The Maxim MAXREFDES99 display driver shield is an Arduino-sized shield that can drive a 16 �� 16 LED array for signage applications. This design is ideal for anyone developing a display application. The development board features Maxim's MAX7219, a well-known LED driver that simplifies the process of controlling multiple LEDs in the form of a matrix or digital display. The device is daisy-chained with four MAX7219 ICs to drive a complete 256 LED array that can display any international alphanumeric symbol.
The evaluation board is equipped with four 8 �� 8 LED displays. The device's code is available on Arduino and ARM mbed platforms for rapid prototyping with multiple platform boards. System demonstration includes displaying ASCII characters "SPACE" to "~" and writing / scrolling string messages.