Pixblasters Video LED Controller: Combine with LED strips to create a huge display that acts as a regular video monitor (PCB, schematic, demo source code)

Easily build a professional LED video display

Huge, shiny, beautiful video displays with thousands of LEDs have always been out of reach of enthusiasts and small business owners due to their high cost and complexity. Pixblasters MS1 changes all that.

Pixblasters MS1 enables DIY enthusiasts and signage professionals, even those with minimal technical skills, to turn a bunch of addressable RGB LED strips into a giant video LED display. This FPGA-based LED controller enables new levels of professional-grade digital signage not possible with standard LED modules. LED strips can be bent and glued to different surfaces to create massive yet economically viable video installations that can span entire buildings.

Main features

    Easy to use with any computer, any operating system:

Pixblasters connect to any computer as a normal external monitor, no programming required. You can use it with Raspberry Pi, PC, media box, phone and more. Simply plug in the monitor cable and the controller will smoothly drive the LEDs at a maximum frame rate of 60 fps.

    Intuitive display of content and management:

Whatever is shown in the selected portion of the monitor image will also appear on the LEDs. No special anti-aliasing or font software is required. Use any digital signage software and add layered screen partitions, text, animations, videos, RSS... LEDs work at maximum speed and perfectly synchronized, regardless of the number of LEDs and linked MS1 controllers or display size.

    Display size and resolution:

A single MS1 can control 4.7/17.7 square meters (~50.6/190.5 square feet), while a daisy-chain MS1 ​​can control hundreds of square meters of LED display using 30 to 60 LED strips. A daisy-chain controller driving a total of 16,384 LEDs can support high-definition LED displays.

    Remotely controllable and customizable:

Control it remotely from anywhere in the world via the trip computer's web interface. Don't worry about the architecture of the LED display. Users with special display applications, such as large real-time schedules and scoreboards, can develop custom software for their computer monitors.

    Open source FPGA demo:

Use the hardware platform to experiment and learn about driving RGB LEDs. Note: The open source FPGA demo design supports a subset of the full-featured Pixblasters MS1 LED controller.

feature

    The Xilinx® Spartan®-6 XC6LX9-3 FPGA chip
    has an onboard Microchip PIC18F26J50 microcontroller:
        The microcontroller connects to the PC, runs the configuration software, and permanently stores the configuration data. It also allows simple firmware updates with any new features.
    Output resolution (horizontal x vertical): 512 x 32 (native), 256 x 64, 128 x 128, 180 x 96, etc.
    Board size: 95 x 100 mm
    LED details:
        32 LEDs Digital outputs: Up to 512 LEDs per output
        WS2812B/SK6812 LED display Max frame rate: 60 fps
        Currently supported LED types: WS2811, WS2812, WS2812B, SK6812
        supports RGB666 (256K colors) color format
        Maximum drive capability of a single MS1 controller is 16,384 RGB LEDs
        5 VDC 24 mA Digital output compatible with the most popular RGB LED types
    Connectivity:
        HDMI video input allows easy connection from your computer - if your computer has DVI® output, it can also be used with adapter cables
        Push-in power and signal connectors Easily wired without soldering
        Verified with different computers and different operating systems: Raspberry Pi Linux, Microsoft® Windows® PC, Media Box, Phones and Tablets...
        Onboard EDID flash automatically connects to any computer and any operating system
    Power Supply:
        Protected 5 VDC power input
        LED power supply requires separate wiring to meet the power and current requirements of a giant LED display
    Display Controls:
        Cropped image window
        Display format
        LED timing parameters
        Support for different video resolutions (max 720p - 1280 x 720 at 60 fps)
        Integrated video input Cropping and mirroring
        Multi-row
        LEDs per output mode Gamma correction
    Daisy chaining Multiple controllers:
        each Both MS1 boards can work as a master or slave video controller.
        The daisy chain controller can drive over 200,000 perfectly synchronized LEDs arranged in different ways in a high-definition LED display.
        High-speed video links between MS1 ​​boards ensure maximum. fps and synchronization
        Low-speed control link interface
        Video and control links use universal UTP cables (Ethernet)
        On-board DIP switches allow easy selection of master, slave and six other FPGA configurations, including user-defined FPGA configurations
        Single digital output capable of driving Multiple output video levels
        Menu fully customizable from PC connected via USB serial cable