Hello,
I would like to build a volt meter that is used for a set voltage. (ie 12V). It essentially would show how close the actual voltage is to the target voltage. Perhaps a 12V car.
I do not think that it is a hard project, but I do not know where to start.
I whipped up a quick drawing in Power Point. Essentially I'd like it to operate like such:
The target voltage would be 12. I'd like the range to be from 0-22V. Each LED would be "worth" 2.2V. So if it is running at 4.4V, the first 2 LEDs should be on.
Etc etc.
The only problem is, I don't know which chip/combination of chips I should use, if there is one at all. Would I have to use a MCU? What is the difficulty of programming it to do something like that. (I've never programmed any microcontrollers. Just some Visual Basic programs for computer).
Any ideas? I've heard of the LM3914 which is a "Dot/Bar Display Driver", but it has been EOL for a couple of years now. Is there anything else that could do something similar? And then how would I get it to drive certain LEDs at certain voltages?
Sorry if it seems like a big question, but I need somewhere to start. I'd like to keep it as simple as possible, and I'd like to etch the PCB myself etc.
Thanks.
I would like to build a volt meter that is used for a set voltage. (ie 12V). It essentially would show how close the actual voltage is to the target voltage. Perhaps a 12V car.
I do not think that it is a hard project, but I do not know where to start.
I whipped up a quick drawing in Power Point. Essentially I'd like it to operate like such:
The target voltage would be 12. I'd like the range to be from 0-22V. Each LED would be "worth" 2.2V. So if it is running at 4.4V, the first 2 LEDs should be on.
Etc etc.
The only problem is, I don't know which chip/combination of chips I should use, if there is one at all. Would I have to use a MCU? What is the difficulty of programming it to do something like that. (I've never programmed any microcontrollers. Just some Visual Basic programs for computer).
Any ideas? I've heard of the LM3914 which is a "Dot/Bar Display Driver", but it has been EOL for a couple of years now. Is there anything else that could do something similar? And then how would I get it to drive certain LEDs at certain voltages?
Sorry if it seems like a big question, but I need somewhere to start. I'd like to keep it as simple as possible, and I'd like to etch the PCB myself etc.
Thanks.
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