Serially interfaced display driver that runs up to 64 individual LEDs or eight 7-segment digits from one chip. A 4-wire SPI-compatible interface (DIN, CLK, LOAD) loads a 16-bit word per register, and DOUT chains several drivers on the same bus. A single external resistor at ISET sets the peak segment current for all digits, and an on-chip BCD code-B decoder drives numeric displays directly, so a host writes digit values without a lookup table. Common on 8-digit and 8x8 matrix modules.

Pinout

Pin	Name	Type	Function
1	DIN	input	Serial-data input. Data is loaded into the internal 16-bit shift register on CLK's rising edge. VIH=3.5V min, VIL=0.8V max.
2	DIG0	output	Digit 0 drive. Open-drain sink to display common cathode; up to 320mA sink at VOUT=0.65V. Pulled to V+ when the digit is turned off.
3	DIG4	output	Digit 4 drive. Common-cathode digit sink (up to 320mA).
4	GND	power_in	Ground. Both GND pins (4 and 9) must be connected together.
5	DIG6	output	Digit 6 drive. Common-cathode digit sink.
6	DIG2	output	Digit 2 drive. Common-cathode digit sink.
7	DIG3	output	Digit 3 drive. Common-cathode digit sink.
8	DIG7	output	Digit 7 drive. Common-cathode digit sink.
9	GND	power_in	Ground. Both GND pins (4 and 9) must be connected together.
10	DIG5	output	Digit 5 drive. Common-cathode digit sink.
11	DIG1	output	Digit 1 drive. Common-cathode digit sink.
12	LOAD	input	Load-data input (MAX7219). The last 16 bits of serial data are latched on LOAD's rising edge. On the MAX7221 this pin is /CS and is active-low chip select.
13	CLK	input	Serial-clock input, 10MHz maximum. Data is shifted into the shift register on the rising edge and clocked out of DOUT on the falling edge.
14	SEGA	output	Segment A source driver. Sources current to the display; peak current set by RSET (typ -40mA at RSET=9.53kΩ). Pulled to GND when the segment is off on the MAX7219.
15	SEGF	output	Segment F source driver.
16	SEGB	output	Segment B source driver.
17	SEGG	output	Segment G source driver.
18	ISET	passive	Peak segment-current programming pin. Connect to V+ through RSET (typ 9.53kΩ ±1%) to set peak segment current; see 'Selecting RSET' section.
19	V+	power_in	Positive supply voltage. Connect to +5V (operating range 4.0V to 5.5V). Operating supply current typ 330mA with all segments on; shutdown current 150µA max.
20	SEGC	output	Segment C source driver.
21	SEGE	output	Segment E source driver.
22	SEGDP	output	Decimal-point segment source driver.
23	SEGD	output	Segment D source driver.
24	DOUT	output	Serial-data output. Data at DIN appears at DOUT 16.5 clock cycles later; used to daisy-chain multiple MAX7219/MAX7221 devices. Never high-impedance.

Key specifications

Parameter	Value
Type	Serial LED display driver (64 LEDs / 8 digits)
Interface	SPI-compatible 4-wire serial (DIN/CLK/LOAD, DOUT chain)
Drives	8x 7-segment digits or 64 discrete LEDs
Segment current	Set by one external resistor (ISET)
Decode	BCD code-B or no-decode, per digit
Supply	4.0-5.5 V
Package	SOIC-24W (300 mil)
Body (L×W×H)	15.4 × 7.5 × 2.65 mm

Ordering variants

Same part, different packaging or reel option.

MAX7219EWG+ (SOIC-24W, tube)
MAX7219EWG+T (SOIC-24W, tape & reel)
MAX7219ENG+ (PDIP-24)

CAD (KiCad official)

Symbol: Driver_LED:MAX7219 (KiCad official)
Footprint: Package_SO:SOIC-24W_7.5x15.4mm_P1.27mm
3D model: SOIC-24W (KiCad packages3D, STEP)

Provenance

Data extracted from the manufacturer datasheet, not a distributor listing:

Datasheet: Analog Devices datasheet (15 pp, sha256 7585bd4469c4355e, retrieved 2026-08-17, tier: manufacturer)
Extractor: ds2sf (Claude). Every pin and dimension is cited to a datasheet page; it refuses to fabricate.
CAD: KiCad official libraries (CC-BY-SA 4.0).

Datasheet PDF