8x8 LED Matrix for Arduino

One of the Arduino components that have greatly intrigued me is the 8x8 LED Matrix. It lets you control 64 LEDs with just 16 pins, meaning we have to go through a pretty interesting thought process to ensure that the display shows what we intend.

In this video, we will delve into how the matrix works, including the type of logic we have to use to correctly light each pixel, as well as how to set up resistors so we don't cause damage to our LEDs.

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Disclaimer: Please note that any information is provided on this channel in good faith, but I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy / correctness on all content. Contributors to this channel are not to be held responsible for any possible outcomes from your use of the information.

[tailskidgaming]

Finally some one who could explain how an 8x8 led work, excellent video

[wormbros]

Thank you brother... I’ve owned the same LED matrix for like two years and am about to use it for the first time today... I really appreciate your tutorial!

[lukstil]

Understanding complex electronic circuits for everyone! Such detailed explanation videos are very rare! Please make more of such great videos, really good! Greetings from Germany.

[mmmaks]

THis video REALLY helped me with using the display, and it's soo cool that you don't explain 100%, but just enough for me to figure out the rest by myself

[colbritton]

Hi, after watching countless YouTube videos and trying to learn about Arduino I found yours to be excellent. Well put and even easy for this old timer to understand. I will be looking for more made by you. Thank you and keep up the good work as there are a lot like me that want to understand this form of electronics.

[montycowlbeck]

You did a great job on explaining these concepts! I have a hard time with circuits, but this made sense

[Qoddalol]

You are a great teacher! Glad I came across your channel.

[bro_leo]

Same things happen in our LCD or OLED display that we used to watch this video right now. They are even no such IC or controller that can drive millions of pixels on the screen individually. So, pixels in our displays may be connected together something like those LED matrix do, but maybe in other way. So, the controller controls the pixels by scanning. What we see on the screen actually not a complete picture. It just scan very fast until it can trick your eye to see a complete picture.

[jordiyaputra]

Very good explanations and informations!
Everything is just exactly what I wanted to know! Thanks for this video, bro...

[Enigma]

11:50 Hi. If each LED is getting 13.6mA and you turn on an entire row at once, then the circuit will try to sink 8*13.6 = 108.8mA which an output pin is not capable of providing. This may result in damage to your microcontroller. I think you need some high side drivers (e.g. 8 PNP transistors) for your common anode LED rows.

[shirtpants]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but at 10:36 you can't just say the total current is 13.6mA. The reason is, the parallel part of the circuit adds up to much less resistance than with just one led and the total current is greater than in the previous circuit (because the total resistance is smaller). The result of this is less voltage on the LEDs which explains the dimming. By connecting a resistor to each branch separately, you create a bunch of circuits as you've shown before ( led and resistor in series) but the total current should now be 13.6mA times the amount of branches(8) = 108.8mA. Hope this makes sense.

[mattluscombe]

Fantastic video and everything explained very well. Thank you

[Jonas-qzgb]

Thanks for the well done video! Your explanation of each row quickly turning on and off again using the Potentiometer really helped me understanding

[TOK]

Very well explained and the language is very good to understand.

[NERDfirst]

*Expand for Important Notes*

*1. On Current Draw*
A valid concern about the setup shown in the video is whether current draw exceeds what a Pin on the Arduino can source, bearing in mind that the GPIO pins on Arduinos are rated for 40mA at the absolute maximum. This could indeed be a problem - Drawing too much current can risk damage to your Arduino, so if you're going to be building something like this for extended use, don't do it the way I did!

It is best to take your own measurements and consult the datasheet of the components used to ensure that you are not overloading your Arduino.


*2. On Debugging and Help*
Unfortunately due to high IRL workloads, I'm not able to look at your code and help diagnose problems. You may contact me at hello(at)nerdfirst(dot)net for paid consultation, if you really see the need.

[agisa]

OMG thank you so much for this video wich explains so well what I needed to understand !!
It has been months since I have started to look for this kind of video.
I need to control a led matrix like this for my project and I couldn't understand anything.
Big hugs !

[omkarkhade]

Very very good explanation
I got more engaged as the video was going on..

[prateekmahajan]

awesome video, very informative, I really appreciate the help

[vinolicam]

way to go! very nice explanation! thk!

[jerryocrow]

Great graphics: simple, clear, coherent, and informative. Sork on smoothing out your vocals. Have fun!!