The 2nd resistor from base to ground is usually a good thing, but redundant
here, as the same base drive resistor gets grounded and hence provides this
path. Save a few cents and some real estate.

When sizing the common element drive resistor, remember that for X display
digits each will be on for 1/x of the time, so you want to give them X
times more current for everything to work out. (Huh? If the normally look
good at 20mA, and you have 5 display digits, drive them with 100mA for 1/5
the time.)

Enjoy!



At 10:08 PM 6/10/99 -0400, you wrote:
>   Jonathan; Man, I really like this transistor stuff.   With common anode,
>you must supply plus 5V to one of the commons and group the segments
>(including decimal) into a group of eight, which go through a group of 8
>resistors, probably 220, 270, or 330 ohms.      It doesn't hurt to add a
>nuther resistor from base to emitter, to squash bleed currents that cause
>glimmer.        You save a resistor or 2.       Then they are brightest.
>  HP's are not all that bad.    you use tris alot. Chris Eddy Jonathan
>Newport wrote:          Thanks.  Jonathan Newport
>