The Pimoroni Unicorn HAT 8 x 8 LED matrix is specifically designed for the new A+ and B+ HAT specification (Hardware Attached on Top). The HAT specification uses two dedicated pins on the extended 40-way GPIO header to tell Linux which drivers to load for whatever device has landed on top of the Pi. The Unicorn provides 64 individually addressable RGB LEDs (WS2812B) which are driven by PWM to create dazzling displays. Or not, you may prefer soft shades and subtle animation. As usual with add-ons for the Pi there is excellent software support with a library and examples in C and Python on Pimoroni's Github repository.
The LEDs can draw up to an amp which isn't much considering they can be turned up to eye-watering brightness (you have been warned) so be sure to use a good PSU with your Pi; 2A is good. If you intend to use them at full brightness then you should consider using a diffuser to protect your eyes.
As it uses PWM and GPIO18 on the Pi it will interfere with analogue audio, HDMI audio isn't affected. The Pibow Coupe cases are ideal, the Pibow Ninja, Rainbow and Timber cases won't do unfortunately. Whilst the Unicorn sits neatly on the B+, it won't do that with the B but it's possible to hack it to work, letting B owners enjoy the blinkiness.
- 8 x 8 LED matrix (64 x WS2812B)
- For Raspberry Pi A+ and B+
- HAT compatible for automatic configuration
