Common Anode 7 Segment 4 Digit Display

Device:

 

Common anode 5461BS

Datasheet:

About:

I have search the web for a simple tutorial of how to connect and use a 7 Segment 4 Digit display,
I had a small idea to create a digital temperature monitor with the LM35 temperature sensor, but before that i had to understand how to work with the 7 segment 4 digit display.

I have connected the 5461BS device to the Arduino board as describe below -

my device is a common anode device, and since, i had to connect a resistor between each LED to the Arduino digital pin in order to lower the voltage and not to damage the LED light, i choose a 330ohm resistor, because this is what i had at the moment. An higher resistor number, means a dimmed LED.

The Code:

I found a very good and sufficient library from the following link -
http://playground.arduino.cc/Main/SevenSeg

All i had to do is to read the "How To" manual and very quickly understand how to control the 7 segment 4 digit device.

the below example code will count from 0 to 2014 and will stay on 2014 on the 7 Seg device -

// Include 7 Segment 4 Digit library
#include <SevenSeg.h>

// Define the connection between the segment to the arduino,
// Example - Arduino Pin 2 equiles LED a on the display
SevenSeg disp(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8);
// Set number of digit to display
const int numOfDigits = 4;
// Define which Arduino Digital Pins will control the Digits
int digitPins [numOfDigits] = {
  10, 11, 12, 13};
// Declare x variable to the IF statment below
int x = 0;

void setup() {

  // Define SevenSeg to use 4 digits and where they are located
  disp.setDigitPins(numOfDigits, digitPins);
  Serial.begin(9600);
  disp.setDPPin(9); // Setup the Decimal Point
  disp.setRefreshRate(50); // Lower number means flickring LED

}
void loop(){

  // A very basic code that will count to 2014 and then stop 
  if (x == 0) {
    for(x = 0; x <= 2014; x++){
      disp.write(x);
      Serial.println(x);
    }
  } 
  else {
    disp.write(2014);
  }

}