The LEGO of LED Displays Has Arrived

Ah, the LED matrix. A low-resolution display that is frustratingly difficult to work with normally wouldn’t be so prized, but there is something about big, blinking LEDs that makes these matrices special. If you want to spice up a smart home display, a weather station, or just about any other personal project, all you have to do is throw an LED matrix at it. And if you really want to outdo yourself, the only thing better than an LED matrix is two of them.

However, resolution aside, these displays do have some issues. As previously mentioned, they are quite difficult to work with — at least compared to an LCD display. Moreover, they are not very flexible. If you buy a 8x8 matrix, that’s what you’ve got, and that’s all there is to it. The SmartMatrix 64, however, is seeking to address these limitations. It is an 8x8 LED matrix with a built-in microcontroller that lives and breathes LED control. Best of all, these matrices can easily be linked together to form larger displays, cubes, or whatever else is called for.

The SmartMatrix 64 is designed around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1, a dual-core Xtensa LX7-based module with built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, native USB, and hardware security features like secure boot and flash encryption. By integrating the controller directly onto the board, the designers eliminate the need for an external microcontroller. Power it with 5V over USB-C, upload code via Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, or MicroPython, and you’re ready to start pushing pixels.

Each board is equipped with 64 WS2812B RGB LEDs, offering 24-bit color for 16.7 million possible hues and 256 brightness levels per channel. With 800 Kbps data transmission and refresh rates exceeding 400 Hz, animations remain smooth even when cascading large numbers of pixels. The system’s auto-reshaping signal technology helps prevent data degradation as additional boards are chained together. According to the creators, at 30 frames per second, users can drive over a thousand LEDs without noticeable signal loss.

Dual three-pin ports (data, VCC, ground) allow boards to snap together in a plug-and-play fashion. Builders can create flat panels for dashboards and news tickers, assemble LED cubes for interactive art installations, or construct sprawling display walls for events and offices. The only practical limit is the capacity of the power supply.

The boards are also equipped with an onboard gyroscope and accelerometer. This motion-sensing capability allows projects to respond physically to movement — tilt the board to scroll content, shake it to trigger animations, or rotate a cube to shift display modes. Four programmable buttons further expand interactive possibilities.

From IoT dashboards and stock tickers to music visualizers and pixel-art game walls, the SmartMatrix 64 aims to turn a once-static component into a modular, motion-aware building block. For makers who believe bigger is better — and brighter is best — the Kickstarter campaign is worth checking out. Rewards start at around $58.