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SPI LED Driver (NLSF595)

A shift register similar to the 74HC595 but optimized with higher current capabilities for driving multiple LEDs directly without external transistors.

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DIP-16 IC

The NLSF595 takes serial data in (via SPI or bit-banging) and outputs it in parallel across 8 pins. Unlike standard logic shift registers, it is designed to sink higher currents, making it ideal for directly driving LEDs or 7-segment displays.

Logic ComponentsShift RegisterSPI

Overview

Shift registers allow you to expand the number of output pins on your microcontroller. By using just 3 pins (Data, Clock, and Latch), you can control 8 outputs. Multiple NLSF595 chips can be daisy-chained together to control 16, 24, or more LEDs with those same 3 pins.

Pin Reference

(Note: As this represents a generic NLSF595 breakout module, the pinout is simplified compared to the raw IC).

Pin	Type	Description
VCC	power	Power Supply (5V).
GND	power	Ground.
MOSI	digital	Serial Data In (connect to Arduino D11 for hardware SPI, or any digital pin for shiftOut).
SCK	digital	Serial Clock (connect to Arduino D13 for hardware SPI, or any digital pin for shiftOut).
CS	digital	Chip Select / Latch (connect to Arduino D10 or any digital pin).
R1	output	Example output pin for Red LED.
G1	output	Example output pin for Green LED.
B1	output	Example output pin for Blue LED.

Configurable Attributes

This component has no standard configurable attributes.

Wiring Diagram

Connect the NLSF595 module to the Arduino via SPI pins.

Example Arduino Code

This code uses the built-in shiftOut() function to send an 8-bit value to the shift register. The latch pin must be pulled LOW before shifting data and pulled HIGH to update the outputs.

const int latchPin = 10;
const int dataPin = 11;
const int clockPin = 13;

void setup() {
  pinMode(latchPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(clockPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(dataPin, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  // Turn all outputs ON (Binary 11111111 = 255)
  digitalWrite(latchPin, LOW);
  shiftOut(dataPin, clockPin, MSBFIRST, 255);
  digitalWrite(latchPin, HIGH);
  
  delay(1000);
  
  // Turn all outputs OFF (Binary 00000000 = 0)
  digitalWrite(latchPin, LOW);
  shiftOut(dataPin, clockPin, MSBFIRST, 0);
  digitalWrite(latchPin, HIGH);
  
  delay(1000);
}

Simulation Notes

• The OpenHW Simulator treats the NLSF595 identically to the 74HC595 for logic simulation purposes. It will output logic HIGH/LOW based on the shifted data.

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