Technophobia is common, especially among people who aren’t exposed to technology daily. It often affects older individuals who were born before the technological boom and are content with their undisturbed lives. Others are just pure ignorance–the normal unwelcoming response to a newcomer.
You might be one of those people who get intimidated when you hear the words “LED display”. And you’re not to be blamed. LED technology is still in its infancy and only a few really understand it. You see them every day, everywhere–from the smart TV in your living room to the giant electronic billboards lighting up the city skyline–yet you don’t know how they work. You’ve probably read countless blogs about their physical components and how they operate, but not many articles talk about how to program LED displays.
This blog aims to remove the notion that setting up LED screens is for pros only.
Step 1: Getting Started
Before we get to the full step-by-step guide, you should know the basic components of an LED display. See, LED screens are not one piece of hardware with wires inside. They are made up of smaller parts, each with their own role:
LED Modules: An LED module or cabinet is the basic unit of an LED display. Think of it as a puzzle piece that makes up a bigger image. Multiple modules are pieced together to create large displays. These modules are printed circuit boards (PCBs) with thousands of individual LEDs installed on them in a grid-like pattern. They come in different shapes and sizes depending on the display type.
Power Supply: The power supply delivers power to the electronic display screen. It regulates the voltage and current relative to the number of LED modules connected to it. The + and – sign in the power supply must be connected in reverse to avoid any damage to the controller and modules.
Controller: The controller is the brain of the device. Also called the motherboard, it has a backup battery, driver, and memory.
Step 2: Choosing the Right Software
The software is the most important part of an LED display board. It’s for content management and allows users to design, scale and adjust the display according to their needs. It also allows remote controlling so designers can schedule and update the content in real-time.
There are many software available in the market, each with their own features and specializations. Some of the most popular are:
- Arduino
- OptiSigns
- PeakSignage
- ScreenCloud
- Yodeck
These can be downloaded from their respective websites (of course paid) or purchased as CD or DVD.
Step 3: Setting Up the LED Display Board
LED software’s general settings will be empty or set to default upon installation. It’s up to you to configure the settings according to your chosen controller or board. Here are the basic settings you need to adjust:
- Dimensions: Dimensions refer to the total number of LEDs across the display horizontally and vertically. The value you input will determine the size of your display.
- Module Selection: In module selection, you must consider the distance between two adjacent LEDs. The smaller this gap is, the higher resolution the display will be.
- Turn Off Default Settings: Default settings must be disabled to allow for a smoother configuration.
- Adjust Luminance: Luminance, measured in nits, is the display’s brightness level. When entering a value, consider the LED display’s environment. Outdoor installations will need higher brightness levels to be visible in any lighting condition compared to indoor ones with controlled environment. Your value should be between 2000 and 4500 nits for maximum visibility.
- Set Refresh Rate: Refresh rate is how fast the display changes the image per second. Measured in Hz, it’s important for your content to run smoothly–especially dynamic ones–and not to blur. A good quality LED panel has 1920hz or 3840hz.
- Finish Setup: Click Finish.
Step 4: Connecting the Controller
The controller must be connected to the computer or hardware that will be the central hub. This step is important for 3D and HDR on your PC. Once connected you can design your content on your computer and feed it to the LED screens.
Step 5: Setting Text
To show text on your screen click the Program button then select Text. On the pop-up box type the text you want to display, send it to the screen by clicking the Send button then save the settings in the controller whether the USB cable is plugged in or not.
Working with Text and Icons on Your LED Board
The icons on the workspace may look scary at first but they are as simple as it gets. Once you get what they are for you will use them better.
Here are the icons to remember:
- Clock – show time
- Count – set up a countdown for day, week, month or year
- Hypertext – convert your content to displayable format
- Review – show preview of the text on the screen
- Send – save the program in the controller
- Temp – show real-time temperature
- Ti me – show calendar
- U disk – save the program in the USB drive
Example Project
In this example you will learn how to program a Dotmatrix display using Arduino.
- Get your materials:
- P10 LED Display Module
- DMD Connector
- Connect the wires: follow Arduino’s pin configuration (below) to connect the P10 LED module.
- Install the module (as shown below).
- Start Coding: Once the hardware is set, you can now start coding. Download the DMD library and install it on Arduino IDE. Then enter the code below:
// Insert file Library #include <SPI.h> #include <DMD2.h> #include <fonts/Arial_Black_16.h> SoftDMD dmd(1,1); // Number of P10 panels used X, Y DMD_TextBox box(dmd, 2, 1, 32, 16); // Set Box (dmd, x, y, Height, Width)void setup() { dmd.setBrightness(10); // Set brightness 0 - 255 dmd.selectFont(Arial_Black_16); // Font used dmd.begin(); // Start DMD box.print("SFE"); // Display TEXT SFE }void loop() {} - Test the display: After uploading the content, test if the display will show the below message:
If the light is too pale, connect an external 5V power supply to the display’s supply pin.
Conclusion
Programming an LED display is not rocket science. Even if the software interface seems complicated or the coding feels tedious, following the instructions will keep you on track. Most of the time manufacturers will provide a simple guide so users of all technical knowledge levels can configure the display on their own.
If you are investing in an LED display or are simply curious about what happens behind the colorful facade, learning how to program it is essential.
