RGB LED Matrix MQTT Display

Description

This project allows you to send messages to an RGB LED matrix via MQTT. The messages are displayed on the matrix, making it a great tool for notifications, alerts, or just for fun!

Installation

Prerequisites

• Raspberry Pi with Python 3 installed
• Internet connection

Overview

This project allows you to display scrolling text on an RGB LED matrix connected to a Raspberry Pi, controlled via MQTT messages. The display is double-buffered for smooth scrolling and uses Python with the rgbmatrix and paho-mqtt libraries.

Features

• Scrolls text on an RGB LED matrix.
• Receives text messages via MQTT to dynamically update the display.
• Configurable through environment variables using a .env file.

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi with an RGB LED Matrix (e.g., 16x32).
• Python 3.x.
• paho-mqtt and python-dotenv libraries.
• Fonts located in the fonts/ directory.

Setup

Step 1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/DunbarChas/smartPanel.git
   cd smartPanel

Step 2. Run the Setup Script

   chmod +x setup.sh
   sudo ./setup.sh

Step 3. Configure the Environment Variables

• Modify the '.env' file in the project directory and set the following variables:

  MQTT_BROKER=your_broker_address
  MQTT_PORT=1883
  MQTT_TOPIC=your/topic
  MQTT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
  MQTT_USERNAME=your_username
  MQTT_PASSWORD=your_password

Step 4. Start the Service

   sudo systemctl start smartPanel.service

Step 5. Create Entries in HomeAssistant

• configuration.yaml
• create / update the input_text section to add:

input_text: 
    mqtt_message:
        name: MQTT Message
        initial: ""
        max: 256
    mqtt_color:
        name: MQTT Color
        initial: "[0, 255, 0]"
        max: 256
    mqtt_font:
        name: MQTT Font
        initial: ""
        max: 256

• scripts.yaml
• create a send_mqtt_message (or similarly named section)

 send_mqtt_message:
    alias: Send MQTT Message
    sequence:
      - service: mqtt.publish
        data:
            topic: "YOUR/TOPIC"
            payload: >
             { 
                "message": "{{states('input_text.mqtt_message')}}" , 
                "brightness": 1,
                "timestamp": "{{ now().isoformat() }}",
                "status": "online",
                "color": "{{states('input_text.mqtt_color')}}",
                "font": "{{states('input_text.mqtt_font')}}"
                
             }
            qos: 1
            retain: true

Step 6. Create a custom card in lovelace (Main Home Assistant dashboard)

While this is highly dependent on how you would like your Home Assistant dasboard to look here is a simple one to get you started!

type: vertical-stack
cards:
 - type: entities
   entities:
     - entity: input_text.mqtt_message
       name: Enter SmartPanel Message
 - type: button
   name: Send!
   show_state: false
   tap_action:
     action: call-service
     service: script.send_mqtt_message

Troubleshooting

• IF the service fails to start, you can check the logs:
  • journalctl -u smartPanel.service

License

• This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details