MPGuino screen dimensions

[dcb]

Cool, going graphical.

Careful though, that thing can suck up to 400ma, and needs 2.8v. With 14v supply an inexpensive linear regulator would need to dissipate almost 5 watts.

[bobski]

Originally Posted by dcb

Careful though, that thing can suck up to 400ma, and needs 2.8v. With 14v supply an inexpensive linear regulator would need to dissipate almost 5 watts.

Yeah, I see the voltage requirement, though the spec sheet says max 400 microamps (0.4 mA) for logic, and a maximum of 66mA draw (53 mA nominal) by the display panel with all segments on. That's only about 3/4 of a watt across the regulator at 14 volts. Still noteworthy, but not really demanding any dedicated hardware.

But yeah... It looks like I'm going to have to do logic level conversion to interface with an arduino. Crap. On the other hand, my Seeduino mega has a switch to run in 3.3V mode, which the display spec sheet says it should tolerate. I guess I'll give that a try for the moment.
On topic, the character display versions require a 5V supply, so this shouldn't be an issue on an MPGuino.

[dcb]

oops, yah you should prolly plan on 66MILLI amps for 3/4 of a watt in the regulator.

The polarizing filter is a mixed blessing, one of the few drawbacks of lcd is that they don't play well with polarized sunglasses, but of course the lcd wouldn't work without being polarized. LEDs are another story.