

What's better than a single LED? Lots of LEDs! A fun way to make a small display is to use an 8x8 matrix or a 4-digit 7-segment display. Matrices like these are 'multiplexed' - so to control all the seven-segment LEDs you need 14 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 adorable LED matrix backpacks come in. We have them in two flavors - a mini 8x8 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 (the images above are photographed at the dimmest setting to avoid overloading our camera!), 1/16 step display dimming, all via a simple I2C interface. The backpacks come with address-selection jumpers so you can connect up to four mini 8x8's or eight 7-segments (or a combination, such as four mini 8x8's and four 7-segments, etc) on a single I2C bus.
The product kit comes with:
A bit of soldering is required to attach the matrix onto the backpack but its 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 eyeing matrix displays but hesitated because of the complexity, his is the solution you've been looking for!
This board/chip uses I2C 7-bit address between 0x70-0x77, selectable with jumpers
Data sheet
Manufacturer BTC Korporacja sp. z o. o. Lwowska 5 05-120 Legionowo Poland sprzedaz@kamami.pl 22 767 36 20
Responsible person BTC Korporacja sp. z o. o. Lwowska 5 05-120 Legionowo Poland sprzedaz@kamami.pl 22 767 36 20
Module with 4-digit 7-segment LED display. The board is equipped with a TM1637 driver and communicates via a digital interface
7-segment LED display, 1 digit 7mm, red color (660nm), 9 mcd / seg (10mA), common anode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-B-02811BS
No product available!
7-segment LED display, 1 digit 20.40mm, two dots, bright red (630nm), 20 mcd (10mA), common anode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-B-08012BMR
7-segment LED display, 1 digit 13.20mm, yellow light (593nm), 12 mcd / seg (10mA), common anode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-B-05211BMY
7-segment LED display, 1 13.20mm digit, red color (660nm), 6 mcd / se (10mA), common cathode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-B-05211AS
No product available!
Candy-bar sized 4-digit seven-segment bright crisp display good for adding numeric output. Besides the four 7-segments there is a top right dot (useful as a degrees symbol) and two sets of colon-dots (for time-based projects). Adafruit 1264
7-segment LED display, 1 digit 38.10mm, amber (605nm), 15,000ucd (10mA), common anode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-B-15011BMA
No product available!
7-segment LED display, 1 digit of 56.80mm, green (570nm), 20mcd (10mA), common anode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-N-23011BMG
No product available!
7-segment LED display, 1 digit 20.40mm, two dots, amber (605nm), 5000 ucd (10mA), common anode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-B-08012BA
Module with 4-digit 7-segment display. The board is equipped with the TM1637 driver and communicates via the digital interface
Adafruit 811 - Yellow 7-segment clock display - 0.56" digit height
7-segment LED display, 1-digit 45mm, bright green (575nm), 15mcd (10mA), common anode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-B-18011BMG
No product available!
4-digit 7-segment 0.56 "LED display. Built-in HT16K33 controller allowing communication via I2C bus. Equipped with STEMMA QT connector. Adafruit 5599
7-segment LED display with a diameter of 14.20 mm and an ultra-red color. The common cathode ensures easy integration with control systems. LED1-AS-05613AMR-B
7-segment LED display, 1 digit 20.40mm, two dots, light yellow (592nm), 5000 ucd (10mA), common anode, Pb-free. LED1-AS-B-08012BMY
8-digit, 8-segment LED display module with 16-level brightness adjustment. Communication via the I2C interface. DFRobot DFR0646-G
8x8 matrix or a 4-digit 7-segment display. Matrices like these are 'multiplexed' - so to control all the seven-segment LEDs you need 14 pins. Adafruit 880