What is LED Matrix
Using an LED Matrix as a table decoration offers several advantages over conventional decor
Components Needed
How it works
Animation logic
Further development
Benefits and impressions provided innovative

Team COBRAA:

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Published May 14, 2025 © GPL3+

Pacman Table Decorations XIAO ESP32-S3

Interactive table decoration with LED Matrix, displaying interesting animations such as Pac-Man and others.

BeginnerShowcase (no instructions)2 hours187

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Maxim Integrated MAXREFDES99# MAX7219 Display Driver Shield

Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32S3 Sense

Story

What is LED Matrix?

An LED Matrix is an electronic board composed of LEDs arranged in rows and columns (e.g., 8x8 or 8x32), enabling visual displays in the form of images or text through light combinations. To control an LED Matrix, microcontrollers such as Arduino are typically used, along with libraries like MD_MAX7

Using an LED Matrix as a table decoration offers several advantages over conventional decor:

1. Dynamic Aesthetics Unlike static decorations, an LED Matrix can display changing animations, creating a lively atmosphere on your table.

2. Personalization You can customize patterns or animations to match your mood, room theme, or special occasions (e.g., birthdays, holidays, etc.).

3. Tech-Enhanced Appeal For DIY or tech enthusiasts, it’s a perfect way to combine creativity and electronics knowledge.
Function of LED Matrix as Table
One popular implementation of the LED Matrix is to show the Pac-Man character chasing dots (food) and being followed by ghosts. This is just an early example of the simple animations that can be created.

Components Needed:

1x Arduino (eg: NodeMCU or Uno)

1x 8x32 LED Matrix Module (4 pieces 8x8 cascaded)

Jumper cables

Cardboard

USB Cable and Power Source

How it works :

1. Pair the jumper cable from Xiao ESP32S3 to MX Dot MAX7219 according to each of its ports.

2. Connect the component to use USB to C to the laptop to input data.

3. When the component has been read in the Arduino Ide application start making the code to run the animation

4. After compile seleases and run the animation

Animation logic :

Pac-man moves from right to left, opening and closing the mouth. The food point (dot) is spread on the track and disappears when it is passed. Ghosts follow from behind, with different animations. After one cycle is complete, the food point reappears, and repeats animation.

Further development

1. Interactive sensors add sound or motion sensors to make the Matrix LED respond to someone's voice or presence.

2. Bluetooth / WiFi Control Use ESP8266 or ESP32 so that the LED matrix can be controlled from a smartphone through the application.

3. Power Bank Friendly This project is quite power saving, so it can run only with a small power bank for a work desk or living room.

Benefits and impressions provided innovative:

combine technology and visual arts.

Impressive: Your guests will be amazed to see a living table decoration and change.

Education: While making it, you learn about programming, electronics, and visual design.

Conclusion

Using LED Matrix as a desk decoration is a creative way to conjure into technology elements into something artistic and personal. From iconic characters such as Pac-Man to aesthetic patterns such as flowers and liver, everything can be realized only with small LED boards and a little code. This is not just about decoration, but also about expressing creativity through technology.

Code

PACMAN AND GHOST

#include <MD_MAX72xx.h>
#include <SPI.h>

#define HARDWARE_TYPE MD_MAX72XX::FC16_HW
#define CS_PIN D3
#define MAX_DEVICES 4

MD_MAX72XX mx = MD_MAX72XX(HARDWARE_TYPE, CS_PIN, MAX_DEVICES);

const int NUM_COLS = MAX_DEVICES * 8;
bool dots[NUM_COLS];

// Sprite Pac-Man menghadap kanan (mulut terbuka)
byte pacman_open_right[8] = {
  B00111100,
  B01111110,
  B11111101,
  B11110111,
  B11100111,
  B11000011,
  B10000001,
  B01000010
};

// Sprite Pac-Man menghadap kiri (mulut terbuka)
byte pacman_open_left[8] = {
  B01000010,
  B10000001,
  B11000011,
  B11100111,
  B11101111,
  B11111011,
  B01111110,
  B00111100
};

// Pac-Man mulut tertutup (netral)
byte pacman_closed[8] = {
  B00111100,
  B01111110,
  B11111111,
  B11111111,
  B11111111,
  B11111111,
  B01111110,
  B00111100
};

// Ghost menghadap kanan
byte ghost_right[8] = {
0b01111100,
  0b11100110,
  0b01111111,
  0b00100111,
  0b00100111,
  0b01111111,
  0b11100110,
  0b01111100
};

// Ghost menghadap kiri (dibalik horizontal secara manual)
byte ghost_left[8] = {
  0b01111100,
  0b11100110,
  0b01111111,
  0b00100111,
  0b00100111,
  0b01111111,
  0b11100110,
  0b01111100
};

// Fungsi menggambar Pac-Man
void drawPacman(int pos, bool mouthOpen, bool movingRight) {
  const byte* sprite;
  if (mouthOpen) {
    sprite = movingRight ? pacman_open_right : pacman_open_left;
  } else {
    sprite = pacman_closed;
  }

  for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
    int col = pos + i;
    if (col >= 0 && col < NUM_COLS) {
      mx.setColumn(col, sprite[i]);
    }
  }
}

// Fungsi menggambar Ghost dengan arah sesuai Pac-Man
void drawGhost(int pos, bool movingRight) {
  const byte* sprite = movingRight ? ghost_right : ghost_left;

  for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
    int col = pos + i;
    if (col >= 0 && col < NUM_COLS) {
      mx.setColumn(col, sprite[i]);
    }
  }
}

// Fungsi menggambar titik-titik (dot)
void drawDots() {
  for (int i = 0; i < NUM_COLS; i++) {
    if (dots[i]) {
      mx.setPoint(3, i, true);  // Titik di baris tengah
    }
  }
}

// Cek apakah dot dimakan Pac-Man
void checkDotEaten(int pacmanPos, bool movingRight) {
  int mouthCol = movingRight ? pacmanPos + 5 : pacmanPos + 2; // Posisi mulut
  if (mouthCol >= 0 && mouthCol < NUM_COLS && dots[mouthCol]) {
    dots[mouthCol] = false;
  }
}

void setup() {
  mx.begin();
  mx.control(MD_MAX72XX::INTENSITY, 5);
  mx.clear();

  // Inisialisasi semua titik
  for (int i = 0; i < NUM_COLS; i++) {
    dots[i] = false;
  }
  for (int i = 4; i < NUM_COLS; i += 6) {
    dots[i] = true;
  }
}

void loop() {
  int ghostOffset = 12;  // Jarak ghost terhadap Pac-Man

  // Pac-Man bergerak ke kiri
  for (int pos = NUM_COLS; pos > -8 - ghostOffset; pos--) {
    mx.clear();
    drawDots();
    drawPacman(pos, (millis() % 200 < 100), false);  // Pac-Man kiri
    drawGhost(pos + ghostOffset, false);            // Ghost kiri
    checkDotEaten(pos, false);
    delay(80);
  }

  // Reset dots setelah satu putaran
  for (int i = 0; i < NUM_COLS; i++) {
    dots[i] = false;
  }
  for (int i = 4; i < NUM_COLS; i += 6) {
    dots[i] = true;
  }

  // Pac-Man bergerak ke kanan
  for (int pos = -8; pos < NUM_COLS + ghostOffset; pos++) {
    mx.clear();
    drawDots();
    drawPacman(pos, (millis() % 200 < 100), true);   // Pac-Man kanan
    drawGhost(pos - ghostOffset, true);              // Ghost kanan
    checkDotEaten(pos, true);
    delay(80);
  }

  // Reset dots lagi
  for (int i = 0; i < NUM_COLS; i++) {
    dots[i] = false;
  }
  for (int i = 4; i < NUM_COLS; i += 6) {
    dots[i] = true;
  }
}

Pacman Table Decorations XIAO ESP32-S3