Adafruit
16x8 1.2 LED Matrix + Backpack - Ultra Bright Square Blue LEDs
The 16×8 1.2" LED Matrix + Backpack combines two ultra-bright square blue 8×8 LED matrices on a single, compact driver board. The square pixel design creates...
The 16×8 1.2" LED Matrix + Backpack combines two ultra-bright square blue 8×8 LED matrices on a single, compact driver board. The square pixel design creates a seamless, uniform look — perfect for scrolling text, small animations, or status displays in your projects.
Powered by the HT16K33 driver chip, this backpack handles all the multiplexing over a simple I2C connection — no complex wiring or extra GPIO pins required. With 16-step brightness control and constant-current drivers, you get consistent, vibrant colour at any dimming level.
Key Features
- HT16K33 Driver – Handles all LED multiplexing over I2C with a built-in oscillator
- 16-Step Dimming – Adjustable brightness from barely visible to full intensity
- Constant-Current Drivers – Ensures uniform brightness across all 128 LEDs
- Chainable – Three address-selection jumpers allow up to 8 backpacks on a single I2C bus (addresses 0x70–0x77)
- Square Pixel LEDs – Seamless, uniform appearance with no gaps between pixels
- Compact Design – Two 8×8 matrices on one board, controlled with just 2 I2C pins
Ideal For
- Scrolling text and message displays
- Small animations and pixel art
- Status indicators and dashboards
- Wearable electronics and costumes
- Interactive art installations
Package Contents
- 1× Fully assembled and tested 16×8 1.2" LED backpack
- 2× Ultra-bright square 8×8 blue LED matrices
- 1× 4-pin header
Resources
- Adafruit LED Backpack Tutorial – Wiring, soldering, and code examples
- Adafruit LED Backpack Arduino Library – GitHub repository
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- GPIO
- General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.
- I2C
- I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.
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Brands
Displays & Screens
Related Tutorials
Free guides on learn.littlebird.com.au
