7-Segment & Character LCD Glyph Mapper
Design custom characters and segment layouts visually. Real-time C/C++ array and hex byte code generator.
7-Segment Displays: Layouts map LED segments `a` through `dp` to specific bits. In Common Cathode systems, bits are Active-High (1 = ON). In Common Anode systems, bits are Active-Low (0 = ON). Supported orders include LSB-first (bit 0 is `a`) and MSB-first (bit 7 is `a`).
Character LCD custom graphics: Renders custom glyphs to CGRAM of standard HD44780 displays. The $5 \times 8$ matrix splits each row into 5 bits. The left pixel is Bit 4 (0x10) and the right pixel is Bit 0 (0x01).
Drag Interaction: On the $5 \times 8$ LCD Matrix editor, click and drag to paint, or start from an active pixel to erase blocks continuously like a mouse brush.
When you need it: Driving a 7-segment display or an HD44780 character LCD from firmware — working out which segment bits light which character before you write the lookup table.
Worked example: On a common-cathode 7-segment with segments a…g = bits 0…6, the digit "3" lights a,b,c,d,g → 0b1001111 = 0x4F, and "0" lights a,b,c,d,e,f → 0x3F.
Tips & gotchas:
- Common-anode displays invert the polarity — the segment bit pattern is the bitwise complement of the common-cathode one.
- Segment-to-bit order depends on your wiring; build the lookup table for your board, don't assume a-to-g = 0-to-6.
- HD44780 custom glyphs live in CGRAM — 8 characters of 5×8 pixels each.
- Multiplex digits faster than ~60 Hz per digit, or the display visibly flickers.