“In this guide I will go through how to build a LED matrix for the micro:bit out of LED strips. I will be using a 4x4 matrix and a 10x10 matrix as my examples. Since I work at a school, where we do a lot of building we would end going through a lot of battery holders, power supplies and micro:bit if everything had to be build into the project. On the other hand it doesn’t look very good if you just connect the micro:bit with alligator connectors, so in this guide I will also show how we build things to be taken appart again.
I have already made a short guide on how to program neopixels, but I will upload another guide latter with a bit more focus on how to program a neopixel matrix.
Supplies:Materials:
4 mm plywood
1 x TO220-3 voltage regulator
2 x 10 uF electrolytic capasitor
1 x 5 volt power supply 2 A is enough for a 4x4 matrix, but you want 4 A for a 10x10 matrix
3 x M3 25 bolts
12 x M3 Nuts
1 x Micro:bit
1 x 330 ohm resistor
1 x Two way screw terminal block connector
A strip of Micro:bit compatible neopixels. Preferable 60 LED/meter. You will need just over half a meter for the 4 x 4 matrix and just under 2 meter for the 10 x 10 matrix.
A few meters of wire. It is good if you have different colours
A small piece of soldering board
A bit of electrical tape
Wood glue
Hot glue
Tools:
Soldering tools
Lasercutter
Wirecutter
Pencil
Old brush
Hot glue gun
4 alligator jump wires”