#557 LED 8x8 Module

Building and using an 8x8 LED matrix with MAX7219 driver module.

Here’s a quick demo..

Notes

MAX7219 8x8 LED dot matrix modules are very common and quite cheap. Usually they come assembled, but one can find sellers offering them as a “DIY” kit. The DIY option is not necessarily cheaper, but they are a nice quick little soldering project and may be more convenient if the plan is to daisy-chain multiple modules.

I purchased this DIY kit for SG$1.21 (Oct-2019): “1PCS MAX7219 dot matrix module microcontroller module DIY KIT (hei)” (aliexpress seller listing).

The kit is basically just the 1088AS LED matrix and a PCB for the MAX7219, pin headers, a pull-up resistor and decoupling capacitor.

8x8 LED Matrix

• Part Number: 1088AS
• Face Color: Black
• Type: Row Cathode Column Anode
• Wavelength : 625 ~ 630nm
• Emitted Colour: Red
• Forward Voltage : 2.1V ~ 2.5V
• Forward Current: 20mA
• Dimensions: 32mm x 32mm x 8.0mm

Construction

Example Sketch

LED8x8Module.ino is a simple Arduino sketch that uses the LedControl library to sequence through all rows and columns to verify that addressing is correct and that all LEDs are functioning correctly.

Credits and References

• “1PCS MAX7219 dot matrix module microcontroller module DIY KIT (hei)” (aliexpress seller listing)
  • Purchased for SG$1.21 (Oct-2019)
  • No longer available from this seller
• MAX7219 product info and datasheet
• How to Use the MAX7219 to drive an 8x8 LED display