LED backpack displays are a great way to add a simple, bright LED display to your project. These displays get their name because of the controller chip attached to the back of them like a ‘backpack’. This HT16K33 controller can drive up to 128 multiplexed LEDs in matrix, bar graph, 7-segment numeric, and even 14-segment alpha-numeric configurations. It handles the LEDs with a constant-current driver so the light is bright and consistent even if the power supply varies.
Best of all, the controller exposes a very simple I2C-based interface which is easy for a small-board computer like the Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone Black to access. This guide will show you how to install and use the Adafruit Python LED backpack library for driving LED backpack displays from a Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone Black!
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
