Driving Futaba's 8 and 16bit Vacuum Fluorescent Display with an ESP32
Type of display: 8-MD-06INKM
Author: Marc Staehli, initial upload April 2022
Fully refactored code of what was originally delivered with the display. Using SPI.h library for reliable control of the display.
Features:
- Works with 8 digits and with 16 digits (must be set in vfd_controls.h)
- Simple functions to control the display
- Includes Umlaute (äöüÄÖÜ) and the degree sign (°)
- vfd_controls.h includes all functions (works similar as a library)
this one was bought here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001498957894.html
Connections display to ESP32:
- din = 23; // DA (MOSI)
- clk = 18; // CK (CLK)
- cs = 5; // CS (SS)
the 8bit display needs additionally:
- en = solder blob to shorten with +5V
- reset = must be set high (3.3V) to work - ground to be resetted
List of functions:
-
VFD_init(); -- must be set in setup(), initializes the display
-
VFD_brightness(unsigned int); -- value between 0 and 255 to set the brightness
-
VFD_clearScreen(); -- clears the screen
-
VFD_standby(bool); -- sets display in stand-by mode, value true or false
-
VFD_WriteASCII(int, byte); -- write a char at a specific position (e.g. VFD_WriteASCII(2, 65); writes an 'A' at position 3. (0 is first position))
-
VFD_WriteStr(int, String); -- write a string at a specific position. Long strings will automatically scroll from right to left.