Everyone is going crazy for the new Matrix Portal microcontroller, a board that makes controlling any of Adafruit’s RGB Matrix Displays really easy. It’s a plug-and-play solution – just plug the board into the back of the display and start creating slideshows, animations, or internet connected applications. The possibilities are endless.
This new guide from Erin St. Blaine shows how to modify a messenger bag or backpack to display your RGB Matrix through a vinyl window in the bag. The sample code shows how to display a variety of different slide shows, and makes use of the Matrix Portal’s onboard accelerometer to darken the screen whenever you set the bag down for more than a minute, in order to save battery life.
From the guide:
Make a display for your display! Show off your message to the world. This guide will show how to set up and assemble a Matrix Portal and RGB Matrix display, then make a transparent pocket in your backpack, purse, or messenger bag to show it off.
There is also a simple code example that displays your bmp images in slideshow fashion. Use the onboard buttons to switch between folders and play different messages, or pause on your favorite image. Set your bag down and the onboard accelerometer will sense that you’re not moving and dim the screen to save battery life.
You can also use any of the other Matrix Portal code samples to get you started. Get ready to have fun with all the features the Matrix Portal offers.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!