Arduino Control of LED Matrix Module Project

This project requires you to use your group allocated Arduino to control what is displayed on the LED matrix display
module. The LED matrix display module has sixteen 8 by 8 LED matrix displays. Each display has its own separate
MAX7219 driver chip. The sixteen driver chips are all SPI slaves which are parallel on the same SPI bus with the
Arduino as the SPI master. Select and use SPI_MODE0, MSBFirst, and the lowest SPI clock rate possible. The
diagram below shows the matrix arrangement and the wires (and their colours) which protrude from the module to
which you connect to the Arduino pins. The supply wires are white rip cords. All 5 volt rip cords must be joined
together. All ground rip cords must also be joined together. There are red and blue wires sticking out from the top and
bottom of the boards. All red wires must be shorted together just like all the blue wires should be shorted together on
the module. Connect the red wires to the SPI synchronous clock signal (SCK). Connect the SPI Master out slave in
data signal (MOSI) to the blue wires. 4 row select wires which are green and stick out from the left end and another 4
from the right end. 4 yellow column select wires stick out from the top of the board with another four available at the
bottom. You will need to allocate four digital output pins for row selection and another four for column selection. You
will need to connect the SPI lines SCK and MOSI to the modules through UTP cable to be sourced from the Demitris
Laboratory. The Arduino must share the same ground as the module. Use a separate stable 5 volt supply for powering
the module direct.

The fonts for the upper case and lower case letters including the 10 decimal digits will be provided. You are to write a
C program which initialises all the 16 driver chips in broadcast mode. Still in broadcast mode display all the upper
case and lower case letters followed by the digits. Then display some message of your choice on the display.
Alternatively draw a good image although this is more demanding. Code from each group to be submitted by Friday
28 October 2019. A report is not required. The functionality is all that needs to be demonstrated.

white rip cord

5V

0V

5V

0V

5V

0V

5V

0V