[White]

[Yellow]

Whats 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. Thats a lot of pins, and there are driver chips like the MAX7219 that can control a matrix for you but theres a lot of wiring to set up and they take up a ton of space. Wouldnt it be awesome if you could control a matrix without tons of wiring? Thats where these adorable LED matrix backpacks come in.

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 8x8s or eight 7-segments (or a combination, such as four mini 8x8s and four 7-segments, etc) on a single I2C bus.

Item Specifics
Fully tested and assembled LED backpack
1 - 4-digit 0.56" tall white seven-segment display
1 - 4-pin header
Uses I2C 7-bit address between 0x70-0x77, selectable with jumpers
Backpack Size: 27mm x 50mm x 4mm / 1.1" x 2" x 0.16"
Backpack Weight: 5.3g
7-Segment Display Size: 19mm x 50mm x 14mm / 0.75" x 2" x 0.56"
7-Segment Display Weight: 8.4g
Some soldering required