I already have my own custom 2d 2812 panel (single strip winding back and fourth) that I had set up for an arduino but want to migrate it to the smartmatrix library, but all the guides I’ve seen are referencing the usage of the shield + 32x32 panel. Is it possible to run smartmatrix on my own custom panel setup? What do I need to update?
Sorry, but not currently. The SmartMatrix shield and library are specifically for driving chainable pre-built RGB LED matrix panels, such as this one from Adafruit: 32x32 RGB LED Matrix Panel - 6mm pitch : ID 1484 : $39.95 : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits
It’s very different than driving an RGB LED strip, such as WS2811, NeoPixel, APA102, etc, that has been arranged in a matrix grid. For that, I highly recommend the FastLED library: GitHub - FastLED/FastLED: The FastLED library for colored LED animation on Arduino. Please direct questions/requests for help to the FastLED Reddit community: http://fastled.io/r We'd like to use github "issues" just for tracking library bugs / enhancements.
If you’re looking for shape and text drawing methods similar to the SmartMatrix library, I also recommend Aaron Liddiment’s library: GitHub - AaronLiddiment/RGBLEDS: Matrix, Text & Sprite libraries for use with FastLED
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