Hello all,
This is my first post on here.
I'm a mechanical engineer with a bent for EE stuff... I've recently gotten into DIY home electronics, I've made two headphone amps so far, but that's it.
I would like to make a digital boggle game using 16 14-segment blocks. My programming experience has already let me pretty much write it in C++, however I have no clue where to begin with when it comes to controlling 16 14-segment displays.
From what Ive found, I'd need to set them up via a micrcontroller. I've looked for maybe 3 hours and found no clear direction beyond that.
Can someone please tell me a few things?
1. Is this feasible? Can 16 14-segment displays be controlled at the same time? So far I've seen some micros that said they can control 8 displays, but have not seen 16 so far. Is there just some better way to do this (besides buying a digital boggle someone else made )
2. Is there anything that might be easier than 14-segment displays? Maybe digital keyapds or a big LED screen?
3. If feasible and 14-seg displays are not way harder than something else, can you recommend a brand of micrcontroller? It would ideally have the following characteristics: Be able to be programmed in upper level language (C would be great). Have some sort of program on my computer that can be used to load the program onto the micro, write the code, etc. Interface with my computer via USB (serial ok but prefer USB). Have the microcontroller be open source or have large dev community so I could reference code examples.
Let me be honest, I did not study microcontrollers in school, I don't have a clue about them, and my online research has yielded very little.
So... any help, websites, books, FAQ's, or answering my specific questions will be greatly greatly greatly appreciated.
thanks,
roneesh
P.S. why digital boggle? I'm literature nut on the side too, and I find this a fun way to combine both my hobbies.
This is my first post on here.
I'm a mechanical engineer with a bent for EE stuff... I've recently gotten into DIY home electronics, I've made two headphone amps so far, but that's it.
I would like to make a digital boggle game using 16 14-segment blocks. My programming experience has already let me pretty much write it in C++, however I have no clue where to begin with when it comes to controlling 16 14-segment displays.
From what Ive found, I'd need to set them up via a micrcontroller. I've looked for maybe 3 hours and found no clear direction beyond that.
Can someone please tell me a few things?
1. Is this feasible? Can 16 14-segment displays be controlled at the same time? So far I've seen some micros that said they can control 8 displays, but have not seen 16 so far. Is there just some better way to do this (besides buying a digital boggle someone else made )
2. Is there anything that might be easier than 14-segment displays? Maybe digital keyapds or a big LED screen?
3. If feasible and 14-seg displays are not way harder than something else, can you recommend a brand of micrcontroller? It would ideally have the following characteristics: Be able to be programmed in upper level language (C would be great). Have some sort of program on my computer that can be used to load the program onto the micro, write the code, etc. Interface with my computer via USB (serial ok but prefer USB). Have the microcontroller be open source or have large dev community so I could reference code examples.
Let me be honest, I did not study microcontrollers in school, I don't have a clue about them, and my online research has yielded very little.
So... any help, websites, books, FAQ's, or answering my specific questions will be greatly greatly greatly appreciated.
thanks,
roneesh
P.S. why digital boggle? I'm literature nut on the side too, and I find this a fun way to combine both my hobbies.