Small 1.2" 8 x 8 Ultra Bright Square White LED Matrix + Backpack

This 1.2" 8x8 White LED Matrix with I2C Backpack makes controlling 64 bright LEDs simple, using an I2C interface with adjustable dimming and support for chaining up to eight displays on a single bus.

What's better than a single LED? Lots of LEDs! Matrices like these are 'multiplexed' - so to control 64 LEDs you need 16 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 lovely LED matrix backpacks come in. We have them in three flavours - a mini 0.7" 8x8, a small 1.2" 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 colour, 1/16 step display dimming, all via a simple I2C interface.

These 1.2" matrix backpacks come with three address-selection jumpers so you can connect up to eight 1.2" 8x8's together (or a combination, such as four 1.2" 8x8's and four 7-segments, etc) on a single I2C bus.

The product kit comes with:

• A fully tested and assembled 1.2" LED backpack
  
• 1.2" 8x8 Matrix Square Pixel White / w/backpack
  
• 4-pin header
  

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 eying matrix displays but hesitated because of the complexity, this is the solution you've been looking for!

Features

• Controls 64 LEDs with just 16 pins via I2C interface
• Built-in multiplexing driver chip eliminates complex wiring
• 1.2" 8x8 LED matrix display
• Constant-current drivers for bright, consistent colour
• 1/16 step display dimming control
• Three address-selection jumpers allow daisy-chaining up to eight matrices on single I2C bus
• Fully tested and assembled backpack
• Includes 1.2" 8x8 matrix, 4-pin header, and solder-free assembly option
• Compatible with Adafruit libraries for quick setup in under 30 minutes
• Detailed soldering and programming tutorials included

Specifications

• Matrix dimensions
  • 31mm x 31mm x 7mm
    
  • Height without Pins: 7mm
    
  • Weight: 7.65g

Revision History

• As of September 16, 2024 - We added Stemma QT connectors on the I2C lines for plug-and-play usage. We've also updated it with Adafruit Pinguin to make a lovely and legible silkscreen.

Resources

• Datasheet

Package Contents

• 1x Small 1.2" 8 x 8 Ultra Bright Square White LED Matrix + Backpack
• 1x 4-pin header