Got a new print design back! An expandable 5x(8x8) matrix display this time, currently configured as a clock.
Onboard are a APDS-9301 (lux meter) and BME280 (temp,hum and pressure meter) for later perusal and interest! At least they appear on the I2C bus when I scan, so I know something works ^^
Oh, and this are some picture during the various phases of the assembly. Btw, the BME280 (2.5x2.5mm) is slightly problematic to reflow with a frying pan, too small pins under the chip and much metal in its cap!
missing/deleted image from Google+
I’m doing something similar but with individually addressable LEDs taken from the strips.
That looks great! Nice work.
@NotEnoughTECH Is’nt there a large speed difference? These displays are SPI based and can handle at least 4Mhz. (16 bit per row). A LED strip can do what? 800kHz for fast ones? and like 40 bits? None the less, good luck! Pictures when you’re done! ^^
@Pauline_Middelink while I’m not going to drive any fast animations the refresh per 100 LEDs would be about 300Hz (max depends on the code as well) for my purpose it should be sufficient. I’m going to drive 360 led in 6x60 matrix. So I would get still enough to combat flickering I think
@Pauline_Middelink , the SPI addressable LEDs can handle upto 20MHz, SK9822s are about the fastest
@Pim_van_Pelt I could add a AM2302, but it is a relative large item for such a small PCB. BTW, I would go for the AM2320, as that is the same but with I2C bus, which fits the other components better. But the BME280 is better, calibrated and can do pressure and if you spring for the BME620, even measures gas pollution. Sure… more awkward to solder…
It’s designed in kicad, I’m not ready to share as I discovered some minor flaws with the board I want to fix first. For example: more copper around the heatsink of the lin. reg. and a larger cutout region around the esp8266’s antenna, some ground plane stitching. Not to mention me swapping Tx/Rx on the reset circuit 
You know, all the pitfalls for young players ^^
The plan is to share though, with a full schematics, layout, BOM and what’s not on github when I’m not too embarrassed about it anymore
Seedstudio, mainly because I effectively have the boards in 2wks to impatient me wont become too bored. ^^
@Jeremy_Spencer @NotEnoughTECH Awesome, maybe for a next project when I come of with some good idea how to create a 1m2 field of evenly spaced ledstrips. Maybe I should call it “Free TV For My Neighbours”
I already have a 24V ledstrip from Ikea wrapped around the railing of my balcony being driven randomly by an ESP and controlled by my home automation
@Pauline_Middelink Something tells me you don’t like your neighbours I should call my project "dynamic advertising aimed at passenger planes " I think I have the most of the hardware sorted. I really would like to drive this with an ESP32, but no luck with the direct connection - only through Arduino, No matter what I do, the strip is not taking the 3.3>5v LLC conversion.
@NotEnoughTECH , which level shifter are you using? The SN74HCT245N works best with addressable LEDs.
@Pauline_Middelink , you can buy connector strips to easily make LED strips into a matrix 
@Jeremy_Spencer can’t seem to load the description to get the part model but im using this: (bi directional llc) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-4-channel-IIC-I2C-Logic-Level-Converter-Bi-Directional-Module-5V-to-3-3V/32310648730.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.RHHU2z
@NotEnoughTECH , they’re too slow for even the slowest adressable LEDs. Try a SN74HCT245N or it’s little brother SN74HCT125N, I bet it solves the problem.
@Jeremy_Spencer thanks I will give it a go
For those who asked: The schematics, layout and code are now up. https://github.com/middelink/MatrixClock/