LED Panel Receiving Cards: What They Do
If the sending card is the brain of your LED setup then the receiving cards are the nervous system.
Each receiving card controls an LED panel (or group of panels) + is responsible for:
- receiving data from the sending card
- translating that data into pixel level instructions
- driving the LED modules connected to it
One panel, many pixels
A receiving card typically controls a fixed number of pixels arranged in a specific width + height, with defined scan + refresh characteristics. Different receiving cards can handle different numbers + areas of pixels,
This is why panels aren’t just “dumb displays”, each one has embedded logic that determines how it behaves within the larger system.
Receiving cards can be configured alongside the sending card when setting up an LED screen of any size, with multiple receiving cards being used to create larger screens by daisy chaining them together.
Addressing and mapping
Receiving cards are usually assigned:
- a position within the overall screen layout
- an input/output relationship to neighbouring panels
- a specific data order
Get this wrong, and you’ll see classic LED issues like panels in the wrong order, mirrored or rotated sections, or content appearing in unexpected places.
Why receiving cards matter in DIY systems
In modular builds, receiving cards are where panel dimensions, wiring constraints, + physical layout all collide.
Understanding what the receiving card expects makes it much easier to:
- design sensible panel sizes
- troubleshoot signal problems
- scale a system without surprises
Whilst there are ways to create LED displays using development boards or single board computers these are often limited with the number of pixels they can drive. Using equipment designed specifically for creating large screens is the way forward.
