ULTiM8x8: An Expandable, Solderless RGB LED Panel System

LED technology has marched forward in the last few years, with three and four-color modules becoming more common. These modules can be combined into matrices, which can then be joined to create even more amazing projects and installations!

Taking things yet another step further is the ULTiM8x8 LED panel platform from Maniacal Labs and WyoLum. While it’s being billed as the smallest stackable 5050 RGB LED matrix board, what really sets it apart are its mechanical connections.

Rather than soldering boards together to form a single large display, you can connect them with threaded metal posts and a convenient bus system, which sports an Adafruit Feather footprint. Up to three ULTiM8x8 panels can fit on a single busbar.

ULTiM8x8 runs on 5V and uses APA102C LED, which is supported by both the Arduino-compatible FastLED animation library, as well as the BiblioPixel Python library. It is also works with Manaical Labs’ AllPixel and AllPixel Mini LED controllers.

Looking for an easy way to start using addressable RGB LED panels? Back ULTiM8x8 on Crowd Supply today, or check out its design files over on GitHub.