Getting Started- Vacuum Fluorescent Display & Teensyduino

This is a quick tutorial on getting a VFD working with an Arduino (or Arduino equivalent system). VFDs are beautiful devices with a wonderful hexagonal mesh of wires and this lovely green/blue glow. Operating at around 5V, they offer a nice alternative to high voltage Nixie tubes, while still retaining a lot of the charm.

This tutorial will show you how to connect a Arduino-like device to a VFD display as well as a basic program to display text.

Ingredients:

1- Arduino or Arduino like device (tested on Uno and Teensyduino)

1- VFD device – I used a Samsung 20T202DA2JA  module from here: http://www.adafruit.com/

1- SPI- VFD library for Arduino: https://github.com/adafruit/SPI_VFD

Assorted bread board wires to taste.

Circuit:

Firstly set up the circut as shown in the diagrams below. Essentially the display requires 5 connections:

Pin 1- Ground- Green- Connect to your ground pin

Pin 2- Vcc- Yellow- Connect to +5V

Pin 3- SIO (Serial Input Output)- Orange- Connect to Pin 2 on your Arduino device

Pin 4- /STB (Strobe Input Terminal)- Red- Connect to Pin 4 on your Arduino device

Pin 5- SCK (Serial ClocK)- Brown- Connect to Pin 3 on your Arduino device

VFD circuit for Arduino

VFD circuit for Teensy

Install the SPI-VFD Library:

Add the SPI-VFD library to your Arduino install. This can be accomplished by copying the entire directory to:

…\arduino-0023\libraries\

When you run Arduino.exe now, there should be a set of examples for the VFD device.

If you have difficulties adding the library, try renaming your folder from “/adafruit-SPI_VFD-d85a97e” to “/SPIVFD” as the filename may be unrecognizable.

Code:

The SPI-VFD library uses the following format:

SPI_VFD vfd([data], [clock], [strobe]);

So for our example it would be:

SPI_VFD vfd(2, 3, 4);

After you have set up the pins, you are ready to use one of the many useful commands, functions and examples. You can either run one of the examples provided with the library, or the one I have enclosed below. Enjoy your new glowy screen!

Example Code:

/*
SPI_VFD Library - Example Code

Robert Matthew 2011.11.24

Uses the SPI_VFD Library:
Library originally added 08 Apr 2008
by David A. Mellis
library modified 5 Jul 2009
by Limor Fried (http://www.ladyada.net)
example added 9 Jul 2009
by Tom Igoe
modified 22 Nov 2000
by Tom Igoe
*/

// include the library code:
#include

// initialize the library with the numbers of the interface pins
SPI_VFD vfd(2, 3, 4);

void setup() {
// set up the VFD's number of columns and rows:
vfd.begin(20, 2);
// Print a message to the VFD.
vfd.print(" VFD & Teensyduino");
vfd.setCursor(0, 1);
vfd.print(" The beautiful glow");

}

void loop() {
}

Please click on this link for information on adding animation to your VFD!