MBI5043 LED Driver IC
The MBI5043 is an LED display driver chip from Macroblock 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 | MBI5043 |
| Manufacturer | Macroblock |
| Driver type | Standard |
MBI5043 technical specifications
| Output channels | 16 |
| PWM type | S-PWM |
| Grayscale (bits) | 16 |
| Output current (mA) | 1-45 |
| Max data clock (MHz) | 30 |
| Max GCLK (MHz) | 33 |
| Supply voltage (V) | 3.0-5.5 |
| Package | SSOP/TSSOP/QFN |
Key features
- Scrambled-PWM
- lower ghosting elimination
- 6-bit programmable current gain
- rising/falling edge GCLK refresh doubling
- Schmitt trigger input
- staggered output delay
Typical use: time-multiplexing LED display.
Specifications from the manufacturer datasheet (VA.00). Verify against the current datasheet for design-in.
NovaStar receiving cards & firmware that drive the MBI5043
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 MBI5043, 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 |
|---|---|
| A10s Plus-N | |
| A5s Plus | |
| A5s Plus-N | |
| A7s Plus | |
| A8s Pro | |
| A8s-N | |
| DH3208 | |
| DH7512 | |
| DH7516 | |
| DH7516-S / 7512-S / 7508-S | |
| MRV208-N | |
| MRV412 | |
| MRV412-N / MRV416-N | |
| MRV416 | |
| NV3210 / NV7508 / NV7512 / NV7516 | |
| TCC80 |
MBI5043 datasheets & documentation
Official manufacturer datasheets and programming guides, hosted by Olympian LED.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MBI5043 LED driver IC?
The MBI5043 is an LED display driver chip made by Macroblock. It is used on the LED module to drive the pixels.
Does NovaStar support the MBI5043?
Yes — the MBI5043 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.