MAX7219 Dot matrix module Display module - 8x8 matrix

[bitfogav]

Not seen these before but some might be interested in them

MAX7219 Dot matrix module Display module MCU control module DIY kits for Arduino

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20120914120004-08659.jpg (31.27 KiB) Viewed 16868 times

Search on ebay:
Ebay MAX7219 Dot Matrix

[Chuckt]

It is a bargain. It has 62 less lights than the LOL shield but then the LOL shield is about 3/4ths more in cost and the LOL shield takes a while to solder.

It just needs some code and some teaching examples.

[brad]

That is a great idea right there.

Such a simple interface and uses only a couple of your port pins to drive an entire matrix.

[Chuckt]

Any chance you can find silicone watch housing big enough to fit that display?

I found this link but I don't know if it is big enough:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/48520 ... parts.html

I happened to buy this watch after seeing it last night:

http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/11/30 ... ay-matrix/

Not sure I want to stick with Arduino though

[brad]

Arduino is pretty cool - but Swordfish is so much better!

[Saimaster13]

Why is Swordfish better?

[brad]

Why is Swordfish better?

Great question!

One of my biggest gripes with Arduino is it's lack of 'knowing what you're talking about' For example, lets make a variable and call it 'ThisIsMyVariableThatIHaveDeclared' In Swordfish, anytime I want to reference that variable, all I have to do is type it out in lowercase and as long as I haven't made any spelling errors, swordfish will automatically put the caps in so it looks just like how I declared it. It's a very good aid in showing that you have actually typed in something that is actually there. If for some reason it didn't put the caps in, then it means I made an error while typing it out and I can fix it straight away.

Arduino however will require you to type it out EXACTLY as you did in the first place. If you for some reason forget how you typed it, you will have to scroll up to where you declared it so you can get it right, then scroll down to where you were coding and keep going.

Swordfish code is also easier to read and simpler to type out compared to arduino. For example to blink an LED in Arduino you would do this:

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void loop() {
  digitalWrite(led, HIGH);   
  delay(1000);               
  digitalWrite(led, LOW);    
  delay(1000);              
}

which isn't too bad, but I think this is easier!

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While 1 = 1()
     LED = 1
     DelayMS(1000)
     LED = 0
     DelayMS(1000)
Wend

Swordfish also has a lot of powerful features that are lacking in arduino. like structures! perfect for making games. (even though I have only myself discovered them recently...)

Let's say you have lot's of bad guys in a game. you could make a structure called BADGUY and then give this structure a whole heap of attributes like this:

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structure BADGUY
     Name as string
     WeaponStrength as byte
     ArmourStrength as byte
     ShieldStrength as byte
end structure

Then once you have a structure in place, you can make a whole heap of bad guys and they will all have these attributes which you can then set and update:

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Dim BadGuy1 as BADGUY
Dim BadGuy2 as BADGUY
Dim BadGuy3 as BADGUY

Now you have three bad guys and they all contain the attributes seen above (I.E. they have a name attribute, weapon strength etc...)
upon creation, you could set their attributes to what you want:

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Dim BadGuy1 as BADGUY
BadGuy1.Name = "Barry"
BadGuy1.WeaponStrength = 50
BadGuy1.ShieldStrength = 25
BadGuy1.ArmourStrength = 60

Then in your game if you hit the bad guy you might deduct so many points from where you hit him:

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if YouHitBadGuy1 = true then
     BadGuy1.ArmourStrength = BadGuy1.ArmourStrength - 5     
endif

Then when you kill him you would write it to the LCD screen:

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LCD.Write("BadGuy1.Name," Is Dead")

[Saimaster13]

Hmm, structures seem pretty cool. Swordfish automatically putting caps in variables also seems convenient.

I have a question though. I have read that the Arduino's digitalWrite function

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digitalWrite(thePinIWantToSet, 1or0HIGHorLOW);

is actually comprised of lines of code, which is why addressing the port directly is faster since it skips all that code.

The Swordfish blink example you gave had a function:

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LED = 0or1

.
Is this function code rich or does it access the port directly?

[brad]

It is accessing the port directly.

You would have previously declared where the LED is connected to. For example, we could connect it to PORTB PIN0:

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Dim LED As PORTB.0

so now when we say:

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LED = 1

We are actually saying:

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PORTB.0 = 1

(I am just about to upload the revised Graphic Converter with loads of new features!