The Pixblasters Video LED Controller is introducing an exciting new feature – full-speed control of video LED displays built by WS2812B RGB LED panels! These panels offer varying horizontal and vertical resolutions and come as pre-fabricated panels with hundreds of LEDs already connected. This makes them ideal for constructing large displays using regular shapes. By combining just a few LED panels (see the video below), responsive displays with significant resolutions are easily achieved. The wiring of displays made with two-dimensional LED panels becomes simplified, because much of it is implemented on the panel itself. These LED panels are made of flexible material that can bend and twist to some extent, which makes them even more attractive for building stunning video installations.

This new feature will be included with the Pixblasters video LED controllers that implement firmware from version 106 and newer. The first boards with this firmware version will be delivered to Crowd Supply in May 2024. All boards have already been manufactured and tested; currently, we are finalizing some administrative work before delivery.

The new Pixblasters controllers have undergone testing with LED panels of various resolutions: 8x8, 16x16, 32x8, 22x22, and 44x11. They have also been tested with custom panels. Adding support for new panels is assured and will be straightforward. Similar to LED strip management, each controller’s maximum driving capacity remains at 16,384 RGB LEDs. To control a larger number of LEDs, simply connect several Pixblasters controllers with a cable, thereby increasing the control capacity to potentially hundreds of thousands of LEDs. The refresh rate of the video screen consistently remains at a maximum of 60 fps, regardless of the number of connected panels.

These panels can be combined into video screens of different resolutions. We are currently working on documentation and additional educational materials that will explain the optimal panel joining. In the attached video clip, you can observe the connection of only four 32x8 LED panels into a larger display with a resolution of 128x8. Each Pixblasters controller output can directly drive two such panels. Considering that the number of Pixblasters LED outputs is 32, the maximum management capacity is 64 32x8 RGB panels. Pretty neat, isn’t it?

To illustrate the flexibility of the controller, each Pixblasters LED output can control up to 8 8x8 LED panels – totaling a maximum of 256 8x8 LED panels. Varying the horizontal and vertical resolution with such panels is also flexible, with the only constraint being the use of an even number of LED outputs for defining the horizontal resolution.

Please note that Pixblasters controllers with firmware older than version 106 are not compatible with RGB LED panels.