Once again the people behind the tronixstuff website have published another in their series of Arduino tutorials. In the latest instalment they explain how to use the Maxim MAX7219 LED display driver IC. This is a popular IC which can drive up to 64 LEDs, an 8 x 8 LED matrix, or eight 7-segment LED numeric displays. The tutorial covers the required hardware, Arduino library and runs through with various examples using different display types, for example:
Furthermore you can daisy-chain more than one MAX7219 to increase the display possibilities. To get started visit the tutorial page. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
If you're interested in LED matrix displays that are incredibly easy to use, but on a much larger scale - check out our range of Dot Matrix Displays:
Available in a variety of colours, they consist of a 32 by 16 matrix of LEDs. Included with the DMD is a cable to directly connect with an Arduino-compatible board, and at low brightness (which is still fine to read indoors) you can power one DMD from the Arduino. However by connecting 5V at 2.5A for each board they operate at a brightness which is visible anywhere. Furthermore you can daisy-chain (with the included cable) six or more displays for great effects. So for more information head over to the DMD pages today.