“Using this bonnet has been a learning curve. I've never really coded before and have minimal knowledge about the raspberry pi but this and an led matrix have made me do a bit of research and really get my teeth into this project. This is by far the cheapest bonnet I've found and a must have to get you started creating your own dazzling rgb displays! Buy one. You won't regret it!”
“As always with Adafruit, the product has software support that make it easy to start testing the product.
Seeing their demo running on your hardware bring emotion that a video cannot translate.
The benefits of the Bonnet for controlling RGB Matrix is that it support 64*64 matrix, but it require just a little bit of soldering (only for 64x64). Also a little bit of soldering if you want to sacrifice audio for better quality in driving matrix. But all in all, with a 5V 3+A power supply, the bonnet and a matrix, you are ready to go.
The installation procedure is a bit long because it make sure your Pi is up to date, download some software, compile it. So be ready to spend 30 minutes, then spend another 30 minutes watching the demo running.
It is likely possible to drive a matrix without that bonnet, just be soldering a few cable, but the proper connector and 5V input with protection make it much faster to start playing with the matrix and experiment with the software side... also you support Adafruit and all the free software code they push for various hardware.
Be careful not to watch the LED panel too directly before you evaluate the brightness. A simple piece of paper is a good safe start to avoid direct exposure when you start.”
