The 16×8 1.2" LED Matrix + Backpack combines two ultra-bright round yellow-green 8×8 LED matrices on a single, compact driver board. The classic round pixel design gives a retro dot-matrix aesthetic — ideal for scrolling text, small animations, or status displays in your projects.

Powered by the HT16K33 driver chip, this backpack handles all the multiplexing over a simple I2C connection — no complex wiring or extra GPIO pins required. With 16-step brightness control and constant-current drivers, you get consistent, vibrant colour at any dimming level.

Key Features

• HT16K33 Driver – Handles all LED multiplexing over I2C with a built-in oscillator
• 16-Step Dimming – Adjustable brightness from barely visible to full intensity
• Constant-Current Drivers – Ensures uniform brightness across all 128 LEDs
• Chainable – Three address-selection jumpers allow up to 8 backpacks on a single I2C bus (addresses 0x70–0x77)
• Round Pixel LEDs – Classic dot-matrix appearance
• Compact Design – Two 8×8 matrices on one board, controlled with just 2 I2C pins

Ideal For

• Scrolling text and message displays
• Small animations and pixel art
• Status indicators and dashboards
• Wearable electronics and costumes
• Interactive art installations

Package Contents

• 1× Fully assembled and tested 16×8 1.2" LED backpack
• 2× Ultra-bright round 8×8 yellow-green LED matrices
• 1× 4-pin header

Resources

• Adafruit LED Backpack Tutorial – Wiring, soldering, and code examples
• Adafruit LED Backpack Arduino Library – GitHub repository