Hansolo

To be fair the black one from Elegoo is also a chinese clone :smilewink: Mislabeled boards can of cause be avoided by buying the original product. They just cost more but have the ATmega8U2 or ATmega16U2 USB chip as opposed to the cheaper CH340G; https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-Arduino-Uno-R3-compatible-board-ATmega328P-ATmega16U2-and-Arduino-Uno-R3-ATmega328P-USB-board-CH340G-Which-should-I-buy-and-why Despite the mislabeling I'd expect to continue buying the chinese ones. So far I haven't had any issues with them. A way to avoid the mislabeling is to just use UART2 and/or UART3; /* Tell DCS-BIOS this is a RS-485 Master. You will need to flash this to a Mega 2560. */ #define DCSBIOS_RS485_MASTER /* Define where the TX_ENABLE signals are connected. You can connect up to three half-duplex RS-485 transceivers. Arduino Pin RS-485 Transceiver Pin TXn ------------------- DI (driver input) RXn ------------------- RO (Receiver Output) UARTn_TXENABLE_PIN ---- /RE, DE (active low receiver enable, driver enable) If you have less than three transceivers connected, comment out the corresponding #define UARTn_TEXENABLE_PIN lines for receivers that are not present. */ //#define UART1_TXENABLE_PIN 2 #define UART2_TXENABLE_PIN 3 #define UART3_TXENABLE_PIN 4 #include "DcsBios.h" void setup() { DcsBios::setup(); } void loop() { DcsBios::loop(); } @lesthegrngo, perhaps re-name the thread to 'Mis-labeled Arduino Mega' as the hardware as such isn't faulty. Its a typo but an inconvenient one. Cheers Hans

If you don't use microstepping then the smallest jump the motor can do is 1.8degree whereas in case you use eight microstepping the smallest step is 0.225degree. Cheers Hans

Very nice sir. Keep up the good work :thumbup: Cheers Hans

Yes but less microstepping gives you less smooth moving. If I were you I'd leave it at eight microstepping. But if you change microstepping on the driver you need to tell the code same which is done in max step value. Cheers Hans

Should be the same as mine; https://www.ebay.com/itm/IIC-I2C-2002-20x02-OLED-Module-Display-For-Arduino-PIC-AVR-ARM/131059330863?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 Cheers Hans

Yes you should do that This is taken from this turtorial on the EasyStepper; https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/easy-driver-hook-up-guide/all Without having done too much I'd say yes. You need to know how many steps your stepper takes per full rotation. Many have 200 steps per rotation ~ 1.8º per step. If your scale is only 270º then this is your max step= 200/360*270 = 150. Now this only applies when you are using full steps. Your EasyDriver can be set for full step, half step, quarter step and eight step using MS1 & MS2 according to the truth table in the Sparkfun turtorial I linked to above. Step settings.......Steps per full rotation Full....................200 Half....................400 Quarter...............800 Eight..................1600 So in the example above if you run eight steps and want to scale for 270º then max steps are: 1600/360*270 = 1200 steps MS1 & MS2 has internal pull up so if you dont attach anything to them they are set for eight step. Found here; http://www.schmalzhaus.com/EasyDriver/index.html Cheers Hans

Ok so you had it working with the A-10C, sending a signal from DCS to the Arduino? Do you have the latest version of DCS-BIOS? How did you wire the toggle switch and rotary switch for A-4 and F-14? What were the sketches for the two tries? When you are sending informations from the Arduino to DCS then you are able to check whether the communications comes through without running DCS; This is actually a bit like fault tracing on a motorcycle that won't start :) Cheers Hans

What steps you have been following, what hardware are you using and what code are you using? Are you sure DCS-BIOS has been correctly installed? Cheers Hans

Well that sound kinda like how I started. I got disoriented when switching radios so I started using Leo Bodnar boards and then it just expanded from there. I am certain we'll get you going. Depending on where you wanna go you could also look at Overpro's USB controller https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=117011 It gives you 256 inputs for switches/buttons. I don't know much about the KA-50 but for the A-10C I know that when using joystick you may have to alter the joystick.lua files to get them to work. Anyway that was just to keep your options open. Cheers Hans

Yeah I tried to hint you off to that in post 42 but should probably have made a picture showing the Mega. I'll highlight it more clearly in the DCS-BIOS over RS485 thread. Mighty kind of you sir, but you need to talk to a moderator because they are the only ones who can make a sticky if it is relevant enough. Cheers Hans

Yeah that wouldn’t work. By using the defaults of DCS-BIOS you don’t get access to a keypad matrix. The following standard line; DcsBios::Switch2Pos pvi0("PVI_0", 3); Basically says to pull pin3 HIGH which would then be PVI_0 value 0. If you ground the input (i.e. a push button or toggle switch between pin2 and GND) then PVI_0 value would be 1. When you write; DcsBios::Switch2Pos pvi0("PVI_0", 3,2); DCS-BIOS Arduino code doesn’t really know what you mean. I can interpret that you mean that in case there is connection between 2 & 3 then PVI_0 is value 1, else it’s not. But DCS-BIOS hasn’t been told this, so what it actually does is it set pin3 HIGH which is like before. On top of that you have written; DcsBios::Switch2Pos pvi5("PVI_5", 3,8); Which is just setting pin3 HIGH once more. If you loaded this and watches the SOCAT running without DCS running, you would noticed that in case you ground pin3 then the Arduino would send PVI_5 1 PVI_0 1 Because both are defined for pin3. In a keypad matrix you have rows and columns, By alternating the columns between HIGH output and LOW output you can see which of the inputs (rows) are triggered. Here is a more through explanation of how the keypad works; Take a good cup of coffee and watch it. I found it very informative because it explains that there are some functions which needs to be running in the background. This is what the keypad library does for you. Then you ‘just’ need to setup your own piece of code to let DCS-BIOS know when to send the different messages to DCS. This is how I have used it in CDU sketch I linked to. Note! If you want to use toggle switches then you need to apply diodes otherwise you get false readouts. Cheers Hans

I got 60 buttons on a matrix for the CDU, but you need to pot your entire code otherwise it's difficult to see what the problem is. https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3885558&postcount=240 cheers Hans

Hi Les, First question. Where do you get your power supply from? Secondly I am not sure I understand your picture. I presumre GND is Black, 5V is Red and Purple/Grey are RX/TX or vs. In order to run Master and 2 Slaces you need 3 set of wires. You only have two? Perhaps a picture showing the entire setup would paint the picture for me Cheers Hans

Excellent. Mission accomplished sir. Now you have a base to start experimenting from. You know the RS485 is running so if your code doesn't do what you expect you can start commenting out segments of code until you get it working again, thereby isolating where the culprit is. @molevitch, @agathon, @lesthegrngo, @DeadMeat & @Blue73 many thanks a lot for the kind words. I hope this is enough to get a hole through to DCS-BIOS over RS-485 done by @Ian. Just remember that the write-up is not the all universal truth. It's just a simple setup to get it going and establish communication over RS485. Once you get more panels, more cable etc you may have to use termination resistors. I write 'may' as I haven't seen any issues excluding them in my pit setup. But that doesn't mean that another setup won't suffer without the termination resistors. Also in the MAX487 datasheet a capacitor is mentioned. I have left this out here (as well as on all my other panels) simply because the power to the MAX487 comes from the adjacent Arduino which has a capacitor in the 5VDC line. Have a great weekend. Cheers Hans

Analog AN/ARC-164: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123804905271 IFF panel : https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F273888541340

Congratulations Les. Yoo are now running one Arduino Nano via RS485 :thumbup: It wasn't highlited but I have done this now; First you do not need to connect a LED with resistor to PIN13. There is an onboard LED connected to PIN13 so you just have to monitor that one. Secondly since your PC doesn't run DCS then the Nano don't receive any information whatsoever via RS485. The Arduino Mega Master doesn't receive any information from DCS because DCS isn't running (actually it's not even installed) And since you loaded the Master Caution code unto the Nano, then it shall be the Nano onboard LED that shall blink when Master Caution lamp blinks when DCS is running (also unpaused). Cheers Hans

Hi Les, At this point I suggest you make just a very simple Slave sketch with just a toggle to get the communication going. Once we. Are over that hurdle then it it's easier to test more advanced code. Cheers Hans

DCS-BIOS over RS485 - more info This is going to be the second part of the DCS-BIOS over RS485 tutorial, focusing on getting beyond the initial post #1. If you haven’t gotten communications to work at all please go back to post #1 and get the initial steps done. Questions: First things first. I have gotten a lot of questions via PM regarding this which I would like to address: 1. Despite the fact that the communication line A & B are using voltage to send the communication, A & B lines are *not transferring 5VDC for power consumers*. In this respect the Arduino slave, MAX487 communications chips etc are power consumers. This means that Arduino’s and MAX487 chips needs to be powered in some way. 2. For each of the connections you need a MAX487 chip. That applied to the Master as well as the Slaves. So if you have a setup with one Master and 4 Slaves unit you need a total of 5 pieces MAX487 chips. 3. You can probably use alternate RS485 communication chips. The reason I have used MAX487 is because Ian (Father of DCS-BIOS) advised used of these. I believe Tekkx started using DS36276 chips from Texas Instruments (https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=3229891&postcount=18). As with many things in DCS and outside there are many ways to go about a task, not just a single solution. *BUT! Remember to read the data sheet for your specific communications chip so that you ensure that it’s compatible and the pinout is the same! Sometimes the data sheet speaks of DIP/SO/ µMAX. DIP means Dual Inline Package SO or more correctly SOIC mean Small Outline Integrated Circuits µMAX is a package smaller then SO but only used by MAX. 4. The Master Arduino can only handle the master communications sketch i.e. you cannot connect any switches, diode etc. to this board. This means that all the nice Input/Output on the Master boards are mostly lost. Check if your really need RS485 as per updated post #1. 5. The Arduino Mega must be used as Master as it has sufficient RX/TX ports. At least two sets of RX/TX are needed to run DCS-BIOS RS485 Master. RX0/TX0 to communicate to the PC via USB, RX1/TX1 to communicate with the Master MAX487 chip. The Arduino Due has same sets of communication lines but IIRCC the Due is not compatible with DCS-BIOS. Last but not least I would kindly suggest to get questions out into a post instead of via PM. There are a lot of skilled people here that all can assist or give advise. We may all learn something for these questions. Communication When applying more than the simple setup as per post #1 you need to start thinking about how you want your specific setup which depends on how much you want to do. 1. You may want to run just a single Master with one or two communication lines OR you may also want to run multiple Masters, e.g. having a Master in center unit and one for each side consoles. 2. You may want to run the Slaves centralized so that one Arduino handles multiple panels OR you have an Arduino for each panel. 3. You may want to have a hub where more Slaves connect into, OR you may want to have that each board have an input and output connector. A very good example of the latter is Blue73’s beautiful and cleaver work on the his modular design. If you haven’t visited his thread I kindly suggest you do so; https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=219982 4. You don’t actually need to be able to disconnect the individual Slaves units, but it is good advice to make a system to do so. One of the many benefits with DCS-BIOS is that you can remove a Slaves but will still be able to run your SIM pit on the remaining Slaves units and only loose the functionality of the one you removed. I would like to caution removal of a Slave unit under power. I did in the beginning experience a few fried MAX487 chips when removing on power. It may not have been related to the power but I have made it a habit of removing power before making disconnects. Connector wise there are a bunch of different options. Blue73 and my self are using DB9 connector. They are relatively cheap. Other use RJ45 connectors or MOLEX. NOTE! Only rule I would adhere to is that the individual Slaves units connect into a female connector so that you remove the risk of having live pins exposed. It’s the same setup you see in wall plugs in your house installation. The live ends are in the wall using female connector, whereas the individual consumers use a male connector. NOTE! Above should not be taken as the only combinations possible. There are many different way and you as a cockpit builder need to find what suits your design criteria best. Make a sketch of how you want your layout to be in your system. It will make it easier to implement. Power CAUTION!!! Take care when selecting your wires and cables for your power supply. Even though its just 5VDC or 12VDC the power supply may be able to supply a lot of amperes. I have an old PC power supply unit which is capable of delivering 36A @5VDC plus 20A @12VDC. Here in DK we are running 400/230VAC 50Hz. Normal house lighting is driven by 230VAC fused by 10/13A on 1.5 sqmm wires. The power supply mentioned above is capable of supplying 3 times amperage that at 5VDC and about 2 times the amperage at 12VDC. NOTE! Make sure you sufficiently protect your wires from overcurrent which can lead to heat and subsequent fire. Last thing we want is having our houses burned to the ground because of our desire to build home cockpits. Also ensure that you installation is adequately grounded to prevent the risk of electric shock. Not from the 5/12VDC but from the 230VAC that supplies them. All the Arduino’s and communication chips need power (voltage) of some sort. Again there are many way of applying the power to your chips and Arduinos. 1. The Master would automatically be power by the USB but you may also apply an external power source. The Arduino’s have an internal voltage regulator which will lower the voltage from supply down to 5VDC which are used to drive the onboard electronics. 2. The Slaves needs to be powered in some way; a. You can power them via the USB cable, provided they have one. b. You can power them via the Vin and GND pins (recommended 7-12VDC). The onboard voltage regulator will lower the voltage to 5VDC needed for the onboard components. c. You can power them directly onto the 5V (output) pin of the board. In this case you have to ensure that you don’t get any voltage spikes from your power supply as this would fry your board components. 3. The communications chips need to be powered in some way; a. You can power them from the 5VDC regulated by the Arduino which they server as communicator for. b. You can also supply them with 5VDC from and external power supply unit. Note! To Ensure that all boards have the same reference point, you should interconnect your GND’s for all your 5VDC or 12VDC. Inspiration or ideas A few examples on different setups: Blue73 has made a very skilled and clever example of a modular design with input and output connectors. The circuit is powered from a common 5VDC power supply directly connected to the 5VDC pin on Arduinos and MAX487. As far as I understand Blue73 uses to Master’s each running two communication lines with about 20 Slaves units Mine runs a single Master and a single communication line. The initial idea was that I wanted to stress test the communication. I so far have about 23 Slaves running on that single line. In each side console I have a connection box where the individual panels connect into. Hope this was little bit of inspiration. Many thanks for Blue73 for allowing me to show his design as well as sharing all his very clever work. Again I can only recommend to check out his work; https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=219982 All the best Hans

Alright I have been thinking about this post for a while so finally got around to it. I am certain it frustrates many that the DCS-BIOS over RS485 makes so many troubles. A small consolation is that I find equally frustrating since I cannot see what the problem is and it just works for me. This has driven me to write this post. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer! Before progressing any further into DCS-BIOS over RS485 you should ask yourself what it is you want to achieve with your cockpit. If you want just a single Arduino or few running DCS-BIOS you should consider if you really want to go through all the excitement of RS485 or if you ‘just’ want to go with USB connections. There is little point in over complicating your system if you don’t have to. If you want to run multiple Arduinos and/or would like to get rid of some of the USB cable then DCS-BIOS over RS485 may be a solution for you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The setup was done last night. Nothing fancy just an illustration on how I get it to work. I have deviated slightly from what I normally do but that is only to the consideration of how the Arduino’s are powered. On the test setup: • Both Arduino’s are power via USB. • The Slave uses the onboard LED PIN13 as Master Caution light and A0 as CDU Power ON/OFF These are the components I have been using for this test; Arduino Mega (https://www.ebay.com/itm/MEGA-2560-R3-ATmega2560-16AU-CH340G-Develope-Board-W-Cable-for-Arduino/201383981895?epid=25022877442&hash=item2ee36bb347:g:J1EAAOSw0JpV5W9g&frcectupt=true) Breakout board for Mega (https://www.ebay.com/itm/MEGA-2560-R3-Prototype-Screw-Terminal-Block-Shield-Board-Kit-For-Arduino/232393202659?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649) Arduino Nano (https://www.ebay.com/itm/5PCS-USB-CH340G-Nano-V3-0-16M-5V-ATmega328P-Micro-Controller-Board-For-Arduino/262123434387?hash=item3d07c63193:g:IuEAAOSwJtJcExWk&frcectupt=true) Breakout board for Nano (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nano-Terminal-Adapter-for-the-Arduino-Nano-AVR-ATMEGA328P-AU-Module-Board-DIY/263082889276?hash=item3d40f6503c:g:TMUAAOSwQolbFi3g) Prototype board https://www.ebay.com/itm/10X-DIY-Prototype-Paper-PCB-Universal-Experiment-Matrix-Circuit-Board-8-5x20cm-B/162839493171?hash=item25e9fd7a33:g:ZE0AAOSw2x1XLZ6O MAX487 chips; https://www.mouser.dk/ProductDetail/700-MAX487CPA 8 pin sockets; https://www.ebay.com/itm/IC-Sockets-6-8-14-16-18-20-24-28-32-40-42-48-Pin-DIL-DIP-2-54mm-Socket-Holder/192636766911?hash=item2cda0bcabf:m:m457cJ_fIGlh-csj5pK5Dlw In addition a soldering iron and wire is of cause needed. I also have a coil of hook up wire to make jumpers (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8022). First part involved soldering the pins to the Arduino Nano. I normally mount the pins in the Nano breakout board to keep them in place while soldering. I apply solder flux using a pen. The breakout board for the Arduino Mega isn’t strictly necessary and I only use it for testing new panels. It’s very much easier to test all the functions works properly before start soldering all the wires in. An additional advantage with the Mega breakout board is that the screw terminals ensure good contact whereas breadboards can sometimes be a little dodgy. The Mega breakout board is mounted directly on top of the Mega The 8 pin IC sockets are mounted with the marker in the same position The marker on the IC sockets shall align with the marker on the MAX487 chips And soldered on the rear side One of the advantages with this prototype board is that it leaves a lot of soldering holes for each of the pins on the IS sockets. Also for more advanced boards it is possible to use some of the strips as GND, 5VDC and 12VDC, which will make the power wiring for different components more neat. Use jumper wire to short pins 2-3 on both IC sockets Solder following wires on Master chip (colours are of cause optional and just to keep better track of what is connected to what); Pin 2&3 (RE+DE) on IC socket - BLUE - Pin 2 on Mega Pin 1 (RO) on IC Socket - GREEN - Pin 19 on Mega Pin 4 (DI) on IC socket - YELLOW - Pin 18 on Mega Pin 5 (GND) on IC socket - GREY - GND on Mega Pin 8 (Vcc) on IC socket - PINK - 5V on Mega NOTE!!! On some Arduino Mega's pins 18 & 19 have been mislabeled. The correct label for Pin18 is TX1 and for Pin19 is RX1. Please wire according to above; Pin 1 (RO) on IC Socket - GREEN - Pin 19 on Mega Pin 4 (DI) on IC socket - YELLOW - Pin 18 on Mega Closeup of the wire connections between Master Mega and Master MAX487 chip Solder following wires on Slave chip; Pin 2&3 (RE+DE) on IC socket - BLUE - Pin 2 on Nano Pin 1 (RO) on IC Socket - GREEN - Pin RX0 on Nano Pin 4 (DI) on IC socket - YELLOW - Pin TX0 on Nano Pin 5 (GND) on IC socket - GREY - GND on Nano Pin 8 (Vcc) on IC socket - PINK - 5V on Nano Interconnection between the two MAX487 chips Pin 6 (A) on Master IC socket - YELLOW - Pin 6 (A) on Slave IC socket Pin 7 (B) on Master IC socket - GREEN - Pin 7 (B) on Slave IC socket Pin 5 (GND) on Master IC socket - GREY - Pin 5 (GND) on Slave IC socket Added toggle switch on Nano GND and pin A0 Complete setup should look like this Loaded following sketch on Mega Master /* Tell DCS-BIOS this is a RS-485 Master. You will need to flash this to a Mega 2560. */ #define DCSBIOS_RS485_MASTER /* Define where the TX_ENABLE signals are connected. You can connect up to three half-duplex RS-485 transceivers. Arduino Pin RS-485 Transceiver Pin TXn ------------------- DI (driver input) RXn ------------------- RO (Receiver Output) UARTn_TXENABLE_PIN ---- /RE, DE (active low receiver enable, driver enable) If you have less than three transceivers connected, comment out the corresponding #define UARTn_TEXENABLE_PIN lines for receivers that are not present. */ #define UART1_TXENABLE_PIN 2 //#define UART2_TXENABLE_PIN 3 //#define UART3_TXENABLE_PIN 4 #include "DcsBios.h" void setup() { DcsBios::setup(); } void loop() { DcsBios::loop(); } Loaded following sketch on Nano slave /* The following #define tells DCS-BIOS that this is a RS-485 slave device. It also sets the address of this slave device. The slave address should be between 1 and 126 and must be unique among all devices on the same bus. */ #define DCSBIOS_RS485_SLAVE 126 /* The Arduino pin that is connected to the /RE and DE pins on the RS-485 transceiver. */ #define TXENABLE_PIN 2 #include "DcsBios.h" /* paste code snippets from the reference documentation here */ DcsBios::Switch2Pos aapCdupwr("AAP_CDUPWR", A0); DcsBios::LED masterCaution(0x1012, 0x0800, 13); void setup() { DcsBios::setup(); } void loop() { DcsBios::loop(); } Test As already stated both Arduinos ran on USB power. Start SOCAT with the com port for the Mega Master, in my case COM9. Now I was be able to see communication when flipping the switch on the Nano, even without running DCS. This is what it looks like when SOCAT is running but DCS is not. Note this is an older test thus doesn't show the exact slave sketch running Started DCS and and confirmed that the CDU Power switch flipped when activating the toggle switch. Activated Master Caution light and confirmed onboard LED was running. Hope the images will be slightly helpful to get your DCS-BIOS over RS485 up and running. Cheers Hans

Hi Les, Try and interchange the RO and DI on the Mega to; Pin 1 (RO) on IC Socket - Pin 19 on Mega Pin 4 (DI) on IC socket - Pin 18 on Mega This one is running on my setup Cheers Hans

Hi Les, Three small comments; 1. You write that Mega RX1 pin is connected to master MAX487 RX pin (RO) and Mega TX1 pin is connected to master MAX487 TX pin (DI). Which pin numbers is that on your Mega. Remember there is something 'funny' about the texting on the clone Mega's. 2. Do you have a interconnecting GND between the two MAX487 chips? It may not be relevant but I have it to ensure that GND is the same on all components. 3. Try and make a simple Slave sketch just to get your RS485 going. I remember Tekkx writing something about his code for the CDU LCD worked over USB but he couldn't get it to run over RS485. The simple code I am thinking of something like this; /* The following #define tells DCS-BIOS that this is a RS-485 slave device. It also sets the address of this slave device. The slave address should be between 1 and 126 and must be unique among all devices on the same bus. */ #define DCSBIOS_RS485_SLAVE 126 /* The Arduino pin that is connected to the /RE and DE pins on the RS-485 transceiver. */ #define TXENABLE_PIN 2 #include "DcsBios.h" /* paste code snippets from the reference documentation here */ DcsBios::Switch2Pos aapCdupwr("AAP_CDUPWR", A0); DcsBios::LED masterCaution(0x1012, 0x0800, 13); void setup() { DcsBios::setup(); } void loop() { DcsBios::loop(); } Nothing fancy just enough to check communication from Slave to Master (toggle switch) and from Master to Slave (Master Caution light). The former can be tested without DCS running, simply by started SOCAT with the COM port the Mega Master is connected to and then flip the switch. When running SOCAT without DCS then you can clearly see all the communication coming from Slave to Master; I am putting together a small post with the simple setup I did last night to get the Master-Slave running over RS485. Will post it later in a separate thread. Cheers Hans

I haven't seen any issues with 7-segment and slave over RS-485. I am running the MAX7219 for the 7-segments on the AN/ARC-164 UHF radio This setup has been running for a year without any issues. How have you connected your 7-segments. Directly or via a driver ship? Cheers Hans

molevitch, I bought htese the last time; https://www.mouser.dk/ProductDetail/700-MAX487CPA Cheers Hans

Les, your slave code is missing this; When you post code it may be a good idea to wrap as code. Just clock on the # symbol and insert the code between the the two square brackets cheers Hans

Mine does use the MAX7219 chip and I used the code from ClayM; https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=142202 Good thing about the MAX7219 it that it required only resistor for the Iset. Cheers Hans