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Pi Display OS showing a Halloween countdown on a 256x64 LED matrix (simulated)
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Pi Display OS: Modular LED Matrix Display Software for Raspberry Pi (Clock, Countdown, Weather, Holidays, Custom Text)

A modular information display for Raspberry Pi and HUB75 LED panels: clock, countdowns, holidays, custom messages and weather, configured from a web page.

Buy for $29

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Requirements

  • Raspberry Pi 4 (recommended) or Pi 5 with Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)
  • HUB75 RGB LED panels: 64x64, 128x64 or 256x64 (2 × 128x64) layouts
  • Adafruit RGB Matrix HAT/Bonnet, or an Adafruit MatrixPortal S3
  • A 5 V power supply sized for your panels (see the free LED matrix power calculator)

See it running

Recorded from the shipped software in demo mode on a simulated LED panel, with demo data. Not camera footage of physical panels.

Pi Display OS turns a Raspberry Pi and a set of HUB75 LED panels into a display you configure from your phone or laptop: pick the modules, their order and how long each shows, set your colours, and it rotates through them.

The core works the moment it's installed, with no accounts or API keys: clock and date, countdowns to your own events (with tomorrow and day-of behaviour), a holiday calendar with original animated scenes, and custom scrolling messages. US weather uses the free National Weather Service data. Optional modules (stocks, Sonos now playing, sports, aircraft) use your own accounts and keys, entered in Settings and never shared.

It's built from the display software that runs a 256x64 LED wall every day, rebuilt as a clean package: an installer, a web configuration page, a demo mode for every module, diagnostics, and update and uninstall instructions.

Built from a working system

Already running on our own setup. Proven doesn't automatically mean ready for yours: the status above says what's left.

  • Runs daily on a Raspberry Pi 4 driving a 256x64 wall (two 128x64 panels) through an Adafruit MatrixPortal S3
  • A second build drives four 64x64 panels as 128x128 from an Adafruit RGB Matrix HAT
  • Crisp pixel text, page rotation, priority takeovers and holiday countdowns all come from that working system

Features

Works without any account

Clock, date, countdowns, holidays and custom text need no internet keys. US weather uses free NWS data.

Web configuration

Choose modules, order, durations, colours, brightness cap and panel size from a browser on your network.

Demo mode

Every module has scripted demo scenarios, so you can see it working without waiting for real data.

Your keys, never ours

Optional modules use your own API keys, masked after saving and never logged. No key = "not configured", never a shared fallback.

Two ways to drive panels

Directly from an Adafruit RGB Matrix HAT/Bonnet, or over Wi-Fi to an Adafruit MatrixPortal S3.

Installer and diagnostics

One install script, a systemd service, a diagnostics page and a support bundle that redacts keys and network details.

Tested, and known limits

Software ready. Tested in software and simulation: installer, settings, every module, the web page and the MatrixPortal protocol against a simulated device. Not yet tested on physical LED panels by us; hardware results will be listed here once that test has been done.

  • Software ready (v1.0.0): 225 automated tests pass from the customer zip, and both release gates (secret patterns and a check against the developer's own private keys, Wi-Fi and addresses) are clean
  • Installed from the zip with its own install.sh on a clean Linux machine: service user, systemd unit, 256x64 default for MatrixPortal, settings kept on re-install, and uninstall --purge removes everything
  • Every demo scenario of every module (51 steps) streamed to a simulated MatrixPortal and accepted; the colour-bar frame read back from the device has the right colours in the right columns, including the seam between the two panels
  • Every scenario renders at 64x32, 64x64, 128x64 and 256x64 with no clipped text (200 renders)
  • Web page driven in a real browser: set a password, login enforced, keys shown as ••••1234 and absent from every page, log and support bundle
  • MatrixPortal S3 firmware compiles with the documented toolchain (ESP32 core 3.3.11, Protomatter 1.7.1) and contains no network name, password or address

Limits

  • Not yet tested on physical LED panels by us: v1.0.0 is software- and simulation-tested. Hardware results will be added here after that test
  • The MatrixPortal S3 firmware supports 256x64 (two 128x64 panels) only, and has been compiled but not yet flashed by us
  • The Raspberry Pi HAT/Bonnet output uses the open-source rpi-rgb-led-matrix library, built on your Pi by the installer; not physically tested
  • Weather without a key is US-only (National Weather Service)
  • Not every HUB75 panel is the same: check your panel's scan rate and size against the supported list

Licence, updates and support

Licence

Per-installation licence for personal use. Commercial venues (bars, offices, client installs) need a commercial licence. Commercial and installer licences are available on request. Full terms.

Updates

All updates within the purchased major version (for example 1.x). Major new versions may be a discounted paid upgrade. Current version: 1.0.0. Changelog.

Support

Documentation, a diagnostics report and email support for the tested configurations listed on the page. Report a problem.

Questions

Do I need a subscription?

No. The core modules need no accounts. Optional data modules use your own accounts with those providers.

Which panels does it support?

HUB75 RGB panels in 64x32, 64x64, 128x64 and 256x64 (two chained 128x64) layouts, driven by an Adafruit RGB Matrix HAT/Bonnet or an Adafruit MatrixPortal S3 (256x64 firmware included). Version 1.0.0 is tested in software and simulation only; this page will list each panel combination once we have run it on real hardware.

What's included?

The Pi Display OS installer, web settings page, MatrixPortal S3 firmware and Wi-Fi setup tool, and the Clock, Date, Countdown, Custom Text, Holidays, Weather, Stocks and Sonos Now Playing modules. The Sports Pack and Aircraft Pack are sold separately or in the Full Pi Display Bundle.

Can I add the sports scoreboard later?

Yes. Sports, aircraft and other modules plug into the same runtime.

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