Engineers Garage

  • Electronic Projects & Tutorials
    • Electronic Projects
      • Arduino Projects
      • AVR
      • Raspberry pi
      • ESP8266
      • BeagleBone
      • 8051 Microcontroller
      • ARM
      • PIC Microcontroller
      • STM32
    • Tutorials
      • Audio Electronics
      • Battery Management
      • Brainwave
      • Electric Vehicles
      • EMI/EMC/RFI
      • Hardware Filters
      • IoT tutorials
      • Power Tutorials
      • Python
      • Sensors
      • USB
      • VHDL
    • Circuit Design
    • Project Videos
    • Components
  • Articles
    • Tech Articles
    • Insight
    • Invention Stories
    • How to
    • What Is
  • News
    • Electronic Product News
    • Business News
    • Company/Start-up News
    • DIY Reviews
    • Guest Post
  • Forums
    • EDABoard.com
    • Electro-Tech-Online
    • EG Forum Archive
  • DigiKey Store
    • Cables, Wires
    • Connectors, Interconnect
    • Discrete
    • Electromechanical
    • Embedded Computers
    • Enclosures, Hardware, Office
    • Integrated Circuits (ICs)
    • Isolators
    • LED/Optoelectronics
    • Passive
    • Power, Circuit Protection
    • Programmers
    • RF, Wireless
    • Semiconductors
    • Sensors, Transducers
    • Test Products
    • Tools
  • Learn
    • eBooks/Tech Tips
    • Design Guides
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars & Digital Events
  • Resources
    • Digital Issues
    • EE Training Days
    • LEAP Awards
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • White Papers
    • Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
    • DesignFast
  • Guest Post Guidelines
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

How to display numbers and alphabet on 7 segment display?

By Anjali Sethiya April 21, 2008

 

Advantage of 7 segment display–

      a.   It uses low power for its operation less than 2.5V.

      b.   Comes in industry standard size.

      c.   Comes with a industry standard pin out which can be directly referred from datasheet.

      d.   Seven segment display comes different size, user can use according to their requirement like 7.6mm, 10mm, 14.2mm etc.

      e.   You can also choose colour of your display. Commonly used- Red, Yellow, and Green.

How to use seven segment displays-

1. Common cathode display – As we know seven segment display are made by combining 8 LED’s. So in this configuration negative lead of all LED’s are connected together and remaining leads used as display. Following circuit shows how to use 7 segment displays in common cathode mode. In this we have connected every segment with the help of resistor to drop excess of voltage. Maximum voltage which it can handle is 2.5V and we are powering it with the supply voltage of 5V. You can use resistor value of 220E to 1K. Depending upon the value of resistor your 7 segment will glow more or less. As you increase the value of resistor brightness of display decreases. Following figure shows the pin configuration of 7 segment display-

SEVEN SEGMENT DISPLAY

Fig1.

Here letter “a” represents pin 7.

Similarly

Letter “b” represents pin 6.

Letter “c” represents pin 4

Letter “d” represents pin 2

Letter “e” represents pin 1

Letter “f” represents pin  9

Letter “g” represents pin 10

Now suppose you want to display numeric “4” than from figure 1, segment which are used to make “4” are as follows “f”, “g”, “b”, “c” and from above “f” represent pin 9. Similarly “g” represent pin 10, “b” represent pin 6 and “c” represent pin  4. So connect pin 9, 10, 6 and 4 to supply with the help of 220E resistor and ground DP pin 3 or 8 as both are internally connected to each other.Now suppose you want to display alphabet “L” . then segment which you require to glow from figure 1 is “f”, “e”, “d”. Therefore you have to connect pin 9, 1, 2 to supply and ground pin 3. Similarly you can display more alphanumeric on 7 segment display.

2. Common anode display– In this positive pin of all 8 LED’s connected together and negative leads are used as display pin’s. Always remember to use resistor with individual segment.Now suppose you want to make numeric “2” than segment which we have to use from figure 1 is “a”, “b”, “g”, “e”, “d”. Therefore we have to connect pin 7, 6, 10, 1, 2 to ground and provide power supply to pin 3 that is DP pin.

SEVEN SEGMENT

And you want to make letter “n” than connect pin 1, 10, 4 to ground with the help of resistor and provide power supply to pin 3.

Now try to make your own alphanumeric display according to the requirement.

SEVEN SEGMENT DISPLAY

 

SEVEN SEGMENT

In above picture you can see that we have used both common cathode and anode display to display “A L L”. So now you can also make letters like on, OFF, PAUSE etc for your music system.

Following figure 2 shows the possible combination-

 

SEVEN SEGMENT

 Figure 2

 

 

 

 

Circuit Diagrams

How-to-display-numbers-and-alphabet-on-7-segment-display-1
How-to-display-numbers-and-alphabet-on-7-segment-display


Filed Under: Electronic Projects
Tagged With: alphabets, numbers, seven segment, seven segment display
 

Next Article

← Previous Article
Next Article →

Questions related to this article?
👉Ask and discuss on EDAboard.com and Electro-Tech-Online.com forums.



Tell Us What You Think!! Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

EE TECH TOOLBOX

“ee
Tech Toolbox: 5G Technology
This Tech Toolbox covers the basics of 5G technology plus a story about how engineers designed and built a prototype DSL router mostly from old cellphone parts. Download this first 5G/wired/wireless communications Tech Toolbox to learn more!

EE Learning Center

EE Learning Center
“engineers
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for EE professionals.

HAVE A QUESTION?

Have a technical question about an article or other engineering questions? Check out our engineering forums EDABoard.com and Electro-Tech-Online.com where you can get those questions asked and answered by your peers!


RSS EDABOARD.com Discussions

  • Identification of a 6 pin smd chip (sto-23-6) marked E2
  • Dynacord enter protect
  • IGBTs without negative gate drive
  • Need suggestions in task NI6363 retrigger (analog trigger)
  • Monte-Carlo simulation error on ADE-XL

RSS Electro-Tech-Online.com Discussions

  • Fun with AI and swordfish basic
  • using a RTC in SF basic
  • Does US electric code allow branching ?
  • Faulty heat air gun (dc motor) - problem to locate fault due to Intermittent fault
  • Sump pit water alarm - Kicad 9

Featured – LoRa/LoRaWan Series

  • What is the LoRaWAN network and how does it work?
  • Understanding LoRa architecture: nodes, gateways, and servers
  • Revolutionizing RF: LoRa applications and advantages
  • How to build a LoRa gateway using Raspberry Pi
  • How LoRa enables long-range communication
  • How communication works between two LoRa end-node devices

Recent Articles

  • How IoT network topologies work
  • The top five AI startups to watch in 2025
  • STMicroelectronics unveils SoC based on secure MCU
  • Nexperia’s 48 V ESD diodes support higher data rates with ultra-low capacitance design
  • Taoglas releases Patriot antenna with 18 integrated elements covering 600 to 6000 MHz

EE ENGINEERING TRAINING DAYS

engineering

Submit a Guest Post

submit a guest post
Engineers Garage
  • Analog IC TIps
  • Connector Tips
  • Battery Power Tips
  • DesignFast
  • EDABoard Forums
  • EE World Online
  • Electro-Tech-Online Forums
  • EV Engineering
  • Microcontroller Tips
  • Power Electronic Tips
  • Sensor Tips
  • Test and Measurement Tips
  • 5G Technology World
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy

Search Engineers Garage

  • Electronic Projects & Tutorials
    • Electronic Projects
      • Arduino Projects
      • AVR
      • Raspberry pi
      • ESP8266
      • BeagleBone
      • 8051 Microcontroller
      • ARM
      • PIC Microcontroller
      • STM32
    • Tutorials
      • Audio Electronics
      • Battery Management
      • Brainwave
      • Electric Vehicles
      • EMI/EMC/RFI
      • Hardware Filters
      • IoT tutorials
      • Power Tutorials
      • Python
      • Sensors
      • USB
      • VHDL
    • Circuit Design
    • Project Videos
    • Components
  • Articles
    • Tech Articles
    • Insight
    • Invention Stories
    • How to
    • What Is
  • News
    • Electronic Product News
    • Business News
    • Company/Start-up News
    • DIY Reviews
    • Guest Post
  • Forums
    • EDABoard.com
    • Electro-Tech-Online
    • EG Forum Archive
  • DigiKey Store
    • Cables, Wires
    • Connectors, Interconnect
    • Discrete
    • Electromechanical
    • Embedded Computers
    • Enclosures, Hardware, Office
    • Integrated Circuits (ICs)
    • Isolators
    • LED/Optoelectronics
    • Passive
    • Power, Circuit Protection
    • Programmers
    • RF, Wireless
    • Semiconductors
    • Sensors, Transducers
    • Test Products
    • Tools
  • Learn
    • eBooks/Tech Tips
    • Design Guides
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars & Digital Events
  • Resources
    • Digital Issues
    • EE Training Days
    • LEAP Awards
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • White Papers
    • Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
    • DesignFast
  • Guest Post Guidelines
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe