EASY PLUG Super Starter Kit For Arduino Project 9: how to make a countdown Clock?

Posted by Fiona Su on March 30, 2020

Overview
When you watch a ball game, you might often see the countdown.
Here comes an EASY Plug 4-digit 0.36’’ LED display! Through this project, you will learn how to control the 4-digit LED display show the time counting.
Component Required:

EASY plug control board*1
EASY plug 4-digit LED display*1
EASY plug button module*1
RJ11 cable*1
USB cable*1

Component Introduction

Keyestudio EASY plug 4-Digit LED Display
This is a 4-digit 0.36’’ Common Anode LED display module, a 12-pin display module with score points.
The driver chip used in the matrices is TM1637, using only two signal cables to make the microcontroller control the 4-digit LED display.
The four pins of LED display are GND、VCC、DIO、CLK. (GND is ground, VCC is for power supply, DIO is data IO pin, CLK is clock signal pin.)
The module pins are extended into Registered jack, so you can easily connect it to EASY Plug control board using a RJ11 cable.

Operating Voltage: DC5V
Operating Temperature Range: -40℃～+85℃

Connect It Up
Connect the EASY Plug 4-digit LED display module to control board using RJ11 cable.

Upload the Code
Below is an example code.

What You Should See
After uploading the code, you should see the 4-digit LED display show the number jumping.
On the left side, show 555; after one second, show 0125 on the right side; after one second, show 125; then after one second, the display brightness is 1, becoming rather darker. One second later, the display brightness is 7, becoming rather brighter.
After one second again, show the 12:89; then one second later, do not show the colon. After one second, the LED display is off; and one second later, start to repeat the display again.

Troubleshooting:

Compiling Fails ?

This happens sometimes, the most likely case is a library file not added. You should be sure all the libraries under the KS_EasyPulg are added to the libraries directory of Arduino-1.8.5. Shown below.

Program Not Uploading?

This happens sometimes, the most likely case is a confused Board and serial port, you should firstly select your proper board and port.

Extension Experiment 1
Time Counting
Hookup Guide
Connect the EASY Plug 4-digit LED display module to control board using an RJ11 cable.

Test Code
Below is an example code.

What You Should See

The 4-digit LED display starts to show the time counting. Seconds on the right, minutes on the left, and return to zero after 60 minutes.

Extension Experiment 2
Counting And Reset
Hookup Guide
Connect the EASY Plug 4-digit LED display module and button module to control board using RJ11 cables.