Part 1. Preparing the RGB matrix

At this stage, you will need to solder a couple of contacts and use the sample code from Adafruit's NeoPixel Uberguide. For our project, we need two power sources — for the "raspberry" and the LED strip. For the latter, you will need to connect not only power, but also data. Everything is simple here.

If desired, you can add another strip of fabric to diffuse the bright light of the LEDs.

Connecting the data

We take any "ground" from the "raspberry" and connect it to the GND data line of the LED strip.

Connecting the power supply

This can be done either using a regular cable, according to the scheme already shown above, or using a USB cable. In this case, you need to connect here according to this scheme.

Now let's check the matrix by running the code from Adafruit

Run the "raspberry" connect the power supply of the RGB matrix, open the terminal and install the dependencies:

sudo pip3 install rpi_ws281x adafruit-circuitpython-neopixel
sudo python3 -m pip install --force-reinstall adafruit-blinka
git clone https://github.com/carolinedunn/RGBTreeTopper?
cd RGBTreeTopper

Run the code fillMatrix.py:

sudo python3 32-fillMatrix.py

If you get a rainbow, everything works, you can move on to the next stage. If something went wrong, most likely, some contacts are incorrectly connected.

Tips: If the system does not work with pin 21 of the Raspberry GPIO, try pins 10, 12, or 18. Then you need to open 32-fillMatrix.py from the scrolling Text Mask folder and update the GPIO output. In this case, you will need to change the other project files accordingly.

Stop the script using the combination Ctrl+C.