SparkFun
Qwiic Alphanumeric Display - White
· MPN: COM-18565
This compact white alphanumeric display gives you fourteen-segment characters for showing numbers, letters and symbols in your project. It uses the VK16K33 L...
This compact white alphanumeric display gives you fourteen-segment characters for showing numbers, letters and symbols in your project. It uses the VK16K33 LED driver over I2C, so it is a neat fit for Qwiic-based builds where you want readable text without lots of wiring.
With Qwiic, you can plug it in using the standard 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector system. There is no soldering required for Qwiic use, no need to work out SDA and SCL by hand, and no voltage regulation or translation is required.
The SparkFun Alphanumeric Display Arduino library makes printing strings to the display as simple as calling the print() function. The library can send I2C commands to light individual segments, including the decimal point or colon, and can scroll strings across the display. Arduino, Python, MicroPython and CircuitPython library resources are provided.
Address jumpers on the back let you configure the VK16K33 address, so you can use up to four displays on the same I2C bus. The slim board also includes detachable standoff holes, vertical Qwiic connectors and internal mounting holes.
Features:
- Display: White display
- Oscillator: Integrated RC oscillator
- Key scan: 13×3 matrix key scan circuit
- Dimming: 16-step dimming circuit
- Connectors: 2x Qwiic connectors
- Mounting: 2x Wall Mounting Points
- Library support: SparkFun Alphanumeric Display Arduino library supports print() for sending strings
- I2C addressing: Address jumpers allow communication with up to four displays on the same bus
Specifications:
- Display: White display
- Operating Voltage: 3.3V
- Integrated RC oscillator: Integrated RC oscillator
- Maximum display segment numbers: 128 patterns
- Matrix key scan circuit: 13×3 matrix key scan circuit
- Dimming circuit: 16-step dimming circuit
- I2C Addresses: 0x70 (0x71, 0x72, 0x73)
- Qwiic connectors: 2x Qwiic connectors
- Wall Mounting Points: 2x Wall Mounting Points
A handy display module for clocks, status panels, counters, menu text and other maker projects that need simple alphanumeric output over I2C.
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- Address jumpers
- Address jumpers are small solder pads or links used to change a device’s bus address. They matter when you want to connect multiple identical displays to the same controller without their addresses conflicting.
- CircuitPython
- A beginner-friendly version of Python designed to run directly on microcontroller boards. If a product supports CircuitPython, you can often program it by copying code files onto the board rather than setting up a more complex toolchain.
- I2C
- I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
- LED driver
- An LED driver is a control chip or circuit that supplies and switches power to LEDs. For a display board, it reduces the number of microcontroller pins needed and handles tasks like lighting the right segments and adjusting brightness.
- Matrix key scan
- Matrix key scanning is a way to read many buttons arranged in rows and columns using fewer pins. If a display driver includes this feature, it can potentially handle a small keypad as well as the display, depending on how the board exposes it.
- MicroPython
- A version of the Python programming language made to run on microcontrollers. It matters because it lets beginners write readable code to control LEDs, sensors, motors and displays without needing to start with lower-level languages.
- Qwiic
- Qwiic is a plug-in connector system for I2C devices that uses small 4-pin cables, so you can connect compatible sensors without soldering. It matters because your controller or adapter also needs Qwiic, or you will need a cable or breakout to wire it up.
- RC oscillator
- An RC oscillator is a simple timing circuit made from a resistor and capacitor. In a display driver, it provides an internal clock so the chip can refresh the display without needing a separate timing signal from your microcontroller.
- VK16K33
- A chip used to drive LED segment displays and scan simple key matrices. Its presence means the microcontroller does not have to control every LED segment directly, and you communicate with the display using commands instead of many separate wires.
Find this product in
Qwiic Alphanumeric Display Schematic
Schematic · 146.4 KB · Click any page to view full size
VK16K33 Datasheet
Datasheet · 1.2 MB · Click any page to view full size
Supplier page — sparkfun.com
Supplier Description · 669.4 KB · Click any page to view full size
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