LED Matrix

Back in June 2020, I created my own LED matrix panel from scratch. I cut up a strip of individually addressable LEDs to create a 16 by 9 panel. I attached them onto a plastic board and soldered the ends together so they can all be controlled by a small ESP-32 Arduino chip.  

Writing the code was challenging but in the end it turned out well. I wrote it in C and I used some public libraries to help me. The biggest challenge was that I couldn’t find any libraries to do what I want. I wanted to be able to input text, and have that scroll across the screen. It took some planning but I ended up assigning each letter to set of vertical columns with certain LEDs on and off. Then, these columns would scroll across the screen with an adjustable screen. 

I also created an android app to control the panel once the code was finished. I used the MIT app inventor, and it connects to the Arduino using Bluetooth. It’s a very basic app, but you can input text, change the colors, and run some other effects.