The PrismPixel Display
Jay Mckinley
In this project, an interactive LED panel was designed and fabricated to be controllable via a mobile application. The process involved creating 4 LED matrix panels using pick-and-place technology and surface mount soldering techniques. An ESP32 microcontroller and support circuitry were then soldered onto one of the LED panels. Multiple panels were soldered together, and a strand test was run to ensure all hardware was working correctly. The LED matrix was programmed with the WLED software, the panel was configured, and the project was controlled with a phone. A custom laser-cut diffusion grid was created to improve the pixel effect of the LED panel, and corner standoffs were designed to mount the PCB panels to the diffusion screen. Finally, the PCB panel was attached to the diffusion screen, final hardware was added, and the display was customized with pixel art. As an additional two second hand softwares, "Magic Pixel tool" and "Piskel" were used to create a custom 10x10 animated display.
The initial steps of the project involved creating the foundation for the LED panel. This included fabricating four LED matrix panels with surface mount soldering techniques. One of these panels supports an ESP32 microcontroller and support circuitry. Multiple panels were then soldered together and tested.
The next steps focused on programming and configuring the LED matrix panel. This included installing the WLED software, configuring the panel's settings, and testing various effects and animations. Additionally, a custom laser-cut diffusion grid was created to enhance the pixel effect of the panel, and corner standoffs were designed and assembled to mount the PCB panels to the diffusion screen.
The softwares Magic Pixel tool" and "Piskel" were used to create a custom 10x10 animated display. 24 frames were created to give a rolling eye effect and were saved to the Wled Library as prsets and played as a playlist.
