Small 1.2" 8x8 Ultra Bright Square Yellow LED Matrix + Backpack

What's better than a single LED? Lots of LEDs! Matrices like these are 'multiplexed' - so to control 64 LEDs you need 16 pins. That's a lot of pins, and there are driver chips like the MAX7219 that can control a matrix for you but there's a lot of wiring to set up and they take up a ton of space. Here at Adafruit, we feel your pain! After all, wouldn't it be awesome if you could control a matrix without tons of wiring? That's where these lovely LED matrix backpacks come in. We have them in three flavours - a mini 0.7" 8x8, a mini 0.7" 8 x 8 and a 4-digit 0.56" 7-segment. They work perfectly with the matrices we stock in the Adafruit shop and make adding a bright little display trivial.

The matrices use a driver chip that does all the heavy lifting for you: They have a built-in clock so they multiplex the display. They use constant-current drivers for ultra-bright, consistent color, and 1/16 step display dimming, all via a simple I2C interface. These 1.2" matrix backpacks come with three address-selection jumpers so you can connect up to eight 1.2" 8 x 8s together (or a combination, such as four 1.2" 8 x 8s and four 7-segments, etc) on a single I2C bus.

The product kit comes with:

* A fully tested and assembled 1.2" LED backpack

* 1.2" 8x8 matrix square pixel yellow

* 4-pin header

A bit of soldering is required to attach the matrix onto the backpack but it's very easy to do and only takes about 5 minutes.

Of course, in classic Adafruit fashion, we also have a detailed tutorial showing you how to solder, wire and control the display. We even wrote a very nice library for the backpacks so you can get running in under half an hour, displaying images on the matrix or numbers on the 7-segment. If you've been eying matrix displays but hesitated because of the complexity, this is the solution you've been looking for! Note: Breadboard, Arduino UNO and cables are not included Specifications Matrix Dimensions:

* 31mm x 31mm x 7mm

* Height without Pins: 7mm

* Weight: 7.65g

Backpack Dimensions:

* 41mm x 33mm x 2mm

* Weight: 5.2g

Resources

* Downloads

* Overview

Revision History

* As of Nov 18th, 2024 - We've updated this PCB to have Stemma QT connectors on the I2C lines for plug-and-play usage. We've also updated it with Adafruit Pinguin to make a lovely and legible silkscreen.