MAX7219/MAX7221 are compact, serial input/output common-cathode display drivers that interface microprocessors (µPs) to 7-segment numeric LED displays of up to 8 digits, bar-graph displays, or 64 individual LEDs. If you want to connect a few of these cheap led matrixes that are based on MAX7219 to your arduino you are going to need a library such as LedControl or MaxMatrix. For my tests I chose the later one. Check below the code and a video to see it in action.

/*
 Interactive scrolling led sign for Arduino and MAX7219 8x8 LED Display
 
 This is the code I use to control the MAX7219 8x8 LED modules from my
 Chinese "Geekcreit"-brand Arduino clone.
 
 The first module is connected to the Uno like this:
 
 Module: VCC -> Uno: 5V
 Module: GND -> Uno: GND
 Module: DIN -> Uno: D8
 Module: CS  -> Uno: D9
 Module: CLK -> Uno: D10
 
 Additional modules are connected like this:
 
 Module 2: VCC -> Module 1: VCC
 Module 2: GND -> Module 1: GND
 Module 2: DIN -> Module 1: DIN
 Module 2: CS  -> Module 1: CS
 Module 2: CLK -> Module 1: CLK
 
 See the blog post at https://oneguyoneblog.com/2016/10/20/max7219-arduino-ticker-8x8-led-modules/
 */

#include <MaxMatrix.h>
#include <avr/pgmspace.h>

PROGMEM const unsigned char CH[] = {
  3, 8, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // space
  1, 8, B01011111, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // !
  3, 8, B00000011, B00000000, B00000011, B00000000, B00000000, // "
  5, 8, B00010100, B00111110, B00010100, B00111110, B00010100, // #
  4, 8, B00100100, B01101010, B00101011, B00010010, B00000000, // $
  5, 8, B01100011, B00010011, B00001000, B01100100, B01100011, // %
  5, 8, B00110110, B01001001, B01010110, B00100000, B01010000, // &
  1, 8, B00000011, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // '
  3, 8, B00011100, B00100010, B01000001, B00000000, B00000000, // (
  3, 8, B01000001, B00100010, B00011100, B00000000, B00000000, // )
  5, 8, B00101000, B00011000, B00001110, B00011000, B00101000, // *
  5, 8, B00001000, B00001000, B00111110, B00001000, B00001000, // +
  2, 8, B10110000, B01110000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // ,
  4, 8, B00001000, B00001000, B00001000, B00001000, B00000000, // -
  2, 8, B01100000, B01100000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // .
  4, 8, B01100000, B00011000, B00000110, B00000001, B00000000, // /
  4, 8, B00111110, B01000001, B01000001, B00111110, B00000000, // 0
  3, 8, B01000010, B01111111, B01000000, B00000000, B00000000, // 1
  4, 8, B01100010, B01010001, B01001001, B01000110, B00000000, // 2
  4, 8, B00100010, B01000001, B01001001, B00110110, B00000000, // 3
  4, 8, B00011000, B00010100, B00010010, B01111111, B00000000, // 4
  4, 8, B00100111, B01000101, B01000101, B00111001, B00000000, // 5
  4, 8, B00111110, B01001001, B01001001, B00110000, B00000000, // 6
  4, 8, B01100001, B00010001, B00001001, B00000111, B00000000, // 7
  4, 8, B00110110, B01001001, B01001001, B00110110, B00000000, // 8
  4, 8, B00000110, B01001001, B01001001, B00111110, B00000000, // 9
  2, 8, B01010000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // :
  2, 8, B10000000, B01010000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // ;
  3, 8, B00010000, B00101000, B01000100, B00000000, B00000000, // <
  3, 8, B00010100, B00010100, B00010100, B00000000, B00000000, // =
  3, 8, B01000100, B00101000, B00010000, B00000000, B00000000, // >
  4, 8, B00000010, B01011001, B00001001, B00000110, B00000000, // ?
  5, 8, B00111110, B01001001, B01010101, B01011101, B00001110, // @
  4, 8, B01111110, B00010001, B00010001, B01111110, B00000000, // A
  4, 8, B01111111, B01001001, B01001001, B00110110, B00000000, // B
  4, 8, B00111110, B01000001, B01000001, B00100010, B00000000, // C
  4, 8, B01111111, B01000001, B01000001, B00111110, B00000000, // D
  4, 8, B01111111, B01001001, B01001001, B01000001, B00000000, // E
  4, 8, B01111111, B00001001, B00001001, B00000001, B00000000, // F
  4, 8, B00111110, B01000001, B01001001, B01111010, B00000000, // G
  4, 8, B01111111, B00001000, B00001000, B01111111, B00000000, // H
  3, 8, B01000001, B01111111, B01000001, B00000000, B00000000, // I
  4, 8, B00110000, B01000000, B01000001, B00111111, B00000000, // J
  4, 8, B01111111, B00001000, B00010100, B01100011, B00000000, // K
  4, 8, B01111111, B01000000, B01000000, B01000000, B00000000, // L
  5, 8, B01111111, B00000010, B00001100, B00000010, B01111111, // M
  5, 8, B01111111, B00000100, B00001000, B00010000, B01111111, // N
  4, 8, B00111110, B01000001, B01000001, B00111110, B00000000, // O
  4, 8, B01111111, B00001001, B00001001, B00000110, B00000000, // P
  4, 8, B00111110, B01000001, B01000001, B10111110, B00000000, // Q
  4, 8, B01111111, B00001001, B00001001, B01110110, B00000000, // R
  4, 8, B01000110, B01001001, B01001001, B00110010, B00000000, // S
  5, 8, B00000001, B00000001, B01111111, B00000001, B00000001, // T
  4, 8, B00111111, B01000000, B01000000, B00111111, B00000000, // U
  5, 8, B00001111, B00110000, B01000000, B00110000, B00001111, // V
  5, 8, B00111111, B01000000, B00111000, B01000000, B00111111, // W
  5, 8, B01100011, B00010100, B00001000, B00010100, B01100011, // X
  5, 8, B00000111, B00001000, B01110000, B00001000, B00000111, // Y
  4, 8, B01100001, B01010001, B01001001, B01000111, B00000000, // Z
  2, 8, B01111111, B01000001, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // [
  4, 8, B00000001, B00000110, B00011000, B01100000, B00000000, // \ backslash
  2, 8, B01000001, B01111111, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // ]
  3, 8, B00000010, B00000001, B00000010, B00000000, B00000000, // hat
  4, 8, B01000000, B01000000, B01000000, B01000000, B00000000, // _
  2, 8, B00000001, B00000010, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // `
  4, 8, B00100000, B01010100, B01010100, B01111000, B00000000, // a
  4, 8, B01111111, B01000100, B01000100, B00111000, B00000000, // b
  4, 8, B00111000, B01000100, B01000100, B00101000, B00000000, // c
  4, 8, B00111000, B01000100, B01000100, B01111111, B00000000, // d
  4, 8, B00111000, B01010100, B01010100, B00011000, B00000000, // e
  3, 8, B00000100, B01111110, B00000101, B00000000, B00000000, // f
  4, 8, B10011000, B10100100, B10100100, B01111000, B00000000, // g
  4, 8, B01111111, B00000100, B00000100, B01111000, B00000000, // h
  3, 8, B01000100, B01111101, B01000000, B00000000, B00000000, // i
  4, 8, B01000000, B10000000, B10000100, B01111101, B00000000, // j
  4, 8, B01111111, B00010000, B00101000, B01000100, B00000000, // k
  3, 8, B01000001, B01111111, B01000000, B00000000, B00000000, // l
  5, 8, B01111100, B00000100, B01111100, B00000100, B01111000, // m
  4, 8, B01111100, B00000100, B00000100, B01111000, B00000000, // n
  4, 8, B00111000, B01000100, B01000100, B00111000, B00000000, // o
  4, 8, B11111100, B00100100, B00100100, B00011000, B00000000, // p
  4, 8, B00011000, B00100100, B00100100, B11111100, B00000000, // q
  4, 8, B01111100, B00001000, B00000100, B00000100, B00000000, // r
  4, 8, B01001000, B01010100, B01010100, B00100100, B00000000, // s
  3, 8, B00000100, B00111111, B01000100, B00000000, B00000000, // t
  4, 8, B00111100, B01000000, B01000000, B01111100, B00000000, // u
  5, 8, B00011100, B00100000, B01000000, B00100000, B00011100, // v
  5, 8, B00111100, B01000000, B00111100, B01000000, B00111100, // w
  5, 8, B01000100, B00101000, B00010000, B00101000, B01000100, // x
  4, 8, B10011100, B10100000, B10100000, B01111100, B00000000, // y
  3, 8, B01100100, B01010100, B01001100, B00000000, B00000000, // z
  3, 8, B00001000, B00110110, B01000001, B00000000, B00000000, // {
  1, 8, B01111111, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, B00000000, // |
  3, 8, B01000001, B00110110, B00001000, B00000000, B00000000, // }
  4, 8, B00001000, B00000100, B00001000, B00000100, B00000000, // ~
};

int data = 8;    // DIN pin of MAX7219 displays
int load = 9;    // CS pin of MAX7219 displays
int clock = 10;  // CLK pin of MAX7219 displays
int scrollSpeed = 150; // speed of scrolling text, lower is faster
int maxInUse = 5;  //Number of MAX7219 displays

MaxMatrix m(data, load, clock, maxInUse); // define Library

byte buffer[10];
char inData[64] = "Check Flybreak.com!"; // The string (max 64 bytes)
char inChar; // Where to store the character read
byte index = 0; // Index into array; where to store the character

void setup(){
  m.init(); // init display
  m.setIntensity(7); // LED light intensity from 0 (dimmest) to 15
  Serial.begin(9600); // init serial connection
}

void loop(){

// Get input from serial connection
  index=0;
  while(Serial.available() > 0) // Don't read unless there is data
  {

    if(index < 63) // One less than the size of the array
    {
      inChar = Serial.read(); // Read a character
      Serial.write(inChar);
      inData[index] = inChar; // Store it
      index++; // Increment where to write next
      inData[index] = '\0'; // Null terminate the string
    }       
  }

  byte c;
  delay(100);
  m.shiftLeft(false, true);
  printStringWithShift(inData, scrollSpeed);  // Send scrolling Text
  clearLCD(maxInUse, scrollSpeed);
}

// Put extracted character on Display
void printCharWithShift(char c, int shift_speed){

  if (c < 32) return;
  c -= 32;
  memcpy_P(buffer, CH + 7*c, 7);
  m.writeSprite(maxInUse*8, 0, buffer);
  m.setColumn(maxInUse*8 + buffer[0], 0);

  for (int i=0; i<buffer[0]+1; i++) 
  {
    delay(shift_speed);
    m.shiftLeft(false, false);
  }
}

// Extract characters from Scrolling text
void printStringWithShift(char* s, int shift_speed){

  while (*s != 0){
    printCharWithShift(*s, shift_speed);
    s++;
  }
}

// Add trailing space to clear the display
void clearLCD(int maxInUse, int shift_speed){

  for (int i=0; i<maxInUse*8; i++) 
  {
    m.setColumn((maxInUse*8), 0);
    delay(shift_speed);
    m.shiftLeft(false, false);
  }
}

 

I bought mine from this seller