What is it?
ESP8266 Led Matrix Clock is and entry-level DIY kit, designed as fun activity one can complete in one evening.
Key component of the board is a Wemos ESP8266 mini board, that is connected to MAX7219 driven 8×32 LED matrix.
I designed it to assemble it together with my 6-years old son. End result is internet-synchronized digital clock with dynamic brightness and customizable UI.
Main features
- Wemos D1 Mini MCU board
- MAX7219 driven 4×32 LED matrix
- Piezo-speaker
- M3 harness that keeps it in one piece
How to use it
Soldering
Kit includes all headers and connectors you need to make it work. However you’d need to have soldering iron and small piece of soldering wire.
Soldering job will take 10 to 60 minutes depending on your skills.
Using Platformio and included samples
Linked below is a repo with sample Platformio project, so please follow the official Platformio installation guide first.
Open included firmware and build project using Platformio: Build task. Flash firmware to target using Platformio: Upload task. Platformio will handle all the framework and library dependencies automatically.
Firmware uses WiFiManager for wifi configuration. First time device will not find known WiFi nework and will start its own named ESP-XXXXXX, with ChipId suffix. Connect to that network, you will be redirected to captive portal and prompted for WiFi credentials. From this moment forward device will connect to known network automatically.
How does it look like
Documentation
Both software and hardware documentation can be found on project’s Github. You can follow project progress at Hackaday
Where to buy
You may support our work by ordering this product at Tindie