Introduction to the Modular Display Project

This lab is a pre-requisite for project week 4 where you will design a modular side-illuminated display device, similar to the “Lixie” display, an LED-based alternative to the traditional Nixie tube. Nixie tubes, which were popular from the 1950s to the 1970s, are electronic devices used for displaying numerals or other information using glow discharge. They consist of a glass tube filled with a gas (usually neon) and a wire mesh anode. Inside, there are shaped cathodes that represent numbers or characters. When a voltage is applied to one of the cathodes, it glows, displaying the character. Lixie displays, on the other hand, leverage modern LED technology to mimic the look and feel of Nixie tubes by side-illuminating etched acrylic sheets.

Examples of Nixie (Left) and Lixie (Right) displays. [1, 2]
Examples of Nixie (Left) and Lixie (Right) displays. [1, 2]

How will the Modular Display Work?

The display consists of six acrylic sheets, each laser-cut with a unique number or symbol that becomes illuminated when its corresponding LED is activated. You will be responsible for designing these sheets during project week 4.

The sheets are supported by a structure made from laser-cut MDF, designed to precisely align each sheet with its associated LED. This support structure will be provided for you, meaning that you must make your own designs meet the specifications to ensure that the LEDs illuminate the sheets correctly.

A Custom PCBs of your own design will be manufactured ready for project week 4. These PCBs will be used to power and control the six LEDs via an Arduino, facilitating the selective illumination of the acrylic sheets to display the numbers or symbols as desired.

Illustration of the modular display system.
Illustration of the modular display system.

The aim of the lab sessions

These lab sessions are scheduled to enable you to design the PCBs, according to the requirements provided, in sufficient time for the designs to be sent to the manufacturer and produced before project week 4 (Week 30).

You must complete the PCB design in groups of 2 or 3. One PCB will be manufactured per group and, therefore, you will have to stay in the same group for project week 4.

References

  1. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173560445106
  2. https://hackaday.io/project/18633-lixie-an-led-alternative-to-the-nixie-tube

Citations