SMD 8X8 LED Matrix

Name: SMD 8X8 LED Matrix
Brand: The Science Hut
SKU: 1005005671520393-Default Title
Price: 16.95 USD
Availability: InStock

$16.95

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Surface mount device soldering...

Take Your Electronics Skills to the Next Level!

The SMD 8×8 LED Matrix Kit is the ultimate challenge for advanced makers and electronics enthusiasts. With 64 red LEDs, shift registers, capacitors, resistors, transistors, and a pre-programmed microcontroller, you’ll build a professional-quality scrolling display—while mastering the precision skills needed for real electronics repair.

This isn’t a beginner kit. It’s designed for those ready to push their skills, perfect SMD soldering, and gain confidence working with tiny, real-world components used in smartphones, wearables, and modern devices.

Build it, display it, and take pride in completing one of the most challenging kits we offer. Perfect for advanced hobbyists, students, and anyone aiming for a career in electronics, robotics, or embedded systems.

👉 Ready for the challenge? Order your SMD 8×8 LED Matrix Kit today and sharpen your skills like a pro. Refer to the drop-down sections below for more product information.

What's Included?

Includes all components required to build the 8x8 LED Matrix:

Printed circuit board (PCB)
Electrolytic capacitor, 220 µF / 10 V
SMD 0603 capacitor, 0.1 µF (x4)
SMD 0805 Red LED (x64)
SMD resistor, 6.2 kΩ (x8)
SMD S8550 transistor, SOT-23 (x8)
DX156 MCU, SOP-8
Shift register IC 74HC595, SOP-16 (x2)

Refer to product image gallery for pictures of all components.

Learning Outcomes and Benefits

The SMD 8×8 LED Matrix Kit is an advanced STEM challenge designed to sharpen your electronics skills:

Master SMD Soldering: Work with components as small as 1–2 mm, improving the precision needed for real-world electronics repair (such as phones or game consoles).

Learn LED Matrix Multiplexing: Discover how microcontrollers use row scanning and persistence of vision to create smooth, scrolling displays.

Work with Shift Registers: Gain hands-on experience with the 74HC595 shift register IC, a common chip used to expand microcontroller outputs.

Understand Power & Circuitry: Explore how capacitors stabilize voltage, resistors limit current, and transistors act as column drivers.

Develop Problem-Solving Skills: Troubleshoot shorts, bad joints, or polarity errors—valuable skills for electronics engineering.

Boost STEM Career Readiness: Perfect for advanced makers preparing for work in electronics repair, robotics, or embedded systems.

Completing this kit gives you practical confidence in advanced soldering and circuit design—skills directly transferable to real-world applications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Is this kit suitable for beginners?
A: No. This kit is recommended for advanced to expert-level hobbyists. The tiny SMD components make it challenging. Beginners should start with through-hole kits first.

Q: What tools do I need?
A: You’ll need a fine-tipped soldering iron, solder, flux, tweezers, and a magnifying glass or microscope (refer to the section on tools below—we sell all tools required). A desoldering braid and multimeter are recommended for rework and/or troubleshooting. Some makers prefer to use a hot air soldering station with stencils and solder paste, which can make assembling this kit faster and easier. However, you can just as easily complete the build with standard soldering tools—all it takes is patience, care, and precision.

Q: What will the finished matrix do?
A: The pre-programmed MCU scrolls alphanumeric characters across the LED matrix. Advanced users can reprogram the matrix to display custom messages via the header pin connection points included on the PCB (pins not included).

Q: What power supply does it need?
A: A stable 5V DC supply (0.5 A). This can be from a USB cable, AA battery pack, or DC adapter.

Q: Why choose this kit?
A: It’s one of the best ways to practice precision SMD soldering, while learning how modern devices use matrix scanning and shift registers for compact displays.

Product Specifications

Dimensions (approx.):

Length: 6.0 cm
Width: 4.9 cm
Depth (tallest component): 0.7 cm
Weight: 10 g

PCB Type: all SMD type components.

Power requirements: 5V DC.

Assembly and Usage Info

Assembling this LED Matrix Electronics kit requires a lot of skill and precision—if you've never soldered before, this kit is most likely not a suitable place to start. For those up for the challenge, our step-by-step instruction manual (which can be downloaded from the link below) does cover the whole process in great detail, and includes photos of every step. The password to open the manual was sent to the same email that you placed your order from. Can't find it? Just Contact Us!

Download: SMD LED Matrix Electronics Kit Instruction Manual

Skill Level: Advanced
Age Rating: 12+ (adult supervision required for under 16's)
Assembly Time: Typically 3-6 hours (when using standard soldering equipment). If using a hot air soldering station, assembly time can be as little as 1-2 hours.

Tools and Materials Required

Tools required for this kit

If you're considering this advanced level electronics kit, you most likely already have the tools required to build it! However, we've detailed the items required below so you can be sure. We also sell these all of these items - just click the link for each item in this list to go to the product pages.

Soldering iron
Solder wire with rosin core
Solder flux paste
ESD tweezers
Magnifying glass with light source (e.g.: Helping hands tool), needed for reading markings on components—a mobile phone camera on 'macro' mode can also magnify components sufficiently to be able to read markings.

Links and References

Our blogs & videos related to electronics kits:

Ultimate Guide to Electronics Kits

STEM Electronics as a Hobby

Youtube video: Tools, tips and tricks for soldering electronics kits

Youtube video: Soldering SMD components

Shipping and Warranty Info

Shipping Information

Orders are processed for dispatch within 1–2 business days. Typical delivery times following dispatch for this product, depending on region are:

US: 5-8 days (Orders are shipping as usual. The U.S. government shutdown isn’t causing any delays.)
UK: 5-8 days
EU: 6-13 days
Canada: 7-14 days
Australia: 7-14 days

All orders are shipped with tracking, where available. Please refer to our Shipping Policy page for further detail.

Warranty & Satisfaction Guarantee

All electronics kits come with a 14-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not happy with your purchase, contact us and we’ll arrange a refund or replacement — no hassle. Please note that to qualify for a replacement or refund, kits must be in their original, unused condition. Please refer to our Returns and Refunds policy for more information.

Packaging

We aim to minimize waste while protecting your order. All electronic kits are securely packaged in padded mailing bags containing anti-static ESD bags and/or rigid plastic boxes (depending on the product) to ensure the safety of the electronic components. An example of electronics kit packaging can be viewed HERE. If you're purchasing this item as a gift and would rather that it was in a box, we also sell quality gift boxes at the following link: Quality Gift boxes.

Ships from: International Warehouse

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Amazing value

Got so much SMD soldering practise with this electronics kit for such a low price. I feel ready now to move onto more advanced electronics projects! Going to attempt a gaming console repair this weekend.

Great kit

Took a while to arrive but I was happy once I received it. Great practice for soldering surface mounted devices. Quality components. Highly recommended.

Great SMD soldering practise

With 64 SMD LED's only millimeters apart from one another, this kit gives you great practise at soldering surface mount devices... after soldering 64 times, you're bound to fine tune your skills and abilities to solder SMD's. This kit is primarily for enhancing SMD soldering skills, but the finished device can serve as a nice bright trophy to attest to your SMD soldering prowess. Can be soldered with a heat gun or a fine-tipped soldering iron.

Pleased

Well packed. Good quality PCB. Correct parts are in the bag.
(Only the assembly work remains ... :-)