USB7 Serial Protocol
When the display first powers on, it will show 000000.
Open your favorite terminal emulator and connect to the new COM port. The USB7 accepts simple text followed by a newline ('return' or 'enter') to update the display. Here are a few sample commands.
| Display | Command | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
|
124584\n |
Simply sending 6 digits and a new-line character updates the display. |
|
12.2258\n |
it supports decimals, but you must use a character first; so 12.3456 is OK, while .987654 isn't, the decimal won't appear. |
|
45.8\n |
If you send less than 6 characters, the USB7 will right align them. |
|
dead\n |
It also supports the letters A through Z, although some are less dicernable then others. All of the hex digits are easilly recognizable. |
|
-45.9\n |
It can display negative signs. |
|
+215\n |
It can display positive signs, but they're not very pretty. |
|
123456789\n |
if you send more than 6 characters, the rest are silently discarded. |
|
123 45\n |
Spaces display as expected. |
|
abc2 \n |
They can also be used to pad the right-hand side (of course). |
|
.59\n |
Starting with a space allows you to display a naked decimal. |
|
@#1^&2]]35<<<\n |
The USB7 silently discards any characters it doesn't recognize.
You must send at least one valid character to update the screen. This means a space and a new line is the 'clear screen' command. |
This, of course, is just the beginning. If you can send data to a COM port, or if you have a program that can, you can control the USB7.
Usage Ideas
What can you do with a USB7? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- High scores on a video game server
- Users logged into a terminal server
- Real time webpage hit counter
- Seconds from/till an event
- POS price display.
- Current score on a mame cabinet
There's also a quick how-to on connecting it with LCDSmartie.