The Seven Segment Display

A Seven Segment Display (SSD) is a form of electronic display device for displaying decimal numerals. This is widely used in digital clocks, electronic meters, and other electronic devices. In this activity, we will show how we were able to display decimal numerals (0-9) using binary coded decimal via the SSD.

Before proceeding on, be sure to have an idea how an SSD work and most importantly its pin configuration. Below is an image showing the pin configuration of the SSD. SSD has two types of common. The Cathode and the Anode. The cathode is a common ground while an anode is a common vcc. As for this experiment, we used a cathode, because its common is ground and all our inputs are positive, since an IC produces an output of a positive value. As you can see on the image, there are 7 inputs for this component device. By analyzing this component, we can use a 4bit binary code (A,B,C, and D).

Now that we have our 4bit binary code and our 7 inputs for the display, we can create our truth table. Here is an image of the truth table showing an output of numerical values from 0-9.

Now, we can proceed to our K-Map:

After having our K-Map, we can convert our equation into a schematic diagram:

Finally, here is the final output after implementing our schematic diagram into the breadboard: