Hi All Patrick

Greetings,

   My name is Alan. Located in snowy MN. I am 74 years young and retired after 30 years flying for the Navy. Background is research and development of Avionics systems hardware. Software is the killer for me!

  Recent started messing with Arduinos for something to do and I do have a specific project in mind using a Mega and two OLEDs.  Already lost 🙂

 I am running an application where information is displayed on the PC display. The person who developed the app has agreed to bring that data out to a pin on the Mega.

I have been trying to find out what type of data the OLED needs. From here I am lost. Is there a place within the forum that I can go to and learn this?

Thank you - Alan

@alan-l 

Welcome to the forum.

You can find out about oleds in Bill's excellent adventure in ...

Thanks Will - already discovered that video and it is terrific. Learned a great deal about OLEDs from it.

Still looking for how to get data from an external source to be displayed on the OLED.

I'll get there! 🙂

@alan-l 

You said it would be "delivered" to a pin in the Arduino. You'll have to "read" the data from the pin and then use the Arduino to convert that and then display it on the OLED.

You may have to discuss what data (and in what format it) will be delivered to the Arduino from the source. If possible, it may be easier (for you) to have it delivered via the Serial port.

Once you know what you're getting and how you're getting it in the MEGA, then you can work on sending it to the OLED.

@will YA - I have a lot to learn about the Arduino world! :0

@alan-l 

There's a lot to learn, but you should start with easy projects 🙂 This one seems like a steep challenge for a new user.

For the time being, formatting and sending data to the OLED will be the simplest part of your sketch, but you can't do much with that yet until you can receive the data you need.

If you have to wait for somebody else to provide you with the specs on the data and how it's delivered (i.e. the app developer), you CAN work forward by making some kind of simulator for the data (say, a potentiometer) to provide some kind of data which you can then use to start using the OLED.

This will allow you to get used to working with the MEGA and the OLED so that by the time the data is available you'll only have to change your delivery source for the OLED from reading the pot to taking data from the new source.

If you need help with the OLED or the new source, then you should open a new topic in the "Help Wanted" forum or another forum that pertains to the part or problem you're having.

@will The forum is full of information which is great! Could you direct me to the area that would cover the setup for the pot you are talking about. I know its a lot to ask but since the forum is so big I will spend a lot of time just trying to put into the search engine the proper terms!

Thanks Will.

@patrickwd
@Inst-Tech

By coincidence I happened to recently tried TinkerCad as a relative wanted to have a wiring plan for his houseboat with 12v and 240v (solar panels, generator, batteries, inverter and optional land connection to 240 volt).

TinkerCad just had 3d objects and I found an awkward too small work area. I found it hard to see where things were placed or what size they actually were. So I just drew it all in the M$ Paint program instead.

Documentation is very important.

Found a view videos to review on this!

@alan-l 

I have no idea what kind of data you're expecting to display as you've given us no details about your project other than it will use a MEGA and two OLED displays.

I assume that you will be getting a stream of data in the form of a number (or set of numbers) and will be processing it (them) somehow to make an appropriate pattern on the OLED (symbols, rays, circles, letters, whatever).

I suggested a potentiometer since they are readily available, inexpensive and can be wired up so that one end is tied to +5, the other end is tied to GND and the wiper is connected to one of the analog pins (A0, A1, A2, ...). The potentiometer can then be read using the command 

int  aValue0 = analogRead(A0);

which will read a value from 2 to 1023 into the variable aValue0. Further, this value can be manipulated (by you) to any possible value in the range of the type you used (in this cast int for 16bit integer). You can also change it to a floating point number of any size by suitable multiplication or division.

In short, you can use the potentiometer (or a set of them) to generate the kind of numeric input that you expect from the final data source so that you can develop your OLED display before you get your final data source ready.

There's nothing magical or even difficult about potentiometers. Take a look at this simple project which uses a potentiometer to dim an LED to help understand the principles involved. It reads the potentiometer and then rescales the value read into 0-255 and then uses that as a PWM value to adjust the brightness of an LED  ...

https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/NIKHIL1916/led-dimming-circuit-8d6c9e

I was suggesting that you could use a pot(entiometer) to do the same kind of thing to generate a value (or values if more that one pot is used) to simulate input data for your LED display.

@will The data or info that will be displayed on the OLED is simple letters and numbers to be displayed on two lines! Not much info at all. I have no idea how that will be made available to me. I have that question off to the app developer.

I will read up and look at the video.

I really do thank you for taking the time. I wish I knew more in the way of correct terms and so on so as to not get confused on things. 🙂

@will Thanks for the RANDOM Generator! I will breadboard it up and see what kind of trouble I get into!

Great!

Alan

@inst-tech

You will be appalled. I had a search and I have no schematic. Not sure if I didn't do one or if it is on paper somewhere but if so I can't find it.

My code I think is reasonably well documented and even without lots of coffee I can roughly remember how it works. Except for the bit that solves the intersection of 3 spheres which I had to pinch and to be honest was never 100% clear how it worked.  My maths has faded over the years.

Cheers

Patrick

@alan-l    @will 

I am only new to this forum but...

Think you guys have wound up on my introductory post.  Think you should find a better place for your posts.