In this article we connect a 5×5 RGB Led matrix from Pimoroni to the Raspberry Pi Pico
Breakout Information
Features
- 5×5 (25 total) RGB LEDs
- 15x15mm active area
- 3.5mm LED pitch
- I2C interface (address 0x74/0x77 (cut trace))
- 3.3V or 5V compatible
- Reverse polarity protection
Parts Required
The sensor you can pick up in the $6 price range – you can connect to the sensor using a standard header the classic dupont style jumper wire.
I used a Qwiic cable – since a few sensors seem to use these but this is optional
| Name | Link |
| Pico | Raspberry Pi Pico Development Board |
| 5×5 RGB Led matrix | https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/5×5-rgb-matrix-breakout |
| Connecting cables | Aliexpress product link |
Schematic/Connection
I used the Pimoroni 5×5 RGB Led matrix
Code Examples
I used Thonny for development and I am using micropython
You will need to download and install the latest micropython from pimoro
https://github.com/pimoroni/pimoroni-pico/blob/main/setting-up-micropython.md
import time
from pimoroni_i2c import PimoroniI2C
from breakout_rgbmatrix5x5 import BreakoutRGBMatrix5x5
PINS_BREAKOUT_GARDEN = {"sda": 4, "scl": 5}
PINS_PICO_EXPLORER = {"sda": 20, "scl": 21}
i2c = PimoroniI2C(**PINS_PICO_EXPLORER)
matrix = BreakoutRGBMatrix5x5(i2c)
x = 0
y = 0
col = 0
while True:
matrix.set_pixel(x, 1, 255, 0, 0)
matrix.update()
x += 1
if x >= matrix.WIDTH:
x = 0
time.sleep(0.01)
import time
from pimoroni_i2c import PimoroniI2C
from breakout_rgbmatrix5x5 import BreakoutRGBMatrix5x5
PINS_BREAKOUT_GARDEN = {"sda": 4, "scl": 5}
PINS_PICO_EXPLORER = {"sda": 20, "scl": 21}
i2c = PimoroniI2C(**PINS_PICO_EXPLORER)
matrix = BreakoutRGBMatrix5x5(i2c)
x = 0
y = 0
col = 0
while True:
matrix.set_pixel(1, y, 255, 0, 0)
matrix.update()
y += 1
if y >= matrix.HEIGHT:
y = 0
time.sleep(0.01)
import time
from pimoroni_i2c import PimoroniI2C
from breakout_rgbmatrix5x5 import BreakoutRGBMatrix5x5
PINS_BREAKOUT_GARDEN = {"sda": 4, "scl": 5}
PINS_PICO_EXPLORER = {"sda": 20, "scl": 21}
i2c = PimoroniI2C(**PINS_PICO_EXPLORER)
matrix = BreakoutRGBMatrix5x5(i2c)
x = 0
y = 0
col = 0
while True:
matrix.set_pixel(1, 1, 255, 0, 0)
matrix.set_pixel(2, 2, 0, 255, 0)
matrix.update()
import time
from pimoroni_i2c import PimoroniI2C
from breakout_rgbmatrix5x5 import BreakoutRGBMatrix5x5
PINS_BREAKOUT_GARDEN = {"sda": 4, "scl": 5}
PINS_PICO_EXPLORER = {"sda": 20, "scl": 21}
i2c = PimoroniI2C(**PINS_PICO_EXPLORER )
matrix = BreakoutRGBMatrix5x5(i2c)
colors = []
colors.append((255, 0, 0))
colors.append((0, 255, 0))
colors.append((0, 0, 255))
colors.append((128, 128, 128))
x = 0
y = 0
col = 0
while True:
matrix.set_pixel(x, y, colors[col][0], colors[col][1], colors[col][2])
matrix.update()
x += 1
if x >= matrix.WIDTH:
x = 0
y += 1
if y >= matrix.HEIGHT:
y = 0
col += 1
if col >= len(colors):
col = 0
time.sleep(0.5)
time.sleep(0.01)
Output
Links
http://www.issi.com/WW/pdf/31FL3731.pdf