The idea for the pxlDigit_PCB came to me while building the first version of the pxlDigit (article here: https://nerdiy.de/en/howto-elektronik-sieben-segment-ziffer-pxldigit-aus-ws2812-leds-bauen/).
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. This step in particular is not that easy due to the lack of space. : /
That's why I designed the pxlDigit_PCB. The LEDs, the ESP8285 and the rest of the electronics can be installed on it. So you can first assemble, test and program the entire circuit board and then insert it into the 3D printed housing of the pxlDigit.
Thanks to the integrated USB-C connection, the Digit can also be supplied directly with power and, if necessary, the firmware can be programmed.
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 had the circuit board manufactured by the circuit board manufacturer PCBWay.com , who made it available to me 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 fully assembled circuit board and (almost) all possible components. Unfortunately, due to the current shortage of chips, some sensors such as the BME280 are very expensive or poorly available, which is why I did not install it.
Safety instructions
I know the following hints are always a bit annoying and seem unnecessary. But unfortunately, many people who knew it "better" from carelessness lost their eyes, fingers or other things or hurt themselves. In comparison, a loss of data is almost not worth mentioning, but even these can be really annoying. Therefore, please take five minutes to read the safety instructions. Even the coolest project is worth no injury or other annoyance. https://www.nerdiy.de/en/sicherheitshinweise/
Affiliate links / advertising links
The links to online stores listed here are so-called affiliate links. If you click on such an affiliate link and store via this link, Nerdiy.de receives a commission from the online store or provider concerned. The price doesn't change for you. If you do your purchases via these links, you will support Nerdiy.de in being able to offer further useful projects in the future. 🙂
Requirements
For the construction you have to master SMD soldering tasks. The following articles provide tips on how to do this.
- Electronics—My friend the soldering iron
- Electronics – Soldering THT components by hand
- Electronics - Soldering SMD components by hand
Required tools:
PCB manufacturing: You can find all the information you need to manufacture PCBs here:
The Assembly
In the past I have often inserted individual pictures at this point showing 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 can be seen in the following paragraph. Thanks to the work of the OpenScope Project, you can now generate very helpful HTML files in which you can see directly 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 in order to display it. This is not possible directly from the GIT repository.)
Programming firmware
I'm currently still working on a simple Arduino library to control the digits. Until this is finished you can also use the pxlBlck firmware . 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 information about the pxlBlck plugin can also be found here:
Have fun with the project
I hope everything worked as described. If not or you have any other questions or suggestions, please let me know in the comments. Also, ideas for new projects are always welcome. 🙂
P.S. 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 appreciate that I share this information with you, I would be happy about a small donation to the coffee box. 🙂
English 
Deutsch 
Français 
Español 
Português do Brasil 
Nederlands