It all started when [Damien Walsh] got some spare LED boards. Each panel contains 100 tiny bright LED circuit boards that can be taken apart if needed. [Damien] had a better idea: store them in a 20×5 array and develop a driver to control each LED over WiFi. He was successful (a short post-hiatus demo video added below) and gave some interesting advice on the process of building from scratch.
The first hurdle he faced was one that most of us can think of. It’s hard to research something when you don’t know the right terminology. In [Damien's] case, his search led him to a cornucopia of LED drivers for interior lighting or backlighting. These devices make many smaller LEDs act as one big light source, but he wants to be able to work with each of them individually.
In the end, he stumbled upon ISSI’s IS32FL3738 6×8 dot-matrix LED driver IC, which fit the bill. Three of them are enough to drive a panel of 100 LEDs; it offers I2C control and is even able to synchronize LED PWM across multiple chips so that there is no inconsistent flicker between LEDs on different drivers. We all have our favorites when it comes to microcontrollers and WiFi connectivity and [Damien] is a big fan of the Espressif ESP32 series and is leading the way with the ESP32-WROOM.
Another issue to be aware of is wiring. Each LED sits on its own little PCB with handy exposed pads, but soldering 100 LEDs is a task that can go a long way with a little planning. [Damien] opted for an original system using strips of Kapton insulated copper tape (a very handy material with a tragic history). it’s more smoky than being soldered to a wire.
A 3D printed baffle that uses tracing paper to diffuse light completes the device, creating a 20 x 5 matrix of individually controlled rectangles that glow smoothly and evenly. The end result looks fantastic and you can see it in action in the short video below.
If you are facing a similar LED matrix control need, be sure to read this LED matrix control guide where you will find some helpful tips.
“Eventually he found an IS32FL3738 6×8 dot-matrix LED driver IC from ISSI [http://www.issi.com/US/index.shtml] and it fit the bill,” says Donald Papp.
The IS32FL3738 is actually manufactured by Lumissil, which is an independent division of ISSI [Integrated Silicon Solution Inc]. Lumissil was named on 20-March-2020 [1] and was previously known as ISSI AMS [AMS > Analog and Mixed Signal division]. Lumissil was named on 20-March-2020 [1] and was previously known as ISSI AMS [AMS > Analog and Mixed Signal division]. Lumissil was named on March 20, 2020. [1] и ранее был известен как ISSI AMS [AMS > подразделение аналоговых и смешанных сигналов]. [1] and was formerly known as ISSI AMS [AMS > Analog and Mixed Signal Division]. Lumissil 于2020 年3 月20 日命名[1]，之前称为ISSI AMS [AMS > 模拟和混合信号部门]。 Lumissil was named 于2020年3月20日[1], formerly known as ISSI AMS [AMS > simulation and mixed signal division]. Lumissil was named [1] March 20, 2020. и ранее был известен как ISSI AMS [AMS > Analog and Mixed Signal Division]. It was formerly known as ISSI AMS [AMS > Analog and Mixed Signal Division].
On this page, if you click the download arrow for IS32FL3738, you will get three downloads: 1. IS32FL3738 data sheet, 2. IS32FL3738 evaluation board data sheet, and 3. Arduino code examples. If you click the “Select All” download button in the pop-up window, you will receive an IS32FL3738.zip [1418 KB] archive containing three files:
The IS32FL3738_AR.zip archive contains one file: IS3xFL3738 EVB Arduino Code V01B.txt, which speaks for itself.
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