Tom=E1s =D3 h=C9ilidhe wrote:
> I'm going to use a voltage regulator called the
> LT1173-5
> to give me 5 V to power the PIC16F887.

Why can't the PIC run from the 3V supply too?  It will work to 2V, which is
below where your LEDs will still work.  If anything you may need a slight
boost to provide reliable LED voltage even when the battery level gets down
to 2V.  The PIC can be constantly on, in sleep mode when the game is off,
and enable the LED boost converter only when the display is in use.

> Here's my current schematic:
>
> http://freepdfhosting.com/uploads/6640a7ea8a.pdf

Yikes, what a mess!  Make your schematics look "normal" if you expect others
to spend time looking at them for free.  And of course neatness counts.
This means making sure labels don't collide with other labels, parts,
connections, etc.  Every part should have a value, else it's not much of a
schematic.  It can make a huge difference whether you intend a resistor to
be 100 ohms or 100Kohms.  Make the text readable.  Yours is too small even
when viewing the schematic full screen on my 19 inch 1600 x 1200 monitor.
You have to hook up all power and ground pins to the PIC.  You need bypass
caps on the PIC and any other chip.  And I really don't understand the logic
of putting resistors in series per LED on the top anode multiplex line of
the bi-color LEDs.

Any real critique of the circuit is pointless until these basic things are
fixed.


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