MAX6960–MAX6963
4-Wire Serially Interfaced
8 x 8 Matrix Graphic LED Drivers
General Description
Features
The MAX6960–MAX6963 are compact cathode-row dis-
play drivers that interface microprocessors to 8 x 8 dot-
matrix red, green, and yellow (R,G,Y) LED displays
through a high-speed 4-wire serial interface.
o 2.7V to 3.6V Operation
o High-Speed 20MHz Serial Interface
o Trimmed 40mA or 20mA Peak Segment Current
o Directly Drives Either Two Monocolor or One RGY
The MAX6960–MAX6963 drive two monocolor 8 x 8
matrix displays, or a single RGY 8 x 8 matrix display with
no external components. The driver can also be used
with external pass transistors to control red, green, blue
(RGB) and other displays at higher currents and voltages.
Cathode-Row 8 x 8 Matrix Displays
o Analog Digit-by-Digit Segment Current Calibration
o Digital Digit-by-Digit Segment Current Calibration
o 256-Step Panel Intensity Control (All Drivers)
o Four Steps per Color Pixel-Level Intensity Control
o Open/Short LED Detection
o Burst White to Display Memory Planes
o Global Command Access All Devices
o Can Control RGB Panels or Higher
Current/Voltage Panels with External Pass
Transistors
The MAX6960–MAX6963 feature open- and short-circuit
LED detection, and provide both analog and digital tile
segment current calibration to allow 8 x 8 displays from
different batches to be compensated or color matched.
A local 3-wire bus synchronizes multiple interconnected
MAX6960–MAX6963s and automatically allocates memory
map addresses to suit the user’s display-panel
architecture.
The MAX6960–MAX6963s’ 4-wire interface connects mul-
tiple drivers, with display memory mapping shared and
allocated among the drivers. A single global write opera-
tion can send a command to all MAX6960s in a panel.
o Multiple Display Data Planes Ease Animation
o Automatic Plane Switching from 63 Planes per
Second to One Plane Every 63s, with Interrupt
o Slew-Rate-Limited Segment Drivers for Lower EMI
o Driver Switching Timing Can Be Spread Between
Multiple Drivers to Flatten Power-Supply Peak
Demand
o Low-Power Shutdown with Full Data Retention
o -40°C to +125°C Temperature Range
The MAX6963 drives monocolor displays with two-step
intensity control. The MAX6962 drives monocolor displays
with two-step or four-step intensity control. The MAX6961
drives monocolor or RGY displays with two-step intensity
control. The MAX6960 drives monocolor or RGY displays
with two-step or four-step intensity control.
Pin Configurations
Applications
TOP VIEW
Message Boards
Gaming Machines
Industrial Controls
Audio/Video Equipment
1
2
33 COL13
32 COL12
31 COL11
30 COL10
29 COL9
28 V+
Ordering Information
3
4
PART
MAX6960ATH
MAX6961AMH
MAX6961ATH
MAX6962AMH
MAX6962ATH
MAX6963AMH
MAX6963ATH
*EP = Exposed pad.
TEMP RANGE
-40°C to +125°C
-40°C to +125°C
-40°C to +125°C
-40°C to +125°C
-40°C to +125°C
-40°C to +125°C
-40°C to +125°C
PIN-PACKAGE
44 TQFN-EP*
44 MQFP
5
MAX6960-MAX6963
6
7
27 COL8
26 COL7
25 COL6
24 COL5
23 COL4
8
44 TQFN-EP*
44 MQFP
9
10
11
44 TQFN-EP*
44 MQFP
44 TQFN-EP*
MQFP
Pin Configurations continued at end of data sheet.
For pricing, delivery, and ordering information, please contact Maxim Direct
at 1-888-629-4642, or visit Maxim’s website at www.maximintegrated.com.
19-3696; Rev 4; 11/12