RGB Shield and 32x16 display

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JS123
 
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Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2018 4:55 pm

RGB Shield and 32x16 display

Post by JS123 »

I have managed to assemble the RGB Matrix Shield
https://www.adafruit.com/product/2601
and the 32x16 display
https://www.adafruit.com/product/420

The display works fine and I can fill the 5x2 character display with data from I2C sensors.

The problem I am having is refreshing the display (every second in my case) causes a slight flicker.

This is the basic code that causes the flicker every second in the loop.

Code: Select all

matrix.fillScreen(0);
matrix.setTextColor(matrix.Color333(brightness,0,0));
matrix.print("0");        
//the above color and print are repeated 10 times
matrix.swapBuffers(false);
Any way to stop flickering? I think it is the fillScreen that blanks the screen, and the time it takes to print the text (and before the swap) causes the apparent flickering.

Also I want to send some data to another Adafruit Mega 328 via software serial. Which poirts are free after attaching the RGB Shield? I cannot seem to find a list of used ports.

Thanks for any ideas and info.

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JS123
 
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2018 4:55 pm

Re: RGB Shield and 32x16 display

Post by JS123 »

As a "fix" for the flicker, I only update the display when the shown values change. That helps reduce the flicker in my case, but if there was a way to stop flicker totally that would be best. I do want to have a display that can be updated every second. The flicker is also noticable if the display is in your peripheral vision too, so could (will) become annoying over time.

I am using the display for a clock and temp output. If I add a seconds display then it will need to be updated every second so it will give a flicker every second.

Other than the flicker these are really nice displays with very vibrant bright and crisp LEDs.

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: RGB Shield and 32x16 display

Post by Franklin97355 »

If you don't blank the screen and only change the portions that need to change you will not notice it as much.

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