Seven segment display

Introduction

As a part of curriculum of our college for the second year, we

were given the choices to select a project in electronics
workshop. We chose seven segment led display as our
ELWS project.

We chose seven segment led display as our project since it

contained an IC, A seven segment display unit and a
switch, which made it interesting for us.

KNOWLEDGE RECEIVED FROM THIS PROJECT

• How to use the 4511 7-segment decoder/display driver

IC
• Gain familiarity with the BCD code
• How to use 7-segment LED assemblies to create
decimal digit displays

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• How to identify and use both "active-low" and "active-
high" logic inputs

Block Diagram

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CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

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COMPONENT LIST

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• 4511 BCD-to-7seg latch/decoder/driver

• Common-cathode 7-segment LED display
• Eight/Four-position DIP switch
• Four 10 kΩ resistors
• Seven 470 Ω resistors
• One 6 volt battery

CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION

Seven-Segment Display Layout

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The illustration above shows the basic layout of the

segments in a seven-segment display. The segments
themselves are identified with lower-case letters "a" through
"g," with segment "a" at the top and then counting
clockwise. Segment "g" is the center bar.

Most seven-segment digits also include a decimal point

("dp"), and some also include an extra triangle to turn the
decimal point into a comma. This improves readability of
large numbers on a calculator, for example. The decimal
point is shown here on the right, but some display units put
it on the left, or have a decimal point on each side.

In addition, most displays are actually slanted a bit, making

them look as if they were in italics. This arrangement allows
us to turn one digit upside down and place it next to another,
so that the two decimal points look like a colon between the
two digits. The technique is commonly used in LED clock
displays.

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Seven-segment displays can be packaged in a number of

ways. Three typical packages are shown above. On the left
we see three small digits in a single 12-pin DIP package. The
individual digits are very small, so a clear plastic bubble is
molded over each digit to act as a magnifying lens. The sides
of the end bubbles are flattened so that additional packages
of this type can be placed end-to-end to create a display of
as many digits as may be needed.

The second package is essentially a 14-pin DIP designed to

be installed vertically. Note that for this particular device,
the decimal point is on the left. This is not true of all seven-
segment displays in this type of package.

One limitation of the DIP package is that it cannot support

larger digits. To get larger displays for easy reading at a
distance, it is necessary to change the package size and
shape. The package on the right above is larger than the
other two, and thus can display a digit that is significantly
larger than will fit on a standard DIP footprint. Even larger

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displays are also available; some digital clocks sport digits
that are two to five inches tall.

Seven-segment displays can be constructed using any of a

number of different technologies. The three most common
methods are fluorescent displays (used in many line-
powered devices such as microwave ovens and

some clocks and clock radios), liquid crystal displays (used in

many battery-powered devices such as watches and many
digital instruments), and LEDs (used in either line-powered
or battery-powered devices). However, fluorescent displays
require a fairly high driving voltage to operate, and liquid
crystal displays require special treatment that we are not yet
ready to discuss. Therefore, we will work with a seven-
segment LED display in this experiment.

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4511 BCD to 7-segment

latch/decoder/driver

PINNING:

DA to DD address (data) inputs

EL latch enable input (active LOW)
BI ripple blanking input (active LOW)
LT lamp test input (active LOW)
Oa to Og segment outputs

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Schematic diagram of output stage

The 4511 is a BCD to 7-segment decoder driver. Its function

is to convert the logic states at the outputs of a BCD, or
binary coded decimal, counter like the 4510 into signals
which will drive a 7-segment display. The display shows the
decimal numbers 0-9 and is easily understood.

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WORKING

This experiment is more of an introduction to the 4511

decoder/display driver IC than it is a lesson in how to
"build up" a digital function from lower-level
components. Since 7-segment displays are very common
components of digital devices, it is good to be familiar
with the "driving" circuits behind them, and the 4511 is a
good example of a typical driver IC.

Its operating principle is to input a four-bit BCD (Binary-

Coded Decimal) value, and energize the proper output
lines to form the corresponding decimal digit on the 7-
segment LED display. The BCD inputs are designated A,
B, C, and D in order from least-significant to most-
significant. Outputs are labeled a, b, c, d, e, f, and g,
each letter corresponding to a standardized segment
designation for 7-segment displays. Of course, since
each LED segment requires its own dropping resistor, we
must use seven 470 Ω resistors placed in series between
the 4511's output terminals and the corresponding
terminals of the display unit.

Most 7-segment displays also provide for a decimal point

(sometimes two!), a separate LED and terminal
designated for its operation. All LEDs inside the display
unit are made common to each other on one side, either
cathode or anode. The 4511 display driver IC requires a

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common-cathode 7-segment display unit, and so that is

what is used here.

After building the circuit and applying power, operate

the four switches in a binary counting sequence (0000 to
1111), noting the 7-segment display. A 0000 input
should result in a decimal "0" display, a 0001 input
should result in a decimal "1" display, and so on through
1001 (decimal "9"). What happens for the binary
numbers 1010 (10) through 1111 (15)? Read the
datasheet on the 4511 IC and see what the
manufacturer specifies for operation above an input
value of 9. In the BCD code, there is no real meaning for
1010, 1011, 1100, 1101, 1110, or 1111. These are
binary values beyond the range of a single decimal digit,
and so have no function in a BCD system. The 4511 IC is
built to recognize this, and output (or not output!)
accordingly.

Three inputs on the 4511 chip have been permanently

connected to either Vdd or ground: the "Lamp Test,"
"Blanking Input," and "Latch Enable." To learn what
these inputs do, remove the short jumpers connecting
them to either power supply rail (one at a time!), and
replace the short jumper with a longer one that can
reach the other power supply rail. For example, remove
the short jumper connecting the "Latch Enable" input
(pin #5) to ground, and replace it with a long jumper
wire that can reach all the way to the Vdd power supply
rail. Experiment with making this input "high" and "low,"
observing the results on the 7-segment display as you
alter the BCD code with the four input switches. After
you've learned what the input's function is, connect it to
the power supply rail enabling normal operation, and
proceed to experiment with the next input (either "Lamp
Test" or "Blanking Input").

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When the 4511 is set up correctly, the outputs follow this

truth table:

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BCD inputs segment outputs

display
D C B A a B C d e f G

0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1

0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1

0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1

0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1

0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1

0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1

There is a question about whether the 6's and 9's should have tails.
The 4511 produces a display without tails. If other binary values,
greater than 1 0 0 1, are connected to the inputs of the 4511, the
outputs are all 0's and the display is blank.

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Advantages & Disadvantages

of 7 Segment LED Display

Seven-segment displays are cheap and reliable.

Seven-segment displays are very common and have

been for quite some time. They can be found
everywhere from the price signs at gas stations to the
display on your microwave oven to digital wristwatches.
LED seven-segment displays have become very popular
in consumer electronics, mainly because of their low
power usage, ease of production and cost
effectiveness. Seven-segment LED displays, like all
technology, have advantages and disadvantages.

Cost

1. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are extremely cheap.

Diodes are one of the most simple electrical
components, and they are extremely easy to make. A
trip to your local electronics store will reveal packages
of hundreds of LEDs for only a few dollars.

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Simplicity

2. Seven-segment displays are extremely simple

electronic circuits. A simple seven-segment display
circuit consists of four input leads; a BCD chip, which
contains logic gates to translate the four leads into
seven binary signals, or integrated circuit chip; and the
seven-segment display itself. Most seven-segment
displays are capable of displaying all 16 hexadecimal
values (1 through 9 and A through F).

Reliability

3. Since the seven-segment circuit is so simple, there is a

decreased risk of circuit malfunction due to component
failure. Seven-segment LED displays are used in a wide
range of environments from very hot to well below
freezing. As there is no liquid inside the unit to freeze,
as there is in LCD displays, an LED display can operate
at very low temperatures.

Efficiency

4. LED displays in general are extremely efficient. Diodes

dissipate very little energy. Light-emitting diodes emit
slightly more energy than a standard diode in order to
produce the photons (light) that you see, but the
voltage drop across a typical LED is so small that it is
negligible. Because of this high efficiency, many
electronics makers favor LED technology over LCD
technology because it lowers power supply
requirements and reduces the cost of using devices.

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Limitations

5. Most seven-segment displays are limited to displaying

the 16 hexadecimal characters. Some can display only
the numbers 0 through 9. Although LED technology
exists to display more than this, seven-segment
displays are limited to possible binary combinations of
the four input leads, for a total of 16. Integrated circuit
technology can increase this somewhat, but there are
still a limited number of combinations for the seven
segments on the display.

Production

6. Because LEDs are so cheap to produce and so easy to

make, many manufacturers have sprung up over the
past several decades. There is very little regulation in
terms of making LEDs, excluding the environmental
regulations regarding pollution, and it is therefore easy
to find a manufacturer that produces substandard LEDs.
The only way to know for sure if a manufacturer
produces quality LEDs is by recommendation or buying
and testing the product yourself.

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Conclusion
• By using 4511 decoder IC we can
show decimal output of BCD
inputs.

• Where input is given by dip switch

on output is observed on 7-
segment LED display unit.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. WIKIPEDIA

2. ELECTRONICS FOR YOU (MAGAZINE)

3. DATASHEET OF 4511 DECODER

4. BUILDINGGADGET.COM

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