7 Segment Display with 74HC595 Shift Register and Raspberry Pi

This project shows how to use the Raspberry Pi to drive a 7 Segment Display with the help of a 74HC595 chip.

Parts used in this project:

  • Breadboard
  • Wiring cables (Male-Male, Female-Male)
  • 7 Segement display (it actually has 8 segments because of the dot)
  • 74HC595 Chip
  • Raspberry Pi Revision 2
  • some Python code

Here is a schematic made with fritzing of the project when it is ready. Here a link to download the 7-segment-display with 74HC595 and Raspberry Pi fritzing project.

7-Segment-Display_Steckplatine

the interresting thing here is the 74HC595 Chip. It takes some time to understand what it does. I think that the video from Kevin Darrah describes it fast and easy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fVbJbNPrEU]

Here is the Python code: rpi_7_segment_74hc595

#!/usr/bin/python

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time

#Data Pins needed on the RPi
DATAIN=17 #DS
LATCH=27  #STCP
CLOCK=22  #SHCP
CLEAR=25  #MR Low
OE=11     #Output Enable Low

#inter character sleep
icsleep=0.06 

#defining all the single LEDs
led1=0x80 #10000000
led2=0x40 #01000000
led3=0x20 #00100000
led4=0x10 #00010000
led5=0x08 #00001000
led6=0x04 #00000100
led7=0x02 #00000010
led8=0x01 #00000001

#definition of all writeable letters and numbers
letter={"0":0xFC,
        "1":0x30,
        "2":0xDA,
        "3":0x7A,
        "4":0x36,
        "5":0x6E,
        "6":0xEE,
        "7":0x38,
        "8":0xFE,
        "9":0x3E,
        "a":0xBE,
        "b":0xE6,
        "c":0xCC,
        "d":0xF2,
        "e":0xCE,
        "f":0x8E,
        "g":0x7E,
        "h":0xB6,
        "i":0x30,
        "j":0xF0,
        "l":0xC4,
        "n":0xBC,
        "o":0xFC,
        "p":0x9E,
        "s":0x6E,
        "t":0x38,
        "u":0xF4,
        "x":0xB4,
        "y":0x76,
        "z":0xDE
}

#loading function sequence
load1=0x06 #00000110
load2=0x22 #00100010
load3=0x60 #01100000
load4=0xC0 #11000000
load5=0x82 #10000010
load6=0x12 #00010010
load7=0x18 #00011000
load8=0x0C #00001100

#up-down loading function sequence
ud1=led8
ud2=led2
ud3=led1+led3
ud4=led7
ud5=led6+led4
ud6=led5

#left-right loading function sequence
lr1=led1+led6
lr2=led2+led5+led7
lr3=led3+led4
lr4=led8

#rotational loading function sequence
rot1=led2+led5
rot2=led1+led6+led3+led4+led7

#putting all segments of the sequences in a list
letterrange=[]
hexrange=[]
for value in letter.values():
    letterrange.append(value)
for value in letter.values():
    if value != "g":
        hexrange.append(value)
loadrange=[load1,load2,load3,load4,load5,load6,load7,load8]
udrange=[ud1,ud2,ud3,ud4,ud5,ud6]
ledrange=[led1,led2,led3,led4,led5,led6,led7,led8]
lrrange=[lr1,lr2,lr3,lr4]
rotrange=[rot1,rot2]
spinrange=[led1,led2,led3,led4,led5,led6]

#GPIO definition
def setup():
    GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
    GPIO.cleanup()
    GPIO.setup(DATAIN,GPIO.OUT)
    GPIO.setup(CLOCK,GPIO.OUT)
    GPIO.setup(LATCH,GPIO.OUT)
    GPIO.setup(CLEAR,GPIO.OUT)
    GPIO.setup(OE,GPIO.OUT)

    GPIO.output(LATCH,False) #Latch is used to output the saved data
    GPIO.output(CLEAR,True)  #Clear must always be true. False clears registers
    GPIO.output(OE,False)    #Output Enable speaks for itself. Must be False to display
    GPIO.output(CLOCK,False) #Used to shift the value of DATAIN to the register
    GPIO.output(DATAIN,False)#Databit to be shifted into the register 

    #Clean up GPIO, set display to no character
def cleanup():
    #Set all leds to off
    writenumber(0)
    #writeout stored in character
    writeout()
    #writeout "nothing"
    writeout()
    time.sleep(0.7)
    GPIO.cleanup()

#shifts in a bit (but does not write it yet)
def shift(input):
   if input == 1:
       input=True
   else:
       input=False

   GPIO.output(DATAIN,input)
   GPIO.output(CLOCK,GPIO.HIGH)
   GPIO.output(CLOCK,GPIO.LOW)
   GPIO.output(DATAIN,GPIO.LOW)

#writes the stored data from register out to pins
def writeout():
   #Display LEDs
   GPIO.output(LATCH,GPIO.HIGH)
   #needed to read characters. otherwise the characters would be display to fast after each other
   time.sleep(icsleep)
   GPIO.output(LATCH,GPIO.LOW)

#writes a character to the register
def writenumber(number):
    for x in range(0,8):
        shift((number>>x)%2)

#writes a range of character to the display        
def writerange(range):
    for x in range:
        writenumber(x)
        writeout()

#additive and following substractive writeout of a range of characters
def writeaddrange(range):
    character=0
    for x in range:
        character+=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()
    for x in range:
        character-=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()

#additive and following substractive writeout with reversed call of a range of characters
def writeaddremrange(range):
    character=0
    for x in range:
        character+=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()
    for x in range:
        character-=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()
    for x in reversed(range):
        character+=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()
    for x in reversed(range):
        character-=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()

#additive and following reversed substractive writeout of characters        
def writeaddbackrange(range):
    character=0
    for x in range:
        character+=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()
    for x in reversed(range):
        character-=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()

#chained XORed and reversed XORed writeout of characters
def writexorrange(range):
    #close the chain to have no interrupts while displaying
    character=range[0]&range[-1]
    for x in range:
        character^=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()
    for x in range:
        character^=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()
    for x in reversed(range):
        character^=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()
    for x in reversed(range):
        character^=x
        writenumber(character)
        writeout()

print("####Setup####")
setup()

#Tryout of most ranges and displayfunctions
try:
    print("####Write Stuff####")
    while True:
        writerange(letterrange)
        writerange(hexrange)
        writerange(loadrange)
        writeaddremrange(udrange)
        writexorrange(loadrange)
        writexorrange(udrange)
        writexorrange(ledrange)
        writexorrange(lrrange)
        writexorrange(rotrange)
        writexorrange(spinrange)
        writeaddrange(ledrange) 
        writeaddbackrange(ledrange)
#Wait for KeyboardInterrupt or SystemExit (called by kill or others)
except (KeyboardInterrupt, SystemExit):
    print("Exit...")

finally:
    cleanup()

Raspberry Pi drives a 7 Segment Display with the help of a 74HC595.

Have fun driving your 7 Segment display with the Raspberry Pi.

8 thoughts on “7 Segment Display with 74HC595 Shift Register and Raspberry Pi”

  1. Thanks fpr sharing this project!
    When I implemented this code on my Pi there was a little error: The numbers were not displayed in correct order. I figured out, that I have to remove the quotation marks in the letter array, then the numbers will show up in perfect order.

  2. Thank You for this tutorial!
    But I think You need a 220 Ohm resistor for every led in the segment for current protection. Without the resistors, this circuit doesn’t work reliably on my own raspberry pi.

    1. I agree. At least the segment display I’m using require something like 15mA. The output current of RPi’s 3.3V is however 50mA (as far as I remember). This is more than 3 times the current that is required.

  3. This is a very cool project!
    But I’ve got a question:
    Can it display things you want?
    Mine is just blinking… 😉
    Sorry for bad english…
    Thank you, Bennett

  4. Just a big fat warning for all who try to recreate this project: since the model of the segment display is not given if you are new to this it is quite possible to screw things up big time. Segment displays such as this usually have a common anode or cathode (this means that you use 2 of the pins to supply the display with a + or – and control the segments with the opposite). If you are not careful you might actually get a segment display that has a common + for its segments which is the exact opposite of what the Fritzing project shows. Just be careful and do some research on WHICH display you are using and change the project a little bit according to its specification.

  5. @Red Baron (Or anyone else reading a year later)

    My segment is indeed one that has the voltage, not the ground going to the two common pins. This is leaving my display lit up immediately when I wire this up. I’ve got resistors in place on all the segments so I haven’t killed anything… that I know of anyway. Not sure what to change in the program to have it not lit up by default.

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