DIY LED Matrix

This tutorial is about building a DIY LED Matrix.

It's up to you. I can only suggest a couple of examples:

• Weather station;
• Message board;
• Clock.

To do so, take a look at the project you've chosen. It usually 256 LEDs (4 matrices 8x8). In my case: I wanted to make a message board 64x8. Thereof my project will need 512 LEDs.

It shouldn't be hard.

For each 8x8 matrix (64 LEDs), you will need one MAX7219-based driver.

My recommendation: Buy an additional 3 or 4 LEDs per every 64 LEDs, just in case.

For my 64x8 matrix I needed:

• Eight MAX7219-based drivers;
• 512 LEDs;
• Dozens of feet of wire;
• Five boards.

Besides the matrix itself, I also needed one ESP-8266 to control the matrix.

I've decided to make a horizontal distance between the LEDs equal to 3 dots, and a vertical distance equal to 4 dots. The 8th vertical LED will be placed at the top of the board.

Look at the LED. The long pin should be the anode. The short pin should be the cathode. I would recommend you first interconnect the anodes (vertical connections), then place a dielectric between them, and consequently interconnect the cathodes (horizontal connections).

That should be an easy step.

That was a fun and useful project at the same time. Soldering 512 LEDs isn't an easy task. If you are still determined to build your LED matrix but don't know where to begin, try to assemble something less complicated first, and then come back to this tutorial. Because in that case, you will gain some experience in the process and this project won't seem so "scary" to you.