So you have a nifty display like a bright Charlieplex LED or NeoPixel matrix powered by MicroPython, but what if you want to write text on it?  Most MicroPython display modules only give you basic pixel drawing commands so it's very cumbersome to draw text yourself pixel by pixel.  Luckily there's a handy new MicroPython bitmap font module you can use to draw text on any pixel-based display!  This module shows some of the power of MicroPython--a single module can work with any pixel display because of MicroPython's dynamic language features.  In this guide you'll learn how to use a bitmap font rendering module with pixel-based displays like the Charlieplex LED matrix or simple LED backpack matrix.

To follow this guide you'll want to be familiar with MicroPython by reading these guides:

• MicroPython Basics: What is MicroPython?
• MicroPython Basics: How to Load MicroPython on a Board
• MicroPython Basics: Load Files & Run Code

See all the MicroPython guides in the learning system for more information.

In addition be sure to follow the guide for your pixel-based display first:

• MicroPython Hardware: LED Backpacks & FeatherWings
• MicroPython Hardware: Charlieplex LED Matrix
• MicroPython Hardware: SSD1306 OLED Display (note the OLED display already has a font rendering function, but you can use this guide and its font rendering too!)
• MicroPython Hardware: ILI9341 TFT & FeatherWing