Hackster is hosting Hackster Holidays, Ep. 6: Livestream & Giveaway Drawing. Watch previous episodes or stream live on Monday!Stream Hackster Holidays, Ep. 6 on Monday!

Oak Development Technologies' PixelWing Matrix Packs an ESP32-S2 Behind a 10x5 RGB LED Matrix

Compact display board includes Wi-Fi connectivity and an on-board microcontroller — plus Qwiic/STEMMA-QT connectivity for sensors.

Oak Development Technologies is back with a new board design, this time aiming at making connected display projects a little easier: the PixelWing Matrix, a CircuitPython-compatible LED matrix built around an Espressif ESP32-S2 microcontroller.

"This board was made because all the other RGB matrix have to be hooked up to an external microcontroller which can sometimes be frustrating," explains hardware developer Seth Kerr of his latest design. "This board combines a 1:2 RGB matrix with a powerful and popular Wi-Fi module from Espressif, the ESP32-S2. With additional support for I2C via a JST connector, this board provides and fun and unique addition to your project."

The front of the PixelWing Matrix is a 10x5 matrix of SK6812mini RGB LEDs, with physical buttons for reset and boot select; the rear houses an ESP32-S2-WROVER module which handles microcontroller and Wi-Fi connectivity duties, alongside a USB Type-C connector for data and power.

To expand the device's capabilities, Kerr has also included a Qwiic/STEMMA QT-compatible I2C connector — giving the PixelWing Matrix out-of-the-box compatibility with any sensor add-on board supported in CircuitPython.

The PixelWing Matrix is available to buy on the Oak Development Technologies Tindie store at $39.95.

Gareth Halfacree
Freelance journalist, technical author, hacker, tinkerer, erstwhile sysadmin. For hire: freelance@halfacree.co.uk.
Latest articles
Sponsored articles
Related articles
Latest articles
Read more
Related articles