At first I thought you wanted a counter, but it sounds more like a frequency
display for a rig is what you are looking for.

If you're madly in love with LEDs, you may want something like that one
digit counter that I think was in QST a few years back. Understand that
LEDs are current hungry and require relatively complex support circuitry
compared to LCDs. You can reduce both of these by cutting down the number
of digits. You can also add some complexity, either in software or
circuitry, to help with the current drain, but finding something that will
likely work with your radio is improbable .. to get the combination you are
going to have to do some of the design work yourself. You will also be
challenged in trading off the current for brightness. I suspect (can't say
I know for sure) that making an LED display work at low current at a
brightness level you could use outdoors in the daytime is going to be
something of a problem.

That being said, what about something like Dave Fifield's AFA or Dave
Benson's Freq-Mite? This gets you way smaller and lighter than your LEDs,
and certainly no less durable. And the current consumption will be orders
of magnitude less than even the most carefully implemented LEDs. You don't
get the warm, red glow, but you get the frequency in a fraction of the
size/weight/current. And for twenty bucks you avoid the whole design/parts
procurement exercise.

...

"Dale Parfitt" wrote in message
...

"xpyttl" wrote in message
...
"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...

But first the obligitory assesment of assumptions: Why are LCD
displays
not
an option? Could you drive an LCD from your PIC? I've seen info on
this
from the LCD manufacturers; it looks quite doable from a PIC.

I was wondering that myself. It's a whole bunch lower power than LEDs,
which seemed to be a requirement, and the circuitry is a pile simpler.
The
one requirement he did have was "durability" that maybe you could argue
LEDs
had a leg up on. Well, maybe with those teeny LED displays you could
keep
the size smaller than an LCD, but I suspect you would more than make up
for
it in drive circuitry, unless maybe he's thinking surface mount.

Oh, and driving an LCD is a piece of cake from a PIC.

..I appreciate all the comments. The glass cases of the LCD- aside from
being large, is a bit fragile. This is going in a very small trail ready
radio- that may have to survive falls from 3000' rock cliffs. Already lost
an LCD that way.

Dale W4OP