A seven-segment display is a form of electronic display device for displaying decimal numerals. Seven-segment displays are widely used in digital clocks, electronic meters, basic calculators, and other electronic devices that display numerical information.

Seven-segment display and Arduino

A 7 segment display requires at least 8 connections to the Arduino board, hence consuming the already little number of pins available. Developing a serial 7 segment display by interfacing it to a shift register was one of the tasks I had to do last week. Currently, our Apgar Scoring Device uses an LCD display to indicate the timing and score.

Figure: 7 segment display

Figure: Serial seven segment display connected to arduino

Why have we chosen LED over LCD?

Although LED displays have better view on sunlight, they are not suitable for usage on batteries, because they consume a lot of power compared to LED displays.

They also cost less than LED display.