---
title: "Alpha Centauri"
url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/wiz_chandana/projects/alpha-centauri/"
markdown_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/wiz_chandana/projects/alpha-centauri/md"
type: "UCC: User Created Content"
author: "Ben Patterson"
author_url: "https://hackaday.io/project/21711-alpha-centauri"
editor: "WIZnet"
editor_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/"
original_author: "Ben Patterson"
original_url: "https://hackaday.io/project/21711-alpha-centauri"
published: "2023-02-02"
language: "en"
likes: 1
views: 566
comments: 0
source: "WIZnet Makers (https://maker.wiznet.io/)"
---

# Alpha Centauri

> Big Alphanumeric Display Board – A pile of ultra-bright palm-sized 16-segment alphanumeric displays with network-based control

Original author: Ben Patterson (source: https://hackaday.io/project/21711-alpha-centauri)

## Article

This one has been sitting in a box for years. At the time I wasn't entirely sure how to power these huge and bright displays, but I did get the ideas around control right.

Using high power output shift registers, the 128 segments can be individually controlled from a single set of data, clock and enable pins.

Prototyping with the Freetronics Ethernet, an Arduino reference design with WizNet ethernet control is custom built into pluggable, multi-purpose modules supporting open lighting control protocols.

COMPONENTS
16×TPIC6B595
Power Logic 8-Bit Shift Register

8×BL-S230B-12
LED NUMERIC DISPLAY Ultra White

Fixing Shift Register Instability

Such a simple fix! It occured to me that I had left the Shift Register Clear pin floating. Tying it high (active low) immediately stabilised the output and reduced flicker to imperceivable levels!

---

Source: https://maker.wiznet.io/wiz_chandana/projects/alpha-centauri/