SENSORS/ACTUATORS

INTERNET OF THING (IoT)

Arduino Nano ESP32 - LED Matrix

LED matrix display, also known as LED display, or dot matrix display, are wide-used. In this tutorial, we are going to learn:

LED matrix
How to connect Arduino Nano ESP32 to 8x8 LED matrix
How to connect Arduino Nano ESP32 to 32x8 LED matrix
How to connect Arduino Nano ESP32 to display text, numbers, and animated effects on the LED matrix.

After that, you can easily adapt the code for other LED matrices such as 16x8 LED matrix, 64x8 LEd matrix ...

Hardware Preparation

1	×	Arduino Nano ESP32
1	×	USB Cable Type-C
1	×	FC-16 LED Matrix 32x8
1	×	FC-16 LED Matrix 8x8
1	×	Generic LED Matrix 8x8
1	×	Breadboard
1	×	Jumper Wires
1	×	(Optional) DC Power Jack
1	×	(Recommended) Screw Terminal Adapter for Arduino Nano

Or you can buy the following sensor kits:

1	×	DIYables Sensor Kit (30 sensors/displays)
1	×	DIYables Sensor Kit (18 sensors/displays)

Disclosure: Some of the links provided in this section are Amazon affiliate links. We may receive a commission for any purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support.

Overview of LED Matrix

There are many kinds of LED Matrix. With ESP32, the MAX7219-based LED matrix is widely used. MAX7219-based LED matrix has the following features:

A base unit of an LED matrix is a block
Each block has an 8x8 LED matrix (64 LED) and a MAX7219 driver.
There are two popular block forms: the generic module and the FC-16 module.
A LED matrix can be composed of a single block or multiple blocks in a daisy-chain
You can buy a pre-built multiple-block LED Matrix (e.g. 4-in-1, 8-in-1)
You can also buy multiple blocks and wire them to form a LED matrix with the desired size.
You will declare the size of the LED matrix you use in the Arduino Nano ESP32 code.

Pinout

A LED Matrix is formed by a single or multiple blocks. Each block includes two groups of pins:

Input pins group:

VCC: connects to 5V.
GND: connects to GND.
DIN is the Data pin, Connect it to any digital pin of the Arduino Nano ESP32.
CS: Chip Select, Connect it to any digital pin of the Arduino Nano ESP32.
CLK: Clock pin, Connect it to any digital pin of the Arduino Nano ESP32.

Output pins group:

VCC: connects to VCC of the input pins group on the next module.
GND: connects to GND of the input pins group on the next module.
DOUT: Data Out, connects to the DIN pin of the input pins group of the next module.
CS: connects to CS of the input pins group on the next module.
CLK connects to CLK of the input pins group on the next module.

Wiring Diagram

If the LED matrix is made of a single block:

Connect the input pins groups to Arduino Nano ESP32
Let the output pins group unconnected

The wiring diagram between Arduino Nano ESP32 and 8x8 LED matrix FC-16

This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image

The wiring diagram between Arduino Nano ESP32 and 8x8 LED matrix generic

This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image

If the LED matrix is pre-built multiple blocks:

Connect the input pins groups to Arduino Nano ESP32
Let the output pins group unconnected

The wiring diagram between Arduino Nano ESP32 and LED matrix display

This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image

If the LED matrix is made of multiple blocks by yourself:

Connect the input pins groups of the first block to Arduino Nano ESP32
Connect the output pins groups of each block to the input pins groups of the next block
Let the output pins group of the last block unconnected

Arduino Nano ESP32 32x8 LED matrix wiring FC-16 diagram

This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image

Because the display draws a lot of currents (up to 1A at maximum brightness):

Do not use the power from the 5V pin of Arduino Nano ESP32.
Use an external 5V power supply instead. Arduino Nano ESP32 and LED matrix can share power from a 5V power adapter

Because Arduino Nano ESP32 connects to LED matrix via SPI pins:

Pin D13 (SCK) and D11 (MOSI) on Arduino Nano ESP32
Pin D10 (CS) can be changed to any pin

How To Program For LED Matrix

It is not easy to control the LED matrix. Fortunately, libraries are available to make it easy. Below is a step-by-step on how to write Arduino Nano ESP32 code to control the LED matrix

Include libraries:

#include <MD_Parola.h> #include <MD_MAX72xx.h>

Specify which hardware is being used: GENERIC_HW or FC16_HW.

#define HARDWARE_TYPE MD_MAX72XX::FC16_HW

Define how many LED block is used. for example, a 4-in-1 LED matrix has 4 blocks.

#define MAX_DEVICES 4

Define the pin that connects to the LED matrix’s CS pin. For example, pin D10

#define CS_PIN D10

Create a new instance of the MD_Parola class for the LED matrix display.

MD_Parola ledMatrix = MD_Parola(HARDWARE_TYPE, CS_PIN, MAX_DEVICES);

Code in the setup() function:

void setup() { ledMatrix.begin(); // initialize the object ledMatrix.setIntensity(0); // set the brightness of the LED matrix display (from 0 to 15) ledMatrix.displayClear(); // clear led matrix display }

Display text, number and show animated effects: see next part

Arduino Nano ESP32 - LED Matrix Code

The below code is for 32x8 FC-16 LED matrix display (4 blocks). But you can easily adapt it for 8x8, 16x8, 64x8...

/* * This Arduino Nano ESP32 code was developed by newbiely.com * * This Arduino Nano ESP32 code is made available for public use without any restriction * * For comprehensive instructions and wiring diagrams, please visit: * https://newbiely.com/tutorials/arduino-nano-esp32/arduino-nano-esp32-led-matrix */ #include <MD_Parola.h> #include <MD_MAX72xx.h> #define HARDWARE_TYPE MD_MAX72XX::FC16_HW #define MAX_DEVICES 4 // 4 blocks #define CS_PIN D10 // The Arduino Nano ESP32 pin connected to the CS pin of the LED matrix // create an instance of the MD_Parola class MD_Parola ledMatrix = MD_Parola(HARDWARE_TYPE, CS_PIN, MAX_DEVICES); void setup() { ledMatrix.begin(); // initialize the LED Matrix ledMatrix.setIntensity(0); // set the brightness of the LED matrix display (from 0 to 15) ledMatrix.displayClear(); // clear LED matrix display } void loop() { ledMatrix.setTextAlignment(PA_LEFT); ledMatrix.print("Left"); // display text delay(2000); ledMatrix.setTextAlignment(PA_CENTER); ledMatrix.print("Center"); // display text delay(2000); ledMatrix.setTextAlignment(PA_RIGHT); ledMatrix.print("Right"); // display text delay(2000); ledMatrix.setTextAlignment(PA_CENTER); ledMatrix.setInvert(true); ledMatrix.print("Invert"); // display text inverted delay(2000); ledMatrix.setInvert(false); ledMatrix.print(1234); // display number delay(2000); }

Detailed Instructions

To get started with Arduino Nano ESP32, follow these steps:

If you are new to Arduino Nano ESP32, refer to the tutorial on how to set up the environment for Arduino Nano ESP32 in the Arduino IDE.
Wire the components according to the provided diagram.
Connect the Arduino Nano ESP32 board to your computer using a USB cable.
Launch the Arduino IDE on your computer.
Select the Arduino Nano ESP32) board and its corresponding COM port.
Open the Library Manager by clicking on the Library Manager icon on the left navigation bar of Arduino IDE
Search “MD_Parola”, then find the MD_Parola library
Click Install button.

You will be asked to install the “MD_MAX72XX” library
Click Install All button to install the dependency.

Copy the above code and open it with Arduino IDE
Click Upload button on Arduino IDE to upload code to Arduino Nano ESP32
See the LED matrix display

Arduino Nano ESP32 LED Matrix Code – Scrolling Text

When you want to print a long message that is too long to fit on a LED matrix display, you can use the scroll text effect technique.

The below Arduino Nano ESP32 code shows how to scroll a message on the LED matrix display.

/* * This Arduino Nano ESP32 code was developed by newbiely.com * * This Arduino Nano ESP32 code is made available for public use without any restriction * * For comprehensive instructions and wiring diagrams, please visit: * https://newbiely.com/tutorials/arduino-nano-esp32/arduino-nano-esp32-led-matrix */ #include <MD_Parola.h> #include <MD_MAX72xx.h> #define HARDWARE_TYPE MD_MAX72XX::FC16_HW #define MAX_DEVICES 4 // 4 blocks #define CS_PIN D10 // The Arduino Nano ESP32 pin connected to the CS pin of the LED matrix // create an instance of the MD_Parola class MD_Parola ledMatrix = MD_Parola(HARDWARE_TYPE, CS_PIN, MAX_DEVICES); void setup() { ledMatrix.begin(); // initialize the object ledMatrix.setIntensity(0); // set the brightness of the LED matrix display (from 0 to 15) ledMatrix.displayClear(); // clear led matrix display ledMatrix.displayScroll("ESP32", PA_CENTER, PA_SCROLL_LEFT, 100); } void loop() { if (ledMatrix.displayAnimate()) { ledMatrix.displayReset(); } }

For more text effects, please visit MD_Parola Library Reference.

Video Tutorial

Learn More

Arduino Nano ESP32 - LED Matrix via Web

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