Hello guys! I have a 7 seg display issue. I am trying to light up a 7 seg display. the IC i am using is made to drive common anode 7 seg displays, and the 7 seg display i have in my home is a common cathode.
Any ideas how i can still get the 7 seg display to light up???

Thank you for your replies.

 

You could put inverter between the driver chip and the 7 seg. display. Basically it is IC with a NOT gate. When you apply 0 to the gate, 1 comes out. When you apply 1 (or whatever voltage correspond to 1), 0 comes out.

If I remember right, in logic lab we used such IC that had either 4 or 6 NOT gates. Each display has 7 LED, so you need 7 NOT gates.

 

Use the CD4511 decoder/driver instead of the 7447.

 

Use the CD4511 decoder/driver instead of the 7447.

This, pretty much. If you gonna order parts, anyway, might as well order one chip.

 

So you have to order more parts.

You have to decide.

Order some CD4511 to go with your common cathode displays

OR

order some common anode displays to go with your SN7447

OR

order parts for both cases and then you wouldn't be stuck without parts in future.

 

You could put inverter between the driver chip and the 7 seg. display. Basically it is IC with a NOT gate. When you apply 0 to the gate, 1 comes out. When you apply 1 (or whatever voltage correspond to 1), 0 comes out.

It worked guys!!!! My first digital project and it works!! it counts down from 3 till 0!!
I was stuck with a ic that would work with a common anode 7 seg display but as shteii01 said i took all the out puts from the 7447 ic and inverted them using 2 7404 inverters and bang !!! it is working!!! thank heavens!!! i am so excited!!!!3 days of HARD work and brain racking finally paid off!!

p.s. just that you know the display would not display the numbers right at first. i thought it was a bad IC . no, the ic was good its just that i was misguided by some website which gave the pin configuration as abXcd and efXg(dp) instead of gfXab and edx(dp)

Thank you all!!!!!!!!

 

You are welcome.