Hi All,
I'm making a burn-in chamber fixture that will be able to test an array of LEDs. The array is 6x6. I have a current sensing IC that will output a signal when the correct current is being applied to an LED. If I have an IC for each LED than that's 36 different signals. I want to send these signals to a microcontroller or fpga or something and from there the processor will output to a LED array of red or green colors. This smaller array Indicates which specific LED in the Testing array is not receiving enough current. My question is how do I condense the 36 signals down to a more manageable address of signals? Or is there even a better way to do this? If you need more info Id be happy to give some.

 

You can serialise the data and send it as one data stream using any number of serial transmission techniques such as bit-banging, shift register output, UART, SPI, SCI, I2C., 1-wire, UART-to-USB. You can do this with one or two signal wires plus ground.

If the data is binary per LED, i.e. ON/OFF, all you would need is five or more bytes to transmit, one bit for each LED.

 

I have a current sensing IC that will output a signal when the correct current is being applied to an LED.

To be clear, is this a digital signal, strictly on/off, high/low, good/bad? Or an analog signal that is proportional to the LED current?

ak