Matrix panels are awesome to play with using a Raspberry Pi but why limit yourself to a 2-dimensional plane? This maker, known as M4ngolicious online, is using six panels of 64 x 64 pixels, 24,576 pixels in total, to create a portable, wireless matrix cube.
This isn't the first Raspberry Pi matrix cube we've covered but it is the first wireless one we've shared. The Pi model used in this project is a 4GB Raspberry Pi 4 with an Ice Tower cooler to keep things from getting too warm.
Some of the best Raspberry Pi projects use 3D-printed assets and this bad boy is one of them. To hold everything together, M4ngolicious designed and 3D printed custom frames for each panel along with internal structures for mounting the hardware inside. The top panel even has magnets glued into place so it can be removed to access the internal components.
Powering six matrix panels is undoubtedly a daunting task, let alone with batteries for portability, but M4ngolicious managed to pull it off with a 2200mah 3S 30C LiPo battery and two YPG 20A SBEC step down converters. The battery can last between 15 and 30 minutes but will vary depending on how bright the output is while in use.
To get images and gifs to display, M4ngolicious is using code created by Hzeller at GitHub. Check out the original project thread at Reddit to see this cube in action.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
