MatrixPi: An RGB Matrix app framework Powered by Raspberry Pi

Installation

cd ~; curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Puffball101961/MatrixPi/refs/heads/main/install.sh -o install.sh; chmod +x install.sh; sudo ./install.sh

Active Development

• Active development is occurring on the wip branch.
• There is no schedule or regularity to commit timings at the moment.
• There is currently an Alpha build that is not fully tested, and most likely will be unstable.
• Usage testing is occuring during development.

Base Hardware

• 128x32 RGB Matrix Display (Made of 2 64x32 RGB Matrix Displays)
• Adafruit RGB Matrix PWM HAT
• Raspberry Pi (Ideally at least a 3A+)

App List

• Home (Core)
• Testing App

App Repository Structure

Apps can be written in Python (recommended) or C++. If using C++, the app must be compiled and the executable in the app directory must be in the format <appName>.app C++ Support is extremely limited at the moment.

app-name/
├─ executable
├─ manifest.yaml
├─ assets/ (your internal app configs/ assets/ whatever, optional)
│  ├─ config.yaml
│  ├─ background.png
│  ├─ ...

App Manifests

Each app must have an app manifest. This has general information about the app, including its name, version, author, and whether the app is in Python or C++. The app manifest must also include a unique appID. This is crucial so the app doesn't conflict with others. Currently, the built-in apps use a random 32 character long hex string.

Installing Apps

Use sudo python ./scripts/appInstaller.py <sourceType> <source>

• There is currently no mechanism to uninstall apps.
• The only valid source type right now is "local". Git support is planned.
• When using the local source type, provide the full directory of the package to be installed as the source argument.

Manual App Installation Procedure

1. Clone your app into the apps directory
2. Add your app manifest details into the app library yaml (library.yaml)
3. Start your app by accessing the internal API, https://ip-address-of-pi:8000/startApp?appID=appID