What Are LED Segment Displays?
In today's digital world, whether it's household appliances or precision instruments, we often see clear and bright displays showing numbers and characters. One of the core components of these displays is the LED segment display. As a mature and widely used display technology, LED segment displays hold a significant place in the electronic components industry due to their high brightness, low power consumption, and long lifespan. This article provides a comprehensive overview of LED segment displays, covering their definition, basic structure, working principle, features and advantages, as well as industry applications.
I. What Are LED Segment Displays?
LED segment displays, also known as LED numeric displays, are semiconductor light-emitting devices. They are made up of multiple LEDs arranged to form a display unit, and by turning these LEDs on or off in different combinations, they can display numbers, letters, or symbols. A standard seven-segment LED display consists of seven elongated LED segments labeled A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, arranged in the shape of an "8." An eight-segment display adds a decimal point (DP) segment. Multi-digit displays, such as four-digit modules, consist of multiple “8”-shaped units, often sharing some pins to reduce wiring complexity.
A typical LED segment display consists of four main parts: the display panel (a thin film), the LED chips, a PCB (for fixing the pins and LED chips), and metal pins (for through-hole type) or solder pads (for surface-mount type).
Common configurations include common cathode and common anode. In a common cathode display, all LED segments share a single negative (cathode) connection, while each segment's positive (anode) is controlled individually. This setup simplifies circuit design and reduces controller complexity.
II. Working Principle
The working principle of an LED segment display is based on individually controlling each LED segment. When current passes through a specific segment, it lights up. By combining different segments, the display forms the desired number or character.
LED segment displays are known for high brightness, low power consumption, and long lifespan. For example, the ESHS-L080SF LED display has a typical brightness of 150 mcd, operates at 2.0V to 3.5V, and a maximum current of 30 mA per segment.
They can operate over a wide temperature range (-40°C to +85°C), making them suitable for outdoor and industrial environments. Most LED displays use through-hole packaging, which makes installation and maintenance easier while providing good mechanical stability.
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