P3 64x32 HUB75E LED matrix panels with FM6126A Chip

I purchased a P3 (3mm LED spacing) 64 by 32 HUB75E Panel on eBay.  Needless to say it does not work with a "normal" HUB75 interface.  HUB75E adds a row select called "E" that ties to A4 to get the panel working.  That make 32 row selections possible.  Otherwise noise on that pin would cause garbage to come up on the display once in a while.

Here is a picture of the HUB75 connector from someone else on the Internet.  Note the "E" pin in the middle right of the pin listing.

So far I can only get it to turn all white or half white.  I am working on my own code since all the drivers out there are insanely complex!

 This picture shows the mod to connect E (Located between B and G2) to A4, using the lower yellow jumper wire.  The upper yellow jumper is for the clock to go to D8 or to D11 for use with the Mega.

This is the first video of it starting to work:


Here is a video of THREE 64x32 panels working with an Arduino UNO.


This video shows three panels with different text and background colors.


This is a picture of the display with some different color backgrounds.

The FM6126A Spec sheet tells how the chip is not just a normal shift register.  This was translated from the Chinese manual with google translate.  Basically the number of clock pulses while the LE (Latch Enable) is high tells the shift register what to do.  Three clock pulses are required to latch and display the data.  No clock pulses resets the display to blank.  That explains why most demo programs come up with a blank display.  Eleven or twelve clock pulses access the control registers.  Some people say you can set all the data for the control registers to high and that works.

Instruction         LE     Instruction Description
---------------        ---        ----------------------------
RESET_OEN      0-1     Soft reset signal
DATA_LATCH 3         latches 16 bit data to the output
--                       4~10    Reserved
WR_REG1        11       Write configuration register 1
WR_REG2        12       Write configuration register 2

Remark: The length of LE refers to the number of rising edges of CLK when LE is high. As shown in the figure below, the length of the first LE signal is 3, which is the "Data_Latch" command.

Here is two of the panels working with a Raspberry Pi after running resetmatrix.py

This is the Raspberry Pi VU meter demo program;

This is the back side of one of the LED panels;

My Arduino code is now compatable with the Adafruit demos!

Here is the Youtube Video:


Now some pictures of the demo's running, the first two are called "Plasma"

This is the "Test Shapes" demo:

// 128x32 Uno LED panel driver
// Fast Clock Mod
// 3/4/2019 by Bob Davis

// #define A   A0  // Port D assignments
// #define B   A1
// #define C   A2
// #define D   A3
// #define E   A4
// #define CLK 8 // Port B assignments 
// #define OE  9
// #define LAT 10

int C12[16] = {0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1};
int C13[16] = {0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0};

#define MaxLed 128
byte BGC1=0x04;  // Background
byte FGC1=0x1C;  // Foreground
byte BGC2=0x20;  // Background
byte FGC2=0xE0;  // Foreground

#define PIXEL_PORT PORTD  // Port the pixels are connected to
#define PIXEL_DDR  DDRD   // D2-D7
#define ROW_PORT   PORTC  // Port the rows are connected to
#define ROW_DDR    DDRC   // A0-A5
#define CLK_PORT   PORTB  // Port the Clock/LE/OE are connected to
#define CLK_DDR    DDRB   // D8-D10

char text1[]="ARDUINO UNO RUNS        ";
char text2[]="TWO 64X32 PANELS        ";

// This font from http://sunge.awardspace.com/glcd-sd/node4.html
byte font[][7] = {
0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, // ascii 32
0x00,0x00,0xfa,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, // !
0x00,0xe0,0x00,0xe0,0x00,0x00,0x00, // "
0x28,0xfe,0x28,0xfe,0x28,0x00,0x00, // #
0x00,0x34,0xfe,0x58,0x00,0x00,0x00, // $
0xc4,0xc8,0x10,0x26,0x46,0x00,0x00, // %
0x6c,0x92,0xaa,0x44,0x0a,0x00,0x00, // &
0x00,0xa0,0xc0,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, // '
0x00,0x38,0x44,0x82,0x00,0x00,0x00, // (
0x00,0x82,0x44,0x38,0x00,0x00,0x00, // )
0x10,0x54,0x38,0x54,0x10,0x00,0x00, // *
0x10,0x10,0x7c,0x10,0x10,0x00,0x00, // +
0x00,0x0a,0x0c,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, // ,
0x10,0x10,0x10,0x10,0x10,0x00,0x00, // -
0x00,0x06,0x06,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, // .
0x04,0x08,0x10,0x20,0x40,0x00,0x00, // /
0x7c,0x8a,0x92,0xa2,0x7c,0x00,0x00, // 0
0x00,0x42,0xfe,0x02,0x00,0x00,0x00, // 1
0x42,0x86,0x8a,0x92,0x62,0x00,0x00, // 2
0x84,0x82,0xa2,0xd2,0x8c,0x00,0x00, // 3
0x18,0x28,0x48,0xfe,0x08,0x00,0x00, // 4
0xe4,0xa2,0xa2,0xa2,0x9c,0x00,0x00, // 5
0x3c,0x52,0x92,0x92,0x0c,0x00,0x00, // 6
0x80,0x8e,0x90,0xa0,0xc0,0x00,0x00, // 7
0x6c,0x92,0x92,0x92,0x6c,0x00,0x00, // 8
0x60,0x92,0x92,0x94,0x78,0x00,0x00, // 9
0x00,0x6c,0x6c,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, // :
0x00,0x6a,0x6c,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, // ;
0x00,0x10,0x28,0x44,0x82,0x00,0x00, // <
0x28,0x28,0x28,0x28,0x28,0x00,0x00, // =
0x82,0x44,0x28,0x10,0x00,0x00,0x00, // >
0x40,0x80,0x8a,0x90,0x60,0x00,0x00, // ?
0x4c,0x92,0x9e,0x82,0x7c,0x00,0x00, // @
0x7e,0x90,0x90,0x90,0x7e,0x00,0x00, // A
0xfe,0x92,0x92,0x92,0x6c,0x00,0x00, // B
0x7c,0x82,0x82,0x82,0x44,0x00,0x00, // C
0xfe,0x82,0x82,0x82,0x7c,0x00,0x00, // D
0xfe,0x92,0x92,0x92,0x82,0x00,0x00, // E
0xfe,0x90,0x90,0x80,0x80,0x00,0x00, // F
0x7c,0x82,0x82,0x8a,0x4c,0x00,0x00, // G
0xfe,0x10,0x10,0x10,0xfe,0x00,0x00, // H
0x00,0x82,0xfe,0x82,0x00,0x00,0x00, // I
0x04,0x02,0x82,0xfc,0x80,0x00,0x00, // J
0xfe,0x10,0x28,0x44,0x82,0x00,0x00, // K
0xfe,0x02,0x02,0x02,0x02,0x00,0x00, // L
0xfe,0x40,0x20,0x40,0xfe,0x00,0x00, // M
0xfe,0x20,0x10,0x08,0xfe,0x00,0x00, // N
0x7c,0x82,0x82,0x82,0x7c,0x00,0x00, // O
0xfe,0x90,0x90,0x90,0x60,0x00,0x00, // P
0x7c,0x82,0x8a,0x84,0x7a,0x00,0x00, // Q
0xfe,0x90,0x98,0x94,0x62,0x00,0x00, // R
0x62,0x92,0x92,0x92,0x8c,0x00,0x00, // S
0x80,0x80,0xfe,0x80,0x80,0x00,0x00, // T
0xfc,0x02,0x02,0x02,0xfc,0x00,0x00, // U
0xf8,0x04,0x02,0x04,0xf8,0x00,0x00, // V
0xfe,0x04,0x18,0x04,0xfe,0x00,0x00, // W
0xc6,0x28,0x10,0x28,0xc6,0x00,0x00, // X
0xc0,0x20,0x1e,0x20,0xc0,0x00,0x00, // Y
0x86,0x8a,0x92,0xa2,0xc2,0x00,0x00,  // Z
};

void setup() {
  PIXEL_DDR = 0xFF;  // Set all pixel pins to output
  ROW_DDR = 0xFF;    // Set all row pins to output
  CLK_DDR = 0xFF;    // Set all CLK/LE/OE pins to output

  PORTB=0;
  // Send Data to control register 11
  for (int l=0; l<MaxLed; l++){
    int y=l%16;
    PORTD = 0x00;
    if (C12[y]==1) PORTD=0xFC;
      if (l>MaxLed-12){ PORTB=7; PORTB=6; }
      else{ PORTB=1; PORTB=0; }
    }
  PORTB=0;
  // Send Data to control register 12
  for (int l=0; l<MaxLed; l++){
    int y=l%16;
    PORTD = 0x00;
    if (C13[y]==1) PORTD=0xFC;
      if (l>MaxLed-13){ PORTB=7; PORTB=6; }
      else{ PORTB=1; PORTB=0; }
    }
  PORTB=0;
}

void loop() {
  for (int c=0; c<600; c++){
    if (c > 000){BGC1=0x04; BGC2=0x20; FGC1=0x1C; FGC2=0xE0;}
    if (c > 200){BGC1=0x08; BGC2=0x40; FGC1=0x1C; FGC2=0xE0;}
    if (c > 400){BGC1=0x10; BGC2=0x80; FGC1=0x1C; FGC2=0xE0;}
    // Select the Row
    for (int r=0; r<16; r++){
      for (int l=0; l<MaxLed; l++){
        int y=l%8; // remainder after division
        int pd1 = BGC1;
        int pd2 = BGC2;
        if (y < 6){
          if ((font[text1[l/8]-32][y] >> 8-r/2) & 0x01==1) pd1=FGC1;
          if ((font[text2[l/8]-32][y] >> 8-r/2) & 0x01==1) pd2=FGC2;
          PORTD=pd1+pd2;
        }
        if (l<MaxLed-3) {PORTB=1; PORTB=0;}
        else {PORTB=7; PORTB=6;}
      }
      PORTC=r;  // Update row
      PORTB=0;
    }
  }
}

More Thyroid problems

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, but the docs have sure seen a lot of me. If you have a medical problem see a doctor.

My latest CAT scan showed some more problems with my liver. I researched it and found out that some people with thyroid problems also develop liver problems. Then I found out that some people have problems with their thyroid medicine. So I tried reducing, then eliminating my thyroid medicine and discovered that I felt much better.

About that time I was having my car worked on and struck up a conversation with a guy that was in the shops waiting room.  I mentioned about stopping taking synthroid.  He asked if the pill was yellow.  I thought that was a really strange question, but the pill is yellow. He said that some people are allergic to the yellow die like in Mountain Dew. I have known for years that I cannot drink Mountain dew!

Eventually my doctor tried a dosage of synthroid that did not have the yellow die, but unfortunately the side effects were the same.

I do fairly well without synthroid by taking supplements like "Thyroid Activator".  It contains kelp and Irish moss.  My blood tests showed that the levels of free T3 and T4 are within .1 of being normal.  My TSH was 12 however, so the doctors want me on something.

My Synthroid / Levothyroxine Symptoms:
Bloating, Nausea, Headache, and Dizziness.
Bending at the waist is painful.
Muscles cramp and bones ache all over.
Loss of energy, Exhaustion, Need to rest.
No BM, (hemorrhoids from trying) No Appetite.
Difficulty standing (Legs feel like rubber).
No restful sleep, wake up feeling exhausted.

Trying to decide where to go to next? New processor?

I am trying to decide what to build next.  Amoung the options is "Arduino Audio Projects".  Should I use a different processor?  This is what I have collected so far:

There is an STM32/Nucleo 64 board.
There are two ESP6266 processors (Only one analog pin)
There are an Arduino UNO, DUO and MEGA.
There is an Orange (and I have several Raspberry processors)
There is a TEENSY 2.0 (Should have gotten one with more pins)
There is one board where I forgot the processor name!

Then there are all of these LCD screens (and there are more).

Don't even ask me to explain what all of these LCD's are!

I also have a collection of addressable LED arrays, signs, and strips.

Would "Arduino Audio projects" be a worthwhile book?

Should I start writing about another processor/board?