LED displays offer a number of advantages over other display technologies: they are reliable, robust, easily readable from a wide viewing angle and are relatively simple to drive. Along with the more usual 7-segment and dot matrix types come the 14/16 segment displays. This article takes a closer look at a versatile driver IC from Maxim.14/16-Segment displays are arranged like 7-segment types but with additional diagonals and centre vertical segments. These extra segments allow many more characters (including special characters) to be displayed but the extra segments demand a more complex driver circuit. There is any number of 7-segment drivers on the market but for 14/16 displays the choice is relatively small. The MAX 6954 and MAX 6955 from Maxim are designed to meet this need and can also drive 7-segment displays and discrete LED indicators.
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