ICN2038S LED Driver IC
The ICN2038S is an LED display driver chip from Chipone recognized by NovaStar's control system. This page covers its specifications, datasheet, and which NovaStar receiving cards and firmware support it.
NovaStar support
| LED Driver IC | ICN2038S |
| Manufacturer | Chipone |
| Driver type | Standard |
ICN2038S technical specifications
| Category | General LED Driver |
| Output channels | 16 |
| PWM type | PWM |
| Grayscale (bits) | 16 |
| Output current (mA) | 0.5-45 |
| Max data clock (MHz) | 30 |
| Supply voltage (V) | 3.3-5.0 |
| Package | SSOP24 / QFN24 |
Key features
- 16-channel constant current sink driver with dual latch
- dual 16-bit shift registers + latches for higher refresh rate
- 4-bit current gain 25%-100%
- Schmitt-trigger I/O
- adjustable pre-charge for ghosting reduction
- low-gray scale enhancement
- fast OE response 40ns
Typical use: high-refresh small-pitch indoor (dual-latch).
Specifications from the manufacturer datasheet (V1.6). Verify against the current datasheet for design-in.
NovaStar receiving cards & firmware that drive the ICN2038S
Important: each NovaStar receiving card ships several firmware versions, and each one supports a different group of pixel driver ICs paired with a group of row/scan decode chips — the version label selects the chip group, not a newer/older build. A panel is defined by both its driver IC and its decode/scan chip, so the firmware must list both. To drive the ICN2038S, flash the exact version listed for your card below; a higher-numbered version meant for a different chip group will not work.
⚠️ Don't upgrade unless you have a reason to. Receiving-card firmware is not like a controller update that adds features — a higher number just means a different driver-IC group. If your screen works, leave it alone; only re-flash to match a different driver IC.
A card name joined with “/” (e.g. DH7516-S / 7512-S / 7508-S) is a single NovaStar firmware family: those models share one firmware package, so the versions shown for that row are different firmware lines for the same card — not one firmware per model.
| Receiving card | Supported firmware |
|---|---|
| A5s Plus | |
| A5s Plus-N | |
| A7s Plus | |
| A8s Pro | |
| A8s-N | |
| DH3208 | |
| DH7512 | |
| DH7516 | |
| DH7516-S / 7512-S / 7508-S | |
| MRV208-N | |
| MRV412 | V4.9.0.0 |
| MRV412-N / MRV416-N | |
| MRV416 | |
| NV3210 / NV7508 / NV7512 / NV7516 |
ICN2038S datasheets & documentation
Official manufacturer datasheets and programming guides, hosted by Olympian LED.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ICN2038S LED driver IC?
The ICN2038S is an LED display driver chip made by Chipone. It is used on the LED module to drive the pixels.
Does NovaStar support the ICN2038S?
Yes — the ICN2038S is in NovaStar's recognized driver-IC library, and NovaLCT can auto-configure it with Smart Settings. Exact support depends on your receiving card model and firmware; upload your config to our RCFGX viewer to confirm.
How do I find out which driver IC my LED panel uses?
Open your receiving card configuration file (.rcfgx) — it records the driver IC type and firmware version. Our free online RCFGX viewer reads this for you without installing NovaLCT.