LED Matrix Clock

A simple, modular clock application for Raspberry Pi using Adafruit LED Matrix displays.

Hardware Requirements

• Raspberry Pi 3
• 2x Adafruit 64x32 LED Matrices
• Adafruit Pi LED Matrix Bonnet

Installation

1. Install required system packages:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3-pip python3-dev python3-setuptools
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential git
sudo apt-get install -y python3-pil python3-pil.imagetk
sudo apt-get install -y cython3

2. Install the rpi-rgb-led-matrix library and Python bindings:

# Make sure you're in the main project directory
cd ~/LEDSportsMatrix/rpi-rgb-led-matrix-master

# Build the C++ library first
make

# Build and install Python bindings
cd bindings/python
sudo python3 setup.py install
cd ../..

# Install the library files
sudo cp -r lib/* /usr/local/lib/
sudo cp -r include/* /usr/local/include/
sudo ldconfig
cd ..

3. Install additional Python packages:

sudo python3 -m pip install pytz

4. Install the DejaVu Sans font:

sudo apt-get install -y fonts-dejavu

Performance Optimization

To reduce flickering and improve display quality, you have two options:

1. Run the program with root privileges (quick solution):

sudo python3 clock.py

2. For better performance (recommended):
   • Edit /boot/firmware/cmdline.txt:

     sudo nano /boot/firmware/cmdline.txt
     

   • Add isolcpus=3 at the end of the line
   • Save and reboot:

     sudo reboot
     

Configuration

Edit the config/config.json file to customize:

• Timezone
• Display settings (brightness, dimensions)
• Clock format and update interval

Running the Clock

To start the clock with optimal performance:

cd src
sudo python3 clock.py

To stop the clock, press Ctrl+C.

Project Structure

• src/
  • clock.py - Main clock application
  • config_manager.py - Configuration management
  • display_manager.py - LED matrix display handling
• config/
  • config.json - Configuration settings