in the LED matrix mode, the individual displays do not have to be arranged in a matrix, but instead can be various single or grouped LEDs. The component also supports displaying combined digits with annunciators.