I got hold of a beat up MC420M that was missing it’s meters but it worked otherwise, so I decided to emulate new meters using microcontrollers and LED screens. Sharing, in case anyone else would like to do the same.
Mac Meters
Mac Meters
When laying out the logo, did you have to tell it the exact address for every one of the LEDs you wanted lit or is there a way to import graphics?
No, the screen is connected to the micro controller via serial link. I got the idea from projects like this one:
Analog VU meters
The scale is simply a background image, and the ‘needle’ sweeps across it. To get the custom Mac one I just searched for a Mac image I liked, ran it through an image converter so it would be suitable for my displays (which are larger than the ones the guy used in the video), and altered the code accordingly. I can email the code I used if anyone needs it.
Analog VU meters
The scale is simply a background image, and the ‘needle’ sweeps across it. To get the custom Mac one I just searched for a Mac image I liked, ran it through an image converter so it would be suitable for my displays (which are larger than the ones the guy used in the video), and altered the code accordingly. I can email the code I used if anyone needs it.
I modeled some analog meters in Blender and thought about animating it to display on a couple of 40" LCD monitors but lost interest.
Thanks for offering to share this with others.
Are the controllers fast enough for the needles to move smoothly?
Thanks for offering to share this with others.
Are the controllers fast enough for the needles to move smoothly?
I find the action of the needles on this particular project don’t accurately match what a real life one would do, but it works well enough. Better than nothing, to be sure. There are some other versions out there with extra hardware that are dead ringers for an analog meter, but there are space and current constraints to deal with here so I ruled those out.
This project for example is quite involved, but the meter movement is quite nice.
Better meter?
If you’ve really got time on your hands there’s this one.
Prob the best one
My controller is a pair of Arduino Nano, it’s possible they would be faster to react with a better processor but good luck making anything larger fit. You’d also likely need dedicated power, my solution borrows very small amounts of current from the amps onboard linear regulator. It doesn’t even notice.
This project for example is quite involved, but the meter movement is quite nice.
Better meter?
If you’ve really got time on your hands there’s this one.
Prob the best one
My controller is a pair of Arduino Nano, it’s possible they would be faster to react with a better processor but good luck making anything larger fit. You’d also likely need dedicated power, my solution borrows very small amounts of current from the amps onboard linear regulator. It doesn’t even notice.
For what purpose a studio, or just to say you did it? Either way, that’s a really large needle lol.
