Soldered Electronics
LEDs
Arduino

Maker LED Display

Arduino-programmable & Internet-connectable LED Matrix Display

$10,117 raised

of $4,500 goal

224% Funded! Order Below

Limited items in stock. Order below.

$39 - $59

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Internet Connectable LED Matrix

The Maker LED display makes using LED matrix displays simple. The ready to use, fully assembled circuit board has everything you need to run a display - just plug it in! Using and customizing the display is easy, with a specially written Arduino library and a dozen pre-made examples. Maker LED display also has Wi-Fi so it can connect to the internet to retrieve and display information. Choose between 32 x 9 pixels or 64 x 9 pixels versions and choose an LED color: white, blue, red, green, orange or purple.

Maker LED Display

LED colors, from the top: white, red, blue, green, orange & purple

Features

Small and big display

Specifications

What can Maker Display do?

Have you ever found yourself constantly checking the same data source? The number of retweets on your latest Twitter post? The stock price you invested in last week? Weather maybe? Or that Bitcoin just bought, but can’t stop checking if it reached $100k already? Since Maker LED Matrix is connectable to the internet, you can simply have any data shown at the display! Or just show any other message, picture, or animation on it. Check out these examples:

Current number of Facebook likes on your page

Current Bitcoin price

BMP images (fire shown here)

Battery status

The list goes on… you name it and you can show it!

Easy-to-use Arduino Library & Open Source

Maker display is 100% open source, including both hardware and software. The Open Source Hardware (OSH) files, include board schematics and Eagle .sch and .brd files. You want to know what and how exactly the board is working? Want to make your own version of this board? Want to connect new circuits? Thanks to these files, you will be able to.

The Arduino library made specifically for this device is open source as well. Using it is as simple as it gets, with commands for:

There is one library for Maker Display2 (32 x 9) and one for Maker Display4 (64 x 9).

Get on with hacking!

Maker Display was designed by makers, for makers, and so it’s very open to hacking and modifications. Besides being open-source, we have few others tidbits. With our NOVA programmer, which comes in Advanced kits, programming is as simple as connecting the connectors and pushing a button. The NOVA programmer will do all the heavy lifting and enable smooth code transfer.

Maker Displays are also equipped with some IO pins. There are four available on the back side, with 3.3 V voltage level logic and PWM. There are also pads for 3.3V and gnd. Finally, there is an easyC connector. EasyC is an ecosystem for I2C communication. It consists of 4-pin connector and ready-to-use cables through which I2C lines (SDA & SCL) and power lines (3 V & gnd) are connected. With every Maker Display you will receive one easyC cable, so if you want to use I2C, you don’t need to purchase extra easyC modules, and setting up an I2C device will take just a few seconds. These extra pins and connections make it extremly simple to connect your external boards, sensors, actuators, or any other circuits that you would like to have connected to your display.

Battery & Housing

Maker Display can be powered via microUSB port, such as when you use it for a long time in one place, or it can be powered with a rechargable lithium battery. There is standard JST connector on the board for the battery. If you connect the battery and microUSB cable, the battery will recharge through on-board charger. When charging is finished, the blue LED on the board will turn off indicating that charging has been finished. When powering the device with the battery, you can carry it around or use it as a wearable.

If you have access to a 3D printer, there are .stl files for the case available for 3D printing. The case will house your Maker Display and shield it from physical damages. There is also a slot for lithium battery and it will accept lasercut transparent plexiglass shield at the front side. These will be available for purchase after campaign is done, as well.

back side of the displays

Comparisons

Maker Display2 Maker Display4 MAX7219 LED MatricesAdafruit "LED Charlieplexed matrix"
Matrix size32 x 9 64 x 9 8 x 8 16 x 9
Number of LEDs288 576 64 112
WiFiYes Yes No No
LED colors availableWhite, Blue, Red, Orange, Green, Purple White, Blue, Red, Orange, Green, Purple Red Blue, Yellow, Green, Red, White, Warm White
Requries assemblyNo No Yes Yes
PowerMicro USB or Lithium battery Micro USB or lithium battery Cable wiring 5 V Cable wiring 5 V
IO pins4 IO + I2C 4 IO + I2C depends on controller depends on controller
Price (with driver and controller)$29.00 $49.00 $5.00$30.40
Price per LED$0.100 $0.085 $0.08$0.27

Manufacturing Plan

The design is verified and ready for production. E-r.io has its own in-house electronics manufacturing line. As soon as we receive funds from this campaign, we will order the PCBs and parts we need to assemble the boards. Our team is experienced in handling large manufacturing runs, so no matter the amount of the boards needed - we will be ready!

Shipping & Fulfillment

All orders will be shipped from Osijek, Croatia where we are located. We will ship orders daily as soon as we start manufacturing. Shipping to all locations is free of charge. Shipments will be made using "Priority International" mail which goes by air, but without tracking number. We have decided to go without tracking number since this is the way we are shipping most of our web store orders internationally and it works really well. If you still want to upgrade your shipping to courier DHL delivery, please contact us. Please note that, unfortunately, we are unable to provide info or support regarding importing proccess to your country. Customs will talk only to "importer", which is you in this case. There shouldn’t be any problems since parcel value is low, but this really depends on the customs laws of your country.

Risks & Challenges

Technical issues have already been sorted out. The working hardware and Arduino library have been thoroughly tested. Suppliers and backup-supplier for components & PCBs have been identified. The last possible risk might be a logistical one. When shipping stuff, a lot of things can happen which can cause delays. We will do our best and use the experience we have with shipping products worldwide in order to prevent those.

Support & Documentation

The Maker Display project is open-source. The following resources might be of interest:

All products manufactured by e-r.io are subject to free technical support. We are preparing an English language forum for this purpose. Until then, you can contact us via email for all info and support.

In the Press

Hackster News

"Working with a bare LED matrix can be pretty difficult, and usually requires additional hardware beyond the microcontroller you’re using to drive it. The new Maker LED Display is different, and makes it easy built an Internet-connected display."

MickMake

"It uses the IS31FL3731 LED matrix drivers, an ESP8266 and LiPo battery charging. Looks pretty cool."

Hackster News

"They've got an easyC connector, which allows you to attach I²C peripherals very easily... I'm putting it on my bike. It's going to be amazing. It's going to be so cool."


Ask a Question

Produced by Soldered Electronics in Osijek, Croatia.

Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.

Maker Display2 Advanced Kit

Maker Display with matrix size 32 x 9 pixels in LED color of your choice which also includes USB-UART programmer, micro USB cable and headers for easy reprogramming of the device.

$39 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

Maker Display4 Advanced Kit

Maker Display with matrix size 64 x 9 pixels in LED color of your choice which also includes USB-UART programmer, micro USB cable and headers for easy reprogramming of the device.

$59 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

About the Team

Soldered Electronics

Osijek, Croatia  ·   solderedcom  ·   solderedelectronics  ·   soldered.com

At Soldered Electronics, we craft custom electronic products for everyone from hobbyists to industry pros. Dive into our selection of electronic boards, sensors, and actuators—essential tools in realms like microelectronics, mechatronics, robotics, programming, and IoT. Every piece we sell is a product of our own design, grounded in open-source hardware and software.

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