https://github.com/johansatge/boxel
Wooden box / Raspberry Pi / LED matrix / Node.js
https://github.com/johansatge/boxel
diy led leds nodejs raspberry-pi
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Wooden box / Raspberry Pi / LED matrix / Node.js
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/johansatge/boxel
- Owner: johansatge
- License: mit
- Created: 2019-05-25T12:38:34.000Z (about 7 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2020-07-11T19:21:20.000Z (almost 6 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-02-10T07:16:39.157Z (over 1 year ago)
- Topics: diy, led, leds, nodejs, raspberry-pi
- Language: JavaScript
- Homepage:
- Size: 4.84 MB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: readme.md
- License: license.md
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README
Boxel is a wooden box that contains a Raspberry Pi and a 32x32 LED matrix.
A local HTTP server allows any device on the same network to act as a remote controller to choose among several modes: digital clock, weather stats and forecast, digital photo frame, and so on.
* 📸 **[Making-of & pictures](media)**
* 🛠️ **[Material](#material)**
* 🔌 **[Wiring](#wiring)**
* 🎛️ **[Available modes](#available-modes)**
* 💾 **[Software installation](#software-installation)**
* ⚠️ **[Todos and known issues](#todos-and-known-issues)**
* 💡 **[Credits](#credits)**
## Material
* Raspberry Pi with a 40 pin GPIO header (tested with a `Pi 2 Model B Rev 1.1`)
* 32x32 LED matrix and its DC cable
* 14 female to female jumper wires
* DC to female 2.1mm Jack adapter
* 5V male Jack to male USB adapter (1A)
* Micro USB to USB adapter (2.4A)
* USB to AC adapter (5V 3.4A with 2 ports)
* USB Wi-Fi dongle
* A few wooden planks, screws, small shelf brackets
## Wiring
I could not find the original wiring schema that was used for this project, so here is the current one that works (the matrix must be powered with its own cable)
|Matrix|R0|G0|B0|Ground|R1|G1|B1|A|B|C|D|CLK|STB|OE|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|GPIO|23|13|26|6|24|21|19|15|16|18|22|11|7|12|
## Available modes
* Digital clock ([source](app/modes/clock))
* Netatmo weather report ([source](app/modes/netatmo))
* Pomodoro ([source](app/modes/pomodoro))
* Random pixels ([source](app/modes/random))
* Digital frame ([source](app/modes/frame))
## Software installation
### On the dev machine
Clone the project and install the dependencies:
```
git clone git@github.com:johansatge/boxel.git
cd boxel/app
npm install
```
Start the app in dry run (so it doesn't try to initialize the LED matrix):
```
node app/index.js --dry-run
```
### On the Raspberry Pi
#### Base install
* Use [Raspberry Pi Imager](https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/) to install the latest Raspbian on the SD card (tested version: `10 Buster`)
* From the GUI (`startx`), configure:
* The user (`pi`), current date & time, location
* The wifi
* Enable SSH & [configure a key](https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/remote-access/ssh/passwordless.md) if needed
* Disable on-board sound in `/boot/config.txt` by setting `dtparam=audio=off`
#### Node.js
Install Node.js LTS (tested version: `node 12.16.2` / `npm 6.14.4`)
```
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_12.x | sudo bash -
sudo apt-get install nodejs
```
#### Project installation
From the dev machine, sync the app:
```bash
sh sync.sh
```
On the Pi, install the dependencies:
```bash
cd /home/pi/boxel-app
npm install
```
Create a state file and make sure it's writable:
```bash
touch /home/pi/boxel-app/.state.json
chmod 777 /home/pi/boxel-app/.state.json
# Todo: check what user is node using to give proper r/w permissions
```
Create a file to expose Netatmo credentials:
```bash
touch /home/pi/boxel-app/.netatmo.json
# The file looks like this:
# {
# "clientId": "aaaa",
# "clientSecret": "bbbb",
# "username": "cccc",
# "password": "dddd"
# }
```
Finally, start the app:
```bash
sudo node /home/pi/boxel-app/index.js
```
Or alternatively, start the app on the dev machine in dry run mode.
This will start the server but prevent the app from connecting to the matrix:
```bash
node index.js --dry-run
```
## Todos and known issues
### Todos
* [ ] Add a brightness menu
* A slider somewhere in the UI (in the header?)
* When the slider is used, store the requested brightness in the app state, and forward it to the matrix
* [ ] In the `frame` mode, if the uploaded image is not 32x32:
* Crop it to a square format
* Resize/resample it to 32x32 (client-side)
* [ ] Add a sleep button in the header to turn off the matrix without shutting down the Raspberry
* Easy alternative/first step: add an `idle` mode that does nothing
### Known issues
* Enabling and disabling modes is synchronous (it was easier to implement)
* It means the activation workflow of a mode is limited: it's not possible to validate the input data asynchronously, for instance
* The `netatmo` mode may break the display if the mode is changed while it's processing (see comment in the code)
## Credits
* [hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix](https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix)
* [alexeden/rpi-led-matrix](https://github.com/alexeden/rpi-led-matrix) (Node binding for the original library)
* [Connecting a 16x32 RGB led matrix panel to a Raspberry Pi](https://learn.adafruit.com/connecting-a-16x32-rgb-led-matrix-panel-to-a-raspberry-pi/wiring-the-display)