Neon: A Dynamic Open/Closed Makerspace Sign Powered by Raspberry Pi 2 – El Paso, TX

Neon is the name of the vibrant open/closed sign installed at the entrance of our makerspace. It not only displays whether the space is open or closed, but also manages updates to our website, tweets, and a scrolling LED matrix display.

• Remote administration is available through a website hosted on the Raspberry Pi 2. The site allows administrators to:
  • Modify the update message.
  • Toggle the shop status between "open" and "closed".
• The current message is broadcast across multiple channels:
  • The RPI posts the message—along with a timestamp—to Twitter, including images of the sign.
  • The LED matrix scrolls the message horizontally.
• The shop status is disseminated through:
  • Automatic updates to our website via the RPI.
  • A status file written by the RPI that can be read by SpaceAPI for real‑time status updates.
  • Two status images displayed and scrolled on the LED matrix.

All of these functions are managed solely by the Raspberry Pi. During boot, a pre‑installed daemon from https://github.com/h3labs/led-matrixd starts automatically.

• The daemon, written in C++/Ruby, performs the following:
  • Runs an HTTP Sinatra server that hosts the control website.
  • Spawns a process to manage the LED matrix displays, updating them whenever status or message changes, and occasionally showing random images or games.
  • Launches a thread that monitors a beacon file (via inotify). When the file changes, it propagates updates to Twitter, the LED matrix, and the website.

For a deeper look at the code, visit our GitHub repository. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Step 1: Wiring the Raspberry Pi 2 to the LED Matrix

The wiring instructions follow standard guidance available on the web:

• https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix/ (connection details)
• https://learn.adafruit.com/32×16-32×32-rgb-led-mat (step‑by‑step guide)

For the internet connection, simply cut an Ethernet cable to the required length and connect it to the RPI.

Step 2: Setting up the Code

First, SSH into your RPI (search online if you’re unfamiliar with the process).

• Run the following commands:
  • sudo apt-get install gcc make build-essential git
  • mkdir work/
  • cd work/
  • gem install bundler -v 1.10.4
  • git clone https://github.com/h3labs/led-matrixd.git  # pulls the project onto your RPI

For more details, see the project documentation.