LED Matrix with SPI MAX7219

2024-04-18, by Frank Delporte

Roberto Marquez shared a project with us that uses Java to interface with a MAX7219 SPI device to control an LED matrix. It’s inspired by the blog Raspberry Pi and SPI 8×8 LED matrix example with Java and Pi4j, but differs in that it is Web-enabled via Spring Boot. This project is the starting point to create a weather station in combination with the BMP280, see BME280 Sensor (temp, humidity, pressure) via Pi4J, I2C, and JBang.

Wiring diagram

Wiring diagram

Definition of the number 8 for the LED matrix

Definition of the number 8 for the LED matrix

While working on his project, Roberto contributed extra LED character definitions for the Pi4JLedMatrixSpi.java single-file application in the Pi4J V2 JBang project.

Demos

Wiring

This demo project uses:

  • Raspberry Pi 2 Model B V1.1
  • 8x8 LED Matrix with Max7219 SPI

Connections:

  • DIN -> blue -> MOSI -> header 19
  • CS -> purple -> CE0 -> header 24
  • CLK -> white -> SCLK -> header 23
  • VCC -> 5V -> header 2
  • GND -> ground -> header 9

Project and Code

Check the README in the project sources of Roberto for more info.