12"x6" LED Animation Display with a Raspberry Pi-Powered P5 Panel

It’s now August, meaning that if you’d like something awesome, it’s not too early to start thinking about your Halloween or even Christmas…

Jeremy Cook
5 years ago3D Printing

It’s now August, meaning that if you’d like something awesome, it’s not too early to start thinking about your Halloween or even Christmas decorations. Or perhaps you could even put up Thanksgiving lighting if you really want to stand out.

While making a custom display is never easy, this 12 x 6-inch, 2048-pixel P5 LED panel from Tom Hammond looks like a great place to start. The build process is described quite well in the project’s write-up, and includes a very nice 3D-printed enclosure/bracket system that can be downloaded from Thingiverse.

The portable, self-contained device is designed around the Raspberry Pi Zero W, allowing it to generate its own WiFi hotspot for wireless control. Power is supplied through a built-in USB power pack, which provides at least five hours of runtime, or you can plug it into the wall for continuous use.

Animations are shown on the P5 panel using Falcon Player, which are created using a program called xLights. The design looks like a really versatile and nicely finished setup, and would be a great way to make your table stand out at an event, Maker Faire, or “anywhere that benefits from a bright, colorful display.” You can see different animations on it in the video below, and if you forward to around 5:00, you’ll see that Hammond is in fact already thinking about the holidays!

Jeremy Cook
Engineer, maker of random contraptions, love learning about tech. Write for various publications, including Hackster!
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