I don't know why I didn't think of this at first, it works so good it makes me giggle.
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Uses only cheap n-channel mosfets, and 1 meg pullup resistors. There is only microamps drawn from a tiny supply taken from the transformer for the pullups. I tried 8 thru 20 volts, and everything works. The PIC will either ground or let the gate float. It too only draws microamps.
The mosfets are 2n7000 60V so a little overvoltage in the gate doesn't hurt them. Ten cents a segment. Not bad
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Uses only cheap n-channel mosfets, and 1 meg pullup resistors. There is only microamps drawn from a tiny supply taken from the transformer for the pullups. I tried 8 thru 20 volts, and everything works. The PIC will either ground or let the gate float. It too only draws microamps.
The mosfets are 2n7000 60V so a little overvoltage in the gate doesn't hurt them. Ten cents a segment. Not bad