Arduino Tlc5940 Library Documentation

r12 - 2009-04-19

The Texas Instruments TLC5940 is a 16-channel, constant-current sink LED driver. Each channel has an individually adjustable 4096-step grayscale PWM brightness control and a 64-step, constant-current sink (no LED resistors needed!). This chip is a current sink, so be sure to use common anode RGB LEDs.

Check the tlc5940arduino project on Google Code for updates. To install, unzip the "Tlc5940" folder to <Arduino Folder>/hardware/libraries/

 

Hardware Setup

The basic hardware setup is explained at the top of the Examples. A good place to start would be the BasicUse Example. (The examples are in File->Sketchbook->Examples->Library-Tlc5940).

All the options for the library are located in tlc_config.h, including NUM_TLCS, what pins to use, and the PWM period. After changing tlc_config.h, be sure to delete the Tlc5940.o file in the library folder to save the changes.

 

Library Reference

Core Functions (see the BasicUse Example and Tlc5940):

• Tlc.init(int initialValue (0-4095)) - Call this is to setup the timers before using any other Tlc functions. initialValue defaults to zero (all channels off).
• Tlc.clear() - Turns off all channels (Needs Tlc.update())
• Tlc.set(uint8_t channel (0-(NUM_TLCS * 16 - 1)), int value (0-4095)) - sets the grayscale data for channel. (Needs Tlc.update())
• Tlc.setAll(int value(0-4095)) - sets all channels to value. (Needs Tlc.update())
• uint16_t Tlc.get(uint8_t channel) - returns the grayscale data for channel (see set).
• Tlc.update() - Sends the changes from any Tlc.clear's, Tlc.set's, or Tlc.setAll's.

Extended Functions. These require an include statement at the top of the sketch to use.

Functions that require VPRG_ENABLED. These require VPRG_ENABLED == 1 in tlc_config.h

 

Expanding the Library

Lets say we wanted to add a function like "tlc_goCrazy(...)". The first thing to do is to create a source file in the library folder, "tlc_my_crazy_functions.h". A template for this .h file is

// Explination for my crazy function extension

#ifndef TLC_MY_CRAZY_FUNCTIONS_H
#define TLC_MY_CRAZY_FUNCTIONS_H

#include "tlc_config.h"
#include "Tlc5940.h"

void tlc_goCrazy(void);

void tlc_goCrazy(void)
{
    uint16_t crazyFactor = 4000;
    Tlc.clear();
    for (uint8_t channel = 4; channel < 9; channel++) {
        Tlc.set(channel, crazyFactor);
    }
    Tlc.update();
}

#endif

Now to use your library in a sketch, just add

#include "tlc_my_crazy_functions.h"

// ...

tlc_goCrazy();

If you would like to share your extended functions for others to use, email me (acleone ~AT~ gmail.com) with the file and an example and I'll include them in the library.

 

Contact

If you found a bug in the library, email me so I can fix it! My email is acleone ~AT~ gmail.com

 

License - GPLv3

Copyright (c) 2009 by Alex Leone <acleone ~AT~ gmail.com>

This file is part of the Arduino TLC5940 Library.

The Arduino TLC5940 Library is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

The Arduino TLC5940 Library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with The Arduino TLC5940 Library. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.