Hey there! You know what's cooler than a single LED? A whole bunch of them! And even better, two times as many LEDs! With our 16x8 LED Matrix Backpack, we've made it a breeze to double your project's matrix capacity. It's super easy to fit two separate 8x8 matrices on one convenient board. These matrices are multiplexed. Normally, controlling 64 LEDs needs 16 pins, and for 128 LEDs, you'd need 24 pins - that's a lot! There are driver chips like the MAX7219, but they involve tons of wiring and take up a lot of space. We at Adafruit get your pain. That's why this amazing 16x8 LED matrix backpack is here. It works great with the matrices in our Adafruit shop, making it a cinch to add a bright little display. This backpack is perfect for creating scrolling displays or small video displays. In our example, words flow smoothly from one matrix to the other, just like a sign at a mini car dealership. We powered the demo with a Trinket (not included), so it comes in a neat, compact package. The backpack uses a HT16K33 driver chip. It does all the hard work for you. This chip has a built - in clock for multiplexing the display. It uses constant - current drivers for ultra - bright, consistent color (the images are taken at the dimmest setting to avoid overloading our camera), and offers 1/16 step display dimming via a simple I2C interface. Each matrix backpack has three address - selection jumpers, allowing you to connect up to 8 x 1.2 - inch 16x8 displays on a single I2C bus. The kit includes a fully tested and assembled 16x8 1.2 - inch LED Backpack, 2 ultra - bright square 8x8 amber matrices, and a 4 - pin header. A bit of soldering is needed to attach the two matrices to the backpack, but it's very easy and only takes about 10 minutes. And of course, we have a detailed tutorial to show you how to solder, wire, and control the display. We've also written a great library for the backpacks, so you can start displaying images on the matrix or numbers on the 7 - segment in under half an hour. If you've been eyeing matrix displays but were put off by the complexity, this is the answer you've been looking for!
Using the 16x8 LED Matrix with Backpack is a fun and easy experience. First, you'll need to do a bit of soldering to attach the two 8x8 amber matrices to the backpack. It's not hard and only takes about 10 minutes. Once that's done, you can use the 4 - pin header to connect it to your project. The backpack uses a simple I2C interface, which makes it easy to control. You can use the library we've written to quickly get up and running. Just follow our detailed tutorial for soldering, wiring, and controlling the display. You can start showing images on the matrix or numbers on the 7 - segment in under half an hour. When it comes to creating scrolling or video displays, you can set it up so words flow from one matrix to the other, like a cool sign. Remember, the Trinket used in our demo is not included, so you'll need to get one if you want a similar setup. The HT16K33 driver chip in the backpack does all the heavy lifting. It has a built - in clock for multiplexing the display and uses constant - current drivers for bright, consistent color. You can adjust the brightness using the 1/16 step display dimming feature. Each matrix backpack has three address - selection jumpers. If you want to connect multiple 1.2 - inch 16x8 displays, you can use these jumpers to connect up to 8 of them on a single I2C bus. As for maintenance, keep the display clean and avoid exposing it to extreme temperatures or moisture. If you run into any issues, refer to our tutorial or reach out to our support team.
