MAX7219 LED Matrix Clip-On Joiners

thingiverse

I absolutely adore <a href="https://amzn.to/2Pt7JEn">these MAX7219 4x1 modules</a>! Joining them together is an absolute blast to create <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2989552">scrolling marquees</a>. However, getting them perfectly aligned can be a bit of a challenge. Once they're soldered together, they generally stay in place, and the double-wide case linked above does an excellent job once it's assembled. But I wanted something more, so I designed this series of snap-fit connectors to join MAX 7219 4x1 modules together. The clips have pegs that snap into the holes on the modules. You'll print one for the top and one for the bottom. The great thing about these clips is that you don't need to use screws, and even if you remove the clips later, they're really helpful for getting them spaced correctly for soldering. I created three different clip versions: a basic one, a version for mounting to MakerBeam/OpenBeam 10x10 extrusion, and one with a pair of 3mm eyelets for mounting on a board or attaching to another type of extrusion (i.e. if you want to mount it to the top of your printer or something). These clips have very tight tolerances, which makes them a bit hard to click into place initially, but that's by design. They need to be really tight to keep the displays together. I recommend using a thin steel ruler and running it between the clips initially to break away any ooze that might have set up between the pegs during printing, and to loosen the plastic up a bit to get them ready for inserting. You should print with 0.1mm layer height and at a relatively slow pace. DO NOT print with 100% infill. If you do, the clips will be so stiff that you'll never get them clicked in. I used 25% and they worked just fine. Just keep in mind that these were designed to be secured once and left in place. They're not designed to be removed and reinstalled a dozen times, and if you do, they'll probably crack and fail.