Crossroads,
Thanks for your input -- I went ahead and purchased several MAX7219 chips.
As far as the inner digit is concerned, I had originally planned to wire 11-12 leds in parallel with a single resistor to create segments -- However it looks like each segment could consume as much as 240ma (at 5v, 20ma per led). From the datasheet, I can see that the TPIC6B595 can only handle around 150ma continuous per pin. Is there a more robust version of the TPIC6B595 that could accommodate this, or would you recommend wiring the segments differently? I've planned everything around 5v because I've already acquired a 5v power supply.
Alternatively, could I just control the segments from a third daisy-chained MAX7219?
Thanks for your help -- This is great for a beginner like me.
Andrew