komamed team:

Wury Noviyanto

•

Mthamrf

•

Hendra Kusumah

•

Try Ahmad Hidayat Salim

Published May 15, 2025

Scrolling Text Display with MAX7219 & Xiao ESP32-S3

A microcontroller project that shows dynamic scrolling text on an LED dot matrix using MAX7219 and Xiao ESP32-S3. Compact and fun!

BeginnerFull instructions provided5 hours389

Scrolling Text Display with MAX7219 & Xiao ESP32-S3

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Sense

LED Dot Matrix Display, Red

Seeed Studio Grove - 4 pin Male Jumper to Grove 4 pin Conversion Cable

USB Cable, USB Type C Plug

Software apps and online services

Arduino Web Editor

Story

The Story

Scrolling text displays are everywhere—from digital name tags and information boards to store signage and notification displays. I’ve always been fascinated by how such a simple medium can convey dynamic and useful information. That curiosity led me to build this project: a scrolling text display using the MAX7219 LED dot matrix and the Seeed Studio Xiao ESP32-S3.

This project aims to combine simplicity, portability, and creativity into one small device that can display text in a visually engaging way. Whether it's for showcasing your name at an event, displaying real-time messages, or simply learning embedded systems, this project is a great start.

Why I Built It

I wanted a hands-on project to dive deeper into:

How LED dot matrices work at the pixel level.

How LED dot matrices work at the pixel level.

The SPI communication protocol used to control the MAX7219.

The SPI communication protocol used to control the MAX7219.

Leveraging the power of the Xiao ESP32-S3, a compact yet powerful microcontroller that supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, and AI instructions.

Leveraging the power of the Xiao ESP32-S3, a compact yet powerful microcontroller that supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, and AI instructions.

The idea was to make something small but impressive, that can easily grab attention or serve a real-world purpose like a mini info panel or notification ticker.

How It Works

The core of this project is a series of 8x8 LED dot matrix modules, controlled by the MAX7219 driver chip. The microcontroller (Xiao ESP32-S3) sends pixel data over SPI to light up the correct LEDs and scroll the text smoothly from right to left.

The text to be displayed is stored in the microcontroller, and libraries like MD_MAX72XX and Parola are used to manage the matrix display and handle the scrolling effects.

In its simplest form, the project runs a loop that continuously scrolls a hardcoded message. However, thanks to the capabilities of the ESP32-S3, it could easily be extended to support:

Wi-Fi or Bluetooth configuration for custom messages.

Wi-Fi or Bluetooth configuration for custom messages.

Integration with APIs to display dynamic content like weather or notifications.

Integration with APIs to display dynamic content like weather or notifications.

A web dashboard to update the text remotely in real time.

A web dashboard to update the text remotely in real time.

What Makes This Project Special?

Compact Design: Powered by a Xiao ESP32-S3 and up to 8 chained MAX7219 modules.

Compact Design: Powered by a Xiao ESP32-S3 and up to 8 chained MAX7219 modules.

Customizable: Easily adaptable to show any message.

Customizable: Easily adaptable to show any message.

Expandable: With built-in Wi-Fi and BLE, future versions can support wireless updates or even IoT integrations.

Expandable: With built-in Wi-Fi and BLE, future versions can support wireless updates or even IoT integrations.

Educational Value: It’s a great way to learn about SPI, LED matrices, embedded coding, and real-time display control.

Educational Value: It’s a great way to learn about SPI, LED matrices, embedded coding, and real-time display control.

This project is perfect for makers, students, or hobbyists who want to explore hardware interaction and creative displays. It can be built in a few hours, and the results are both functional and fun to watch!

I hope you find this project inspiring and useful. Feel free to remix it or expand it with your own ideas!

Code

TextRunningMAX7219.ino

#include <MD_Parola.h>
#include <MD_MAX72xx.h>
#include <SPI.h>

// Definisikan pin SPI yang digunakan
#define HARDWARE_TYPE MD_MAX72XX::FC16_HW
#define MAX_DEVICES 4

#define CLK_PIN   13
#define DATA_PIN  11
#define CS_PIN    10

// Inisialisasi objek untuk modul dot matrix
MD_Parola myDisplay = MD_Parola(HARDWARE_TYPE, CS_PIN, MAX_DEVICES);

// Teks yang akan ditampilkan
char text1[] = "Wury";

char text2[] = "Toha & Ahmad";

bool isFirstText = true;

void setup() {
  // Inisialisasi modul dot matrix
  myDisplay.begin();
  
  // Tampilkan tulisan pertama
  displayText(text1);
}

void loop() {
  // Perbarui tampilan modul dot matrix
  if (myDisplay.displayAnimate()) {
    myDisplay.displayReset();

    if (isFirstText) {
      // Ganti ke tulisan kedua setelah tulisan pertama selesai
      clearDisplay();
       delay(1000); 
      displayText(text2);
      isFirstText = false;
      
    } else {
      // Kembali ke tulisan pertama setelah tulisan kedua selesai
      clearDisplay();
       delay(1000); 
      displayText(text1);
      isFirstText = true;
  
    }
  }
}

void displayText(char* text) {
  // Tampilkan teks dengan efek scroll dari kiri ke kanan
  myDisplay.displayText(text, PA_LEFT, 200, 0, PA_SCROLL_LEFT);
 
}

void clearDisplay() {
  // Bersihkan tampilan pada modul dot matrix
  myDisplay.displayClear();
}

Scrolling Text Display with MAX7219 & Xiao ESP32-S3