Building a 3x5 LED Matrix with tscircuit

Introduction LED matrices are versatile display components that can be used for a wide range of applications, from simple signage to interactive notification systems. In this blog post, I'll walk you through the process of building a 3x5 LED matrix controlled by a Raspberry Pi Pico using tscircuit, a powerful circuit design tool that uses code to create electronic circuits. What is tscircuit? tscircuit is a modern circuit design tool that allows you to create electronic circuits using code. It provides a component-based approach to PCB design, making it easier to create, modify, and share circuit designs programmatically. Objective of Building an LED Matrix Before diving into technical details, let's understand why you might want to build an LED matrix. Signage - Building signs for events, products, etc. Data Visualization Tool - Displaying real-time data metrics like GitHub contributions, website traffic, or temperature reading through color intensity. Interactive Notification System - Creating a physical notification system for emails, social media, or calendar events with customizable brightness levels. LED Matrix Requirements For this project, our LED matrix needs to meet the following requirements: WiFi-controllable Grid-based layout pattern Each LED should be individually controllable for brightness and color System Architecture How the components connect together?

Apr 1, 2025 - 19:30

Building a 3x5 LED Matrix with tscircuit

Introduction

LED matrices are versatile display components that can be used for a wide range of applications, from simple signage to interactive notification systems. In this blog post, I'll walk you through the process of building a 3x5 LED matrix controlled by a Raspberry Pi Pico using tscircuit, a powerful circuit design tool that uses code to create electronic circuits.

What is tscircuit?
tscircuit is a modern circuit design tool that allows you to create electronic circuits using code. It provides a component-based approach to PCB design, making it easier to create, modify, and share circuit designs programmatically.

Objective of Building an LED Matrix

Before diving into technical details, let's understand why you might want to build an LED matrix.

Signage - Building signs for events, products, etc.
Data Visualization Tool - Displaying real-time data metrics like GitHub contributions, website traffic, or temperature reading through color intensity.
Interactive Notification System - Creating a physical notification system for emails, social media, or calendar events with customizable brightness levels.

LED Matrix Requirements

For this project, our LED matrix needs to meet the following requirements:

WiFi-controllable
Grid-based layout pattern
Each LED should be individually controllable for brightness and color

System Architecture

How the components connect together?