Adafruit
Adafruit 16x9 Charlieplexed PWM LED Matrix Driver - IS31FL3731
The Adafruit IS31FL3731 breakout is a charlieplexed PWM LED matrix driver that controls a 16×9 grid of individually dimmable LEDs over I2C. Each of the 144 L...
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The Adafruit IS31FL3731 breakout is a charlieplexed PWM LED matrix driver that controls a 16×9 grid of individually dimmable LEDs over I2C. Each of the 144 LEDs can be set to any brightness level with 8-bit (256-level) PWM — no complex wiring or constant signal sending required.
The IS31FL3731 operates at 2.7–5.5V, making it compatible with any microcontroller. Up to 4 boards can share an I2C bus using address selection. The chip includes onboard RAM for 8 separate frames of display memory, enabling smooth animations with a single frame-switch command.
Key Features
- 16×9 LED Matrix – Drive up to 144 charlieplexed LEDs
- IS31FL3731 Driver – I2C control with individual 8-bit PWM dimming
- 8 Animation Frames – Onboard RAM for storing and switching display frames
- 2.7–5.5V Operation – Compatible with any 3.3V or 5V microcontroller
- Up to 4 Boards – Selectable I2C addresses for multiple displays
- Adafruit_GFX Compatible – Draw lines, circles, text, and bitmaps
Ideal For
- Custom LED matrix displays
- LED animations and lighting effects
- Compact indicator arrays and signage
- Pairing with Adafruit LED grid modules
Package Contents
- 1× Adafruit IS31FL3731 16×9 charlieplex LED matrix driver breakout
Specifications
- Driver Chip – IS31FL3731
- Matrix Capacity – 16×9 (144 LEDs)
- PWM Resolution – 8-bit (256 levels) per LED
- Animation Frames – 8
- Operating Voltage – 2.7–5.5V
- Interface – I2C (4 selectable addresses)
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- breakout
- A breakout board carries a small or fine-pitched component and brings its connections out to standard, breadboard- and header-friendly pins. Describing a part as a breakout means it can be wired into a project without soldering directly to the component's tiny contacts.
- 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 (LED) is a small electronic component that emits light when current flows through it in the correct direction. Because it only conducts one way, its polarity matters, and a through-hole LED must be soldered the correct way around to light up.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a single chip that runs a stored program and controls connected inputs and outputs such as buttons, sensors, displays and communication interfaces. In a device built around one, it is the part that executes the code and coordinates the device's behaviour.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
- RAM
- RAM (random-access memory) is fast, temporary memory a device uses for working data while it is running; in its common volatile form, its contents are lost when power is removed. Some devices offer a mode that applies settings to RAM only, which is handy for testing changes temporarily because they are not stored permanently and disappear at power-off.
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