I got the idea for the pxlDigit_PCB while building the pxlDigit (article here: https://nerdiy.de/howto-elektronik-sieben-segment-ziffer-pxldigit-aus-ws2812-leds-bauen/) have come.
There, the pxlDigit is built up from individual WS2812 LED segments. To do this, the LEDs must first be glued into the 3D printed housing and then soldered together in there. Especially this step is not so easy due to the lack of space. :/
That's why I designed the pxlDigit_PCB. On it the LEDs, the ESP8285 and the rest of the electronics can be installed. So you can build, test and program the whole board first and then put it into the 3D printed case of the pxlDigit.
Thanks to the integrated USB-C port, the Digit can also be powered directly and the firmware can be programmed if necessary.
In addition, the following (optional) components can be installed on the PCB:
- BME280 Climate Sensor
- TSL2591 Brightness sensor
- MPR121 Touch sensor for up to 12 touch electrodes
I bought the board from the board manufacturer PCBWay.com which has provided me with these free of charge. At this point, thank you again for the great service and cooperation 🙂.
In the following you can see a few pictures of the finished board and (almost) all possible components. Unfortunately, some sensors such as the BME280 are very expensive or poorly available due to the current chip shortage, which is why I have not installed it.
Safety instructions
I know the following notes are always kind of annoying and seem unnecessary. Unfortunately, many people who knew "better" have lost eyes, fingers or other things due to carelessness or injured themselves. Data loss is almost negligible in comparison, but even these can be really annoying. Therefore, please take five minutes to read the safety instructions. Because even the coolest project is not worth injury or other trouble.
https://www.nerdiy.de/sicherheitshinweise/
Affiliate links/advertising links
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Requirements
For the assembly you have to master SMD soldering tasks. The following articles contain tips for this.
- Electronics - My friend the soldering iron
- Electronics – Solder THT components by hand
- Electronics – Solder SMD components by hand
Required tool:
PCB ManufacturingAll infos you need for the production of the PCBs can be found here:
The structure
In the past I often inserted single pictures here to show which components have to be soldered where on the PCB.
An even better way to get an overview of which components belong where on the PCB is shown in the following paragraph. Thanks to the work of OpenScope Project you can now generate very helpful HTML files in which you can directly see which components have to be installed where on the PCB.
You can see the overview for the pxlDigit_PCB here: pxlDigit_PCB
The current file can also be found in the GIT repository under the following link:
https://github.com/Nerdiyde/pxlDigit_PCB/blob/main/PCB/pxlDigit_PCB_v1.2_bom.html
(Please note that you have to download the HTML file to view it. Directly from the GIT repository this is not possible).
Program firmware
I am currently working on a simple Arduino library to control the digits. Until this is finished you can also use the pxlBlck firmware use. This already supports the LED matrix form of the pxlDigit and also offers useful functions for automation and control via WiFi or the serial interface. General info about the pxlBlck plugin can also be found here:
Have fun with the project
I hope everything worked as described for you. If not or you have questions or suggestions please let me know in the comments. I will then add this to the article if necessary.
Ideas for new projects are always welcome. 🙂
PS Many of these projects - especially the hardware projects - cost a lot of time and money. Of course I do this because I enjoy it, but if you think it's cool that I share the information with you, I would be happy about a small donation to the coffee fund. 🙂
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