what's the difference???

what's the difference?

max7219
max7219EWG
max7219CWG
max7219CNG

SOP-24
DIP-16
SOIC

can't they just make 1 chip and leave it at that? why make things so complicated.. so if somebody could explain all this, it would help out a lot..

thanks in advance

No they can't.

Your question is answered in the top right corner right center of page 1 of the official datasheet
There are differences, and to be sure what part you have or are ordering, you need to be sure to use the correct part number, including these suffixes.

i just want to drive:
regular leds
RGB leds

and the following:

and

so which one should i get? so i can get a bunch of them

Let me guess.
These aren't going to be used in critical medical or military equipment, so you don't need an extended temperature range ?
And you want them to fit your breadboard ?

If so, get the CNG.
They'll operate well in your room, and they will directly fit in your breadboard.
Bonus is, they will probably the cheapest ones (maybe CWG is cheaper as they use less material).

why make things so complicated.

If you learn to read the datasheet, life wouldn't be so complicated.

why make things so complicated.

Simple, that's so all the EE engineers can make the big bucks because they know all that stuff. Otherwise the marketing guys would design the stuff and not need an engineering department at all. :wink:

Lefyt

The extended temperature version is a few dollars more expensive. If your project won't be experiencing below 0C temperatures, no need to get the more expensive stuff.