![]() For my first I based it from my test setup which used jumper wires but to make it easier to follow I've mapped the pinout to the cable. I then soldered the ends of the wires directly to the Raspbery Pi Zero. I bought a standard 16-way ribbon cable with connector on both ends, and cut the cable into two. I therefore wired directly to the Raspberry Pi Zero as per the following instructions: Wiring diagram for Raspberry pi to RGB LED Matrix screen. Also using a HAT would make it very difficult to fit inside the enclosure I am using (a box frame). I did try a matrix HAT, but I was shipped what appars to be a faulty board. In total there are 16 connections that are needed which use up a complete ribbon connector. It needs multiple signals to drive the Matrix display including a clock, selection of the different rows and output enable as well as needing to passs the red, green and blue values separately. Instead of having an individual chip for each LED the board has a number of driver chips on the back of the module. The Matrix sounds like it may be similar in concept to the WS281x LEDs, but it's actually a bit different. Here's a video I created introducing the project. That single module still has just over 2,000 pixels which should give a reasonable blocky, but recognisable image. Unfortunately a huge display is a bit out of my budget (as well as needing dedicated hardware), but I was able to buy one 32 x 64 pixel display. These are often connected together to create a display with hundreds of thousands of pixels are more. This is a module that is designed to be used in the giant TV screens that you often see at sporting events, concerts or large advertising boards. Whilst I could display some simple images they are going to be barely recognisable. ![]() I went out and bought some weatherproof RGB LEDs, which could probably do the job, but with two bundles of 50 LEDs provided only 100 LEDs, which works out as a 10 x 10 display. However I've done lots with NeoPixels already and I wanted a bit more of a challenge, so I thought wouldn't it be nice to have a string of NeoPixels that could display a simple image. So when I created a handrail for my very steep drive, my first thought was whether I could string some NeoPixels along them to light up the way home and include a bit of a colour display at the same time. ![]() They are easy to connect with some simple electronics, easy to program and the customization options are endless. I think that the WS281x RGB LEDs are a great way of introducing people to physical computing, electronics and programming. I've also created a graphical user interface (GUI) for them using Pygame Neopixel GUI for the Raspberry Pi in Python Pygame. I've given a talk and created a workshop around them at some Raspberry Pi birthday events Disco Lights and NeoPixels at the Raspberry Pi Birthdays. I've written about their use: Raspberry Pi or Arduino NeoPixels (Smart RGB LEDs with ws281x). These are individually addressable multi-colour LEDs which can be connected together and controlled by a single pin on the Raspberry Pi. I'm a big fan of WS281x RGB LEDs, better known by the Adafruit brand name of NeoPixels. Raspberry Pi Outdoor Display and Handrail Lighting Raspberry Pi LED Matrix Display and RGB LEDs ![]()
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