Opis
This shield is designed to conveniently receive various information via Wi-Fi or UART using the ESP8266 D1 Mini and then display it on LED Matrix panels. The Arduino Nano controller and the DMD2 library are used to control the LED Matrix panels (it is possible to use other libraries: DMD, LEDP10).
ESP8266 is a convenient and versatile solution for obtaining information from the Internet (for example, weather forecast, sea water temperature, air temperature, news, exchange rates, etc.).
Large computing resources of ESP8266 make it easy to receive and process information and transfer its subsequent display to other devices.
On this PCB, the ESP8266 uses Serial Port 2 (Tx2) which is connected to the Arduino Nano controller.
Arduino Nano uses the SoftSerial library (port D3) to receive information. To control the correctness of the received information, you can use the CRC library. The received information is transmitted on P10 LED Matrix panels. To do this, you can use various libraries to control LED panels (DMD2, DMD, LEDP10).
You can see an example of using this P10 LED ESP8266&Arduino Nano Shield on our github page. In this example scetch, the ESP8266 D1 Mini receives the current air temperature through the server http://openweathermap.org and the water temperature in the Black Sea through the server worldseatemp.com. An NTP server is used to get the exact time. The received information is transmitted via the UART protocol to the Arduino Nano and displayed on the LED display (water temperature, air temperature and exact time).
The program settings are carried out through a convenient WEB-interface, which is implemented on the basis of the webserver on the ESP8266.
You can easily adapt our program to receive any other information from the Internet.
Assembly Required: This shield is a kit, but uses all through hole parts so is easily assembled.
NOTE: Please check out the libraries’ Github page for more information.
The LED matrix panels are one of the coolest displays you can use with an Arduino, but there is quite a bit of wiring to connect them up and also they are a little awkward to power. The panels are only about $10 from aliexpress http://alii.pub/5ypnqz
This board makes wiring them really simple! The board just slots directly onto the input header pin, uses the ribbon cable that comes provided with most of these panels to connect the pins of the output header and has screw terminals to connect the power cable that comes with most panels.
P10 LED ESP8266&Arduino Nano Shield Features:
- Compatible with DMD2, DMD or LEDP10 for Arduino Nano libraries
- On board 16 pin male header (2×8)
- Operates at 5V (4A rated power supply is recommended)
- On board free zone with contacts for mounting various sensors or drivers
- Dimensions are 100mm x 50mm
What will you get in the package?
Each P10 LED ESP8266&Arduino Nano Shield is a kit and comes with the following:
- P10 LED ESP8266&Arduino Nano Shield PCB
- 10uF 25V Capacitor
- One 16 pin male header (2×8)
- 2Pin Plug-in Screw Terminal Block Connector 5.08mm
What is NOT included?
The following components are not provided, but are required to use this board.
- Compatible HUB12 P10 LED Matrix Panel http://alii.pub/5ypnqz . Most panels come with a power cable, this board requires this.
- ESP8266 (aka the ESP8266 D1 Mini) and Arduino Nano board
3. Power supply 5V – $8 from Aliexpress http://got.by/4ekh09
Board assembly
To assemble the boards, place the parts on the PCB as indicated by the markings on the PCB. All parts are places on the top of the PCB (as seen in the photos above).
ESP8266 D1 Mini and Arduino Nano are placed on the board in accordance with the marking (USB).
NOTE: Please pay attention to the polarity of the capacitor and the direction you are soldering the connectors!
Connecting the shield to the LED matrix
Insert the ribbon cable that came with the display into the connector on the shield, insert the other end into the connector of the LED matrix panel.
Plug the power wire that came with the display into the power pins of the panel. Attach the power wires to the 2Pin screw terminals on the shield (Pay close attention to the polarity!)
Powering the P10 LED ESP8266&Arduino Nano Shield
These LED displays require a 5V power supply capable of doing roughly 4A of current.
Use the 2×8 connector for data and use a separate 5V 4A adapter directly to the panel.
Using the P10 LED ESP8266&Arduino Nano Shield
To use the display you will need to install the DMD2 (DMD or LEDP10) library.
It can be installed from the Arduino library manager or download directly.
It comes with some pretty cool examples.
More information
If you are looking for installation instructions or more information about the board, please checkout the boards Github page.
Coding Support
Please note that we can not provide coding support for this item. We can offer some troubleshooting advice on getting them working and we can point you to some examples we have created using these board, but I will not be able to give support on building something specific.