64x32 Flexible RGB LED Matrix - 5mm Pitch

If you've played with multiplexed RGB matrices, you may have wondered "hey, could we possibly manufacture these on a thin enough PCB so it's flexible?" and the answer is Yes! This LED panel is just like rigid 64x32 style ones, but without the plastic supports. This matrix has a thin, bendable PCB backing that can be gently bent and curved around surfaces. 

Please note: Flexible PCBs are not designed for repeated flexing! While we think this product may work in wearables or architectural lighting, or other situations where the matrix is bent around, we do not offer any guarantees or refunds if you end up cracking the LEDs or traces! This is for advanced makers only, who are comfortable with the high current requirements and protecting the matrix from damage. There are no returns, refunds or replacements for damaged product. You cannot cut these panels into custom shapes as data/power lines run through the entire body of the PCB.

This version is the 5mm pitch 64x32 Flexible RGB LED Matrix. Please note you cannot use an Arduino UNO to drive this size, its way too big! Use an Arduino Mega, Raspberry Pi, BBB or other device that can handle displaying to RGB matricies and has plenty of RAM.

This matrix has 2048 bright RGB LEDs arranged in a 64x32 grid on the front. On the back there are two IDC connectors (one input, one output: in theory you can chain these together) and 12 16-bit latches that allow you to drive the display with a 1:16 scan rate.

These displays are technically 'chainable' - connect one output to the next input - but our Arduino example code does not support this (yet). You're best off using a Raspberry Pi or other fast computer that can drive RGB matrices.

These panels require 13 digital pins (6 bit data, 7 bit control) and a good 5V supply, up to 4A per panel. We suggest our 4A regulated 5V adapter and then connecting a 2.1mm jack. Please check out our tutorial for more details!

Comes with:

• A single 64x32 RGB panel
• An IDC cable
• A plug in power cable

RAM & Processor Requirements

Keep in mind that these displays were designed to be driven by FPGAs or other high speed processors: they do not have built in PWM control of any kind. Instead, you're supposed to redraw the screen over and over to 'manually' PWM the whole thing.

You'll need about 1600 bytes of RAM to buffer the 12-bit color image. You cannot use this size panel with an Arduino UNO (ATmega328) or ATmega32u4 - you need a chip with more RAM! These displays are technically 'chainable' - connect one output to the next input - as long as you have the RAM and CPU to handle it

This display does best with a high speed, high RAM microcontroller like a SAMD21, SAMD51, ESP32, etc. 8-bit micros are going to struggle if they work at all. The good news is that the display is pre-white balanced with nice uniformity so if you turn on all the LEDs it's not a particularly tinted white.

Power Requirements

There's a lot of LEDs! You may need up to 4A per panel. We suggest our 4A regulated 5V adapter and then connecting a 2.1mm jack. Please check out our tutorials for more details!

Connection Requirements

These displays require 13 GPIO pins to control. You may have to use consecutive or special pins depending on the driver firmware. We'll be honest: folks who try to wire directly are usually not successful, its easy to get confused and misconnect. For that reason we strongly recommend a ready-to-go board or adapter that makes wiring as easy as plugging in the cables and powering with 5V

• We recommend the Matrix Portal ESP32-S3 for a WiFi-enabled powerful plug-and-play board
• The original Matrix Portal with SAMD51 is also a great plug-and-play board if you happen to want a Cortex M4 as a main processor (we recommend the S3 version, above, as it is faster and has more memory)
• For many Arduino-shaped boards, you may be able to use our RGB Matrix Shield (check the product page and tutorial for which Arduino-like boards can be used)
• We also have RGB Matrix FeatherWings for many Feather boards (check the product page and tutorial for which Feather boards can be used)
• For Raspberry Pi computers, our RGB Matrix Bonnet is fully plug-and-play for powerful Linux-controlled displays.

We've also got our great Protomatter library that works in Arduino and CircuitPython for quick usage of many chained matrices.

Please note! These panels are remainder stock from factories that make huge light boards. For that reason, the look and size might vary from batch to batch, even though the basic operation, codebase and tutorial is the same.

Please note: 

• The back color of the matrix may vary
• There may be reworked pixels with flux, we do not guarantee perfectly pristine panels
• This product may come with one or two power connections