Lib-electronic-components macroblock

Macroblock Inc. MPN encoding patterns, LED driver decoding, and handler guidance. Use when working with Macroblock LED drivers or MacroblockHandler.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/Cantara/lib-electronic-components
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/Cantara/lib-electronic-components "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/.claude/skills/manufacturers/macroblock" ~/.claude/skills/cantara-lib-electronic-components-macroblock && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: .claude/skills/manufacturers/macroblock/SKILL.md
source content

Macroblock Inc. Manufacturer Skill

MPN Structure

Macroblock specializes in LED driver ICs for displays.

MBI[SERIES][MODEL][PACKAGE][-OPTIONS]
    |   |     |       |        |
    |   |     |       |        +-- Options (TR = Tape and Reel)
    |   |     |       +-- Package code (GP, GF, GN, etc.)
    |   |     +-- Model number (024, 039, 153)
    |   +-- Series (5=constant current, 6=DC-DC, 1=scan)
    +-- MBI = Macroblock Inc.

Example Decoding

MBI5024GP
|   | | ||
|   | | |+-- P = PDIP or SOP-24 variant
|   | | +-- G = package type indicator
|   | +-- 024 = 16-channel model
|   +-- 5 = Constant current series
+-- MBI = Macroblock Inc.

MBI5153-TR
|   |   ||
|   |   |+-- TR = Tape and Reel
|   |   +-- (no package code, bare part number)
|   +-- 5153 = 48-channel model
+-- MBI = Macroblock Inc.

Product Families

MBI5xxx Series - Constant Current LED Drivers

16-bit shift register based constant current drivers. The workhorses of LED display drivers.

PartChannelsFeatures
MBI502416Basic constant current
MBI503916Error detection
MBI504016Enhanced features
MBI504116Variant
MBI504216Variant
MBI505016High-end 16-ch
MBI512416Enhanced variant
MBI515348High channel count
MBI525248Enhanced 48-ch
MBI535348Premium 48-ch

MBI6xxx Series - DC-DC LED Drivers

Switching LED drivers for backlighting and general LED lighting.

PartDescription
MBI6651DC-DC LED driver
MBI6652Enhanced variant
MBI6661High power variant

MBI1xxx Series - Scan Drivers

Row/scan drivers for LED matrix displays, work in conjunction with MBI5xxx column drivers.

PartDescription
MBI1801P-channel scan driver
MBI1802Enhanced scan driver

Package Codes

CodePackageNotes
GPSOP-24Standard SOP package
GFSSOP-24Shrink SOP
GHTSSOP-24Thin SOP
GSSSOP-24SSOP variant
GTTSSOP-24TSSOP variant
GNQFNQuad flat no-lead
GQQFNQFN variant
TETQFPThin QFP
TFTQFP-4848-pin TQFP
TPTQFP-6464-pin TQFP
SSOPSOP generic
TTSSOPTSSOP generic
NQFNQFN generic
PPDIPThrough-hole DIP

Options

SuffixMeaning
-TRTape and Reel packaging

Channel Count Reference

PartChannelsApplication
MBI502416Standard displays
MBI503916With fault detection
MBI505016Premium 16-ch
MBI515348High-density displays
MBI525248Enhanced 48-ch
MBI535348Premium 48-ch

Handler Implementation Notes

Series Extraction

// Extract series prefix (MBI + first digit)
// MBI5024GP -> MBI5
// MBI6651 -> MBI6
// MBI1801 -> MBI1

if (upperMpn.matches("^MBI5[0-9]{3}.*")) return "MBI5";
if (upperMpn.matches("^MBI6[0-9]{3}.*")) return "MBI6";
if (upperMpn.matches("^MBI1[0-9]{3}.*")) return "MBI1";

Package Code Extraction

// Pattern: MBI[156]xxx[package-code]
Pattern packagePattern = Pattern.compile("^MBI[156][0-9]{3}([A-Z]{1,2}).*$");

// Decode package using lookup table
PACKAGE_CODES.put("GP", "SOP-24");
PACKAGE_CODES.put("GF", "SSOP-24");
PACKAGE_CODES.put("GN", "QFN");

Base Part Extraction

// Extract MBI[156]xxx - the core 7-character part number
// MBI5024GP -> MBI5024
// MBI5153-TR -> MBI5153

Pattern basePattern = Pattern.compile("^(MBI[156][0-9]{3}).*$");

Matching Patterns

// MBI5xxx - Constant current LED drivers
"^MBI5[0-9]{3}[A-Z0-9-]*$"

// MBI6xxx - DC-DC LED drivers
"^MBI6[0-9]{3}[A-Z0-9-]*$"

// MBI1xxx - Scan drivers
"^MBI1[0-9]{3}[A-Z0-9-]*$"

Helper Methods

The handler provides useful helper methods:

// Get channel count for known parts
int channels = handler.getChannelCount("MBI5024");  // Returns 16

// Check driver type
handler.isConstantCurrentDriver("MBI5024");  // true
handler.isDCDCDriver("MBI6651");             // true
handler.isScanDriver("MBI1801");             // true

// Get series description
handler.getSeriesDescription("MBI5");  // "Constant Current LED Drivers"

Replacement Rules

Same Base Part, Different Package

Parts with the same base number but different packages are replacements:

  • MBI5024GP = MBI5024GF = MBI5024GN (same part, different package)
  • MBI5024 = MBI5024-TR (same part with/without tape and reel)

Same Series, Different Model

Parts in the same series with different model numbers are NOT replacements:

  • MBI5024 (16-ch) != MBI5153 (48-ch) - different channel count
  • MBI5024 != MBI5039 - different features (error detection)

Related Files

  • Handler:
    manufacturers/MacroblockHandler.java
  • Component types:
    ComponentType.IC
    ,
    ComponentType.LED_DRIVER

Common MPNs

MPNDescriptionChannels
MBI5024GPConstant current, SOP-2416
MBI5039GPWith error detection, SOP-2416
MBI5153High channel count48
MBI5252Enhanced 48-ch48
MBI6651DC-DC driverN/A
MBI1801Scan driverN/A

LED Display Architecture

Typical LED display driver setup:

MBI5xxx (Column Drivers) - Constant current sink
    |
    v
LED Matrix
    ^
    |
MBI1xxx (Row/Scan Drivers) - P-channel switch
  • MBI5xxx: Sinks current through LEDs, controls brightness via PWM
  • MBI1xxx: Selects which row of LEDs is active (scan multiplexing)

Applications

  • LED video walls
  • LED signage displays
  • Indoor/outdoor LED screens
  • LED matrix displays
  • Full-color LED panels
  • RGB LED modules
  • LED backlighting

Learnings & Edge Cases

  • MBI prefix: All Macroblock parts start with MBI.
  • Series digit significance: 5=constant current sink, 6=DC-DC driver, 1=scan driver.
  • Channel count varies: 16-channel parts (MBI50xx) vs 48-channel (MBI51xx/52xx/53xx).
  • Package suffix position: 1-2 letters immediately after the 4-digit model number.
  • No manufacturer-specific ComponentTypes: Handler uses generic IC and LED_DRIVER types.
  • -TR suffix: Tape and Reel is packaging option, not a different part.
  • Column vs Row drivers: MBI5xxx drives columns (current sink), MBI1xxx drives rows (switch).
  • Error detection feature: MBI5039 has built-in LED open/short detection.
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