Get excited because creating your own 8x16 LED matrix display for any Feather is a breeze! This kit combines two cute miniature LED matrices with a FeatherWing driver board. These 0.8-inch square 8x8 matrices pack all the features of a large LED matrix but in a smaller size. Double them up for a total of 128 bright yellow LEDs. This is the Yellow Adafruit 0.8-inch 8x16 LED Matrix FeatherWing Display Combo Pack. We also offer combo packs in White, Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow-Green. Normally, wiring 8x16 matrices needs 24 GPIO pins, which is too many. That's where the 16x8 LED matrix backpack PCB comes in. It has a HT16K33 I2C LED matrix driver that handles all the multiplexing work and is controlled via two I2C pins. It's easy to use and has a portable library that runs on any of our Feathers to turn each LED on and off. The 16x8 backpack is great for scrolling or small video displays. In our example, we set it to show small bitmap emoticons, but you can also display moving text, like a sign at a mini car dealership. The kit includes a fully tested and assembled 16x8 0.8-inch LED FeatherWing, 2 ultra-bright square 8x8 yellow matrices, and 2 16-pin headers. A bit of soldering is needed to attach the two matrices to the FeatherWing, but it's easy and only takes about 15 minutes. Check our tutorial for assembly, pinouts, CircuitPython and Arduino library code, schematics, and more!
Using this Adafruit LED matrix display kit is easy. First, you'll need to do a bit of soldering to attach the two yellow 8x8 matrices to the FeatherWing. It only takes about 15 minutes, so don't worry if you're new to soldering. Just follow the instructions in our tutorial. Once it's assembled, you can use the portable library that runs on any of our Feathers to control each LED. You can display small bitmap emoticons or moving text. It's great for creating scrolling displays or small video displays. As for maintenance, keep it away from water and extreme temperatures. If you're not using it, store it in a dry place. If you run into any issues, refer to our tutorial which has schematics, pinouts, and library code for CircuitPython and Arduino.
