#ifdef MAX6921 //=========================================================================================== // Driver for the MAXIM MAX6921 20-output VFD/vacuum-tube driver chip -- ESP8266 variant. // // Hardware / protocol: // The MAX6921 is NOT a segment/digit-specific chip -- it is a generic 20-bit serial-in, // parallel-out latch driving 20 high-voltage open-drain outputs (OUT19..OUT0). Which // physical output pin ends up wired to a VFD segment (a..g, DP) and which to a tube's // grid/anode (digit select) is decided purely by the PCB wiring, described per-clock in // clocks.h via the segmentEnablePins[8] and digitEnablePins[] arrays. Every refresh, this // driver ORs together "which digit-select output is active" with "which segment outputs // should light up for the current character" into a single 20-bit word and shifts the // whole word out. // Serial protocol (3 wires, similar to SPI but no MISO/CS in the usual sense): // DATA (PIN_DATA) - serial bit, sampled on CLK rising edge, MSB (OUT19) first // CLK (PIN_CLK) - one pulse per bit, 20 pulses per full frame // LE (PIN_LE) - Latch Enable: after the 20 bits are clocked in, a LOW->HIGH->LOW // pulse transfers the shift register into the (separate) output // latch, so outputs change atomically instead of glitching mid-shift // BL (PIN_BL) - BLANK: MAX6921's active-HIGH output disable. HIGH = all 20 outputs // forced off (tube dark) regardless of latch content, LOW = outputs // follow the latch. Used here both for hard blanking and, via // ON/OFF time-slicing in writeDisplay(), for brightness control. // // Used by (see clocks.h, search for "#define MAX6921"): // CLOCK_3 - PCB-less clock, single IV-18 VFD tube // CLOCK_4 - custom clock, 4x IV-11 VFD tubes // CLOCK_5 - UNFI PCB clock, IVL-2-5/7 tube with RTC // CLOCK_14 - 6x LD8035 VFD-clock // CLOCK_15 / CLOCK_15a - 6x IV-6 VFD-clock RGB // CLOCK_16 - 4x IV-6, 1x LD8035 // CLOCK_18 - IV-18 VFD-clock RGB // (all of the above are ESP8266 boards -- the ESP32 counterpart configs use // MAX6921_ESP32.ino instead, see that file's header for their CLOCK_NN list.) //=========================================================================================== //VFD driver for ESP8266 char tubeDriver[] = "MAX6921"; //------------------abcdefgDP---------------- definition of different characters // Each byte below is one glyph's segment pattern, bit7..bit0 = a,b,c,d,e,f,g,DP (a=MSB). // A '1' bit means "this segment should be lit" for that glyph; generateBitTable() later // translates these abstract a..g/DP bit positions into the actual MAX6921 OUTx bits using // segmentEnablePins[] (the PCB-specific wiring), producing charTable[] used in writeDisplay(). // Indices 0-9 are the digits; 10-20 are special glyphs referenced via the digit[] buffer // (see ESP32_UniClock2.ino digit[] value convention: 10=BLANK,11=minus,12=DP,13+=extra glyphs). byte charDefinition[] = { B11111100, //0: abcdef B01100000, //1: bc B11011010, //2: abdeg B11110010, //3: abcdg B01100110, //4: bcfg B10110110, //5: acdfg B10111110, //6: acdefg B11100000, //7: abc B11111110, //8: abcdefg B11110110, //9: abcdfg B00000000, // : BLANK (10) B00000010, //-: minus (11) B00000001, // decimal point (12) B11101110, // A abcefg (13) B11001110, // P abefg (14) B10011100, // C adef (15) B11000110, //grad (upper circle) abfg (16) B10110100, //% acdf (17) B00111010, //lower circle cdeg (18) B01100000, //I bc (19) B10001110 //F aefg (20) }; uint32_t animationMaskBits[5]; //precomputed AND-masks for the "wipe" transition animation (animMask[]), see generateBitTable() // NOTE: MAXCHARS/MAXSEGMENTS/maxDigits rely on sizeof() over `byte` arrays (1 byte/element), // so sizeof() == element count here. segmentEnablePins[] must always have exactly 8 entries // (a,b,c,d,e,f,g,DP) per the clocks.h convention; digitEnablePins[] length = number of tubes. #define MAXCHARS sizeof(charDefinition) #define MAXSEGMENTS sizeof(segmentEnablePins) int maxDigits = sizeof(digitEnablePins); uint32_t charTable[MAXCHARS]; //generated pin table from segmentDefinitions uint32_t segmentEnableBits[MAXSEGMENTS]; //bitmaps, generated from EnablePins tables // FIXED (was fixed-size [10] regardless of the actual maxDigits): sized to BUFSIZE (12, see the // digit[]/newDigit[]/animMask[] buffers in ESP32_UniClock2.ino), the same ceiling the rest of the // codebase uses for tube-position buffers, so this can no longer silently overflow in // generateBitTable() for any config the system otherwise supports. uint32_t digitEnableBits[12]; // Multiplex/brightness timing. Despite the variable names, these are NOT milliseconds -- they // are raw ESP8266 hardware timer1 tick counts (see startTimer() in ESP32_UniClock2.ino: timer1 // runs with TIM_DIV16, i.e. 80MHz/16 = 5MHz, so 1 tick = 0.2us). So PWMrefresh=5500 ticks is // actually ~1.1ms per full ON/OFF half-cycle, and PWM_min/PWM_max (500..5000 ticks) is ~100us..1ms. // Greater PWMrefresh => slower multiplex/refresh frequency (more visible flicker risk). int PWMrefresh=5500; //Multiplex time period, in timer1 ticks (not milliseconds, despite the variable name -- see note above). Greater value => slower multiplex frequency int PWM_min = 500; int PWM_max = 5000; //int PWMtiming[11] = {0,500,800,1200,2000,2500,3000,3500,4000,4500,5000}; //----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- //https://sub.nanona.fi/esp8266/timing-and-ticks.html //One tick is 1us / 80 = 0.0125us = 12.5ns on 80MHz //One tick is 1us / 80 = 0.0125us = 6.25ns on 160MHz // 1 NOP is 1 tick // Dead/no-op helper: `d` is ignored, so this always executes exactly one NOP regardless of the // requested delay -- effectively a leftover no-op. All call sites below are commented out // (superseded by relying on digitalWrite()'s own latency to satisfy MAX6921 timing), so this // function currently has no effect on the build. void inline delayMS(int d) { //for (int i=0;i"); generateBitTable(); //precompute charTable/digitEnableBits/animationMaskBits once, so the ISR (writeDisplay) never has to do this math digitsOnly = false; //this driver can show letters/symbols too (A,P,C,deg,%,I,F...), not just 0-9 startTimer(); //arms ESP8266 timer1 and attaches writeDisplay() as its ISR -- multiplexing runs entirely in the background from here on } // Timer1 ISR (ESP8266, TIM_SINGLE mode -- fires once, must be rescheduled by calling // timer1_write() again at the very end of every invocation, which is what drives the whole // multiplex loop). This implements brightness via a simple two-phase (ON/OFF) time-slicing // scheme rather than true PWM: each call toggles `state` between an "ON phase" (tube lit, // duration proportional to brightness) and an "OFF phase" (tube dark, remaining time of the // PWMrefresh period), i.e. classic duty-cycle dimming spread across one multiplex step. // https://circuits4you.com/2018/01/02/esp8266-timer-ticker-example/ void ICACHE_RAM_ATTR writeDisplay(){ //https://circuits4you.com/2018/01/02/esp8266-timer-ticker-example/ static volatile int timer = PWMrefresh; static volatile uint32_t val; static volatile byte pos = 0; static volatile boolean state=true; static volatile int brightness; static int PWMtimeBrightness=PWM_min; if (EEPROMsaving) { //stop refresh, while EEPROM write is in progress! (EEPROM writes are blocking/slow, and touching them concurrently with flash-adjacent SPI activity risks corruption) digitalWrite(PIN_BL,HIGH); //OFF -- blank the display so it doesn't hang mid-brightness while the ISR is skipped timer1_write(PWMrefresh); //timer1 (TIM_SINGLE) does NOT auto-repeat, so it must be explicitly rearmed even while "paused" here, or the ISR would never fire again return; } intCounter++; brightness = displayON ? prm.dayBright : prm.nightBright; //day/night dimming level, selected by the core's displayON flag if (brightness>MAXBRIGHTNESS) brightness = MAXBRIGHTNESS; //only for safety if ((!autoBrightness) && (brightness==MAXBRIGHTNESS)) state = true; //at max fixed brightness, always stay in the "ON" phase (skip the OFF/dimming phase entirely) if (state) { //ON state: advance to the next tube position and compute what to shift out pos++; if (pos>maxDigits-1) { //go to the tube#0 pos = 0; //go to the first tube // Brightness (PWM ON time) is only recalculated once per full multiplex sweep (at tube#0), // not per-tube, so all tubes share the same duty cycle within one refresh cycle. if (autoBrightness && displayON) { //change brightness only on the tube#0 PWMtimeBrightness = max(PWM_min,PWM_max*lx/MAXIMUM_LUX); //ambient-light-driven brightness (auto-dimming), scaled by measured lux vs MAXIMUM_LUX } else PWMtimeBrightness = max(PWM_min,PWM_max*brightness/MAXBRIGHTNESS); //manual brightness setting, scaled 0..MAXBRIGHTNESS into PWM_min..PWM_max ticks } // MAX6921 has no separate "digit select" vs "segment" concept -- both are just output // bits. Combine the bit for this tube's grid/anode-enable output with the bits for the // segments that should light up for the current character into one 20-bit frame. val = (digitEnableBits[pos] | charTable[digit[pos]]); //the full bitmap to send to MAX chip if (digitDP[pos]) val = val | charTable[12]; //Decimal Point (charTable[12] = the DP-only glyph, OR'd in independently of the digit glyph) timer = PWMtimeBrightness; #ifdef CLOCK_4 if (pos==2) timer = 3*timer; //Weak IV11 tube#2 brightness compensation, some hacking -- this particular physical tube is dimmer than its neighbours, so its ON time is tripled #endif timerON = timer; //exposed for debug/diagnostics only (see ESP32_UniClock2.ino) timerOFF = PWMrefresh-PWMtimeBrightness; } else { //OFF state: nothing to shift out this call, just wait out the rest of the duty cycle timer = PWMrefresh-PWMtimeBrightness; } if (timer<500) timer = 500; //safety only... avoid an excessively short/zero timer1 reload that could starve the CPU with ISR re-entry if ( (brightness == 0) || (!state) || (!radarON)) { //OFF state, blank digit (radarON gates the whole display off when a presence/radar sensor says nobody is around) digitalWrite(PIN_BL,HIGH); //OFF } else { //ON state if (animMask[pos]>0) val &= animationMaskBits[animMask[pos]-1]; //animationMode 6, mask characters from up to down and back -- animMask[] holds a 1-based progressive-reveal stage per tube; the precomputed masks blank segments in a..g order to fake a vertical wipe // Bit-bang 20 bits out MSB-first (OUT19 first). No explicit delay is inserted between // digitalWrite() calls: the GPIO register write + digitalWrite() call overhead on the // ESP8266 already exceeds the MAX6921's minimum DIN setup/CLK pulse-width requirement, so // the commented-out nop/delayMS() calls below are intentionally left disabled. for (int i=0; i<20; i++) { if (val & uint32_t(1 << (19 - i))) { digitalWrite(PIN_DATA, HIGH); //asm volatile ("nop"); } else { digitalWrite(PIN_DATA, LOW); //asm volatile ("nop"); } digitalWrite(PIN_CLK,HIGH); //rising edge shifts the current DATA bit into the MAX6921 internal shift register //asm volatile ("nop"); //delayMS(1); digitalWrite(PIN_CLK,LOW); //asm volatile ("nop"); //delayMS(1); } //end for // Latch pulse: transfers the 20-bit shift register into the MAX6921's output latch in one // shot, so the outputs (and thus the tube) change atomically rather than rippling bit by // bit while still shifting (which would show visible garbage/flicker on the tube). digitalWrite(PIN_LE,HIGH ); asm volatile ("nop"); digitalWrite(PIN_LE,LOW); digitalWrite(PIN_BL,LOW ); //ON -- unblank now that the new frame is safely latched } //end else state = !state; timer1_write(timer); //reschedule this one-shot ISR for the next phase (ON or OFF) -- required every call since timer1 here runs in TIM_SINGLE mode } // One-time setup helper (called from setup_pins()): translates the PCB-specific pin-index // tables from clocks.h (segmentEnablePins[], digitEnablePins[]) and the abstract a..g/DP // glyph patterns (charDefinition[]) into ready-to-OR 32-bit MAX6921 output bitmaps. Doing // this heavy lifting once at boot keeps the writeDisplay() ISR itself lightweight (just a // couple of array lookups + OR + bit-shift loop). void generateBitTable() { uint32_t out; DPRINTLN("--- Generating segment pins bitmap ---"); for (int i=0;idown->up" reveal // used when a digit changes). Each stage progressively adds more segments in a fixed visual // order (a -> b+f -> g -> e+c -> d), i.e. top segment, then the two middle-height segments, // then the center bar, then the two lower-middle segments, then the bottom segment -- // roughly mimicking a wipe sweeping down the 7-segment glyph. animationMaskBits[0] = uint32_t(1<> "); charTable[i] = out; //final per-glyph MAX6921 output bitmap, ready to OR with digitEnableBits[pos] in writeDisplay() //DPRINTLN(charTable[i],BIN); } //end for } void clearTubes() { // Only asserts BLANK (forces all MAX6921 outputs off) -- it does NOT clear the shift // register/latch contents or the digit[]/newDigit[] buffers. The stale frame stays latched // in the chip and will reappear instantly the moment BLANK is deasserted again (e.g. next // writeDisplay() ISR tick), so this is a cheap/fast "go dark" rather than a true reset. digitalWrite(PIN_BL,HIGH); } // Intentionally empty: this driver's entire refresh/multiplex logic runs inside the // timer1 ISR (writeDisplay()), so there is nothing left for a synchronous single-shot write // to do. The function still needs to exist because the core file (ESP32_UniClock2.ino) calls // writeDisplaySingle() unconditionally from several places (e.g. after changing a setting). void writeDisplaySingle() {} #endif