Minotor wiki · restored page

Minotor's team setup

Here is some information about the hardware we use. If you want to build an LED matrix like ours, you're in the right place.

Global setup

Our setup is made of three major components: the RGB pixels, a controller board, and the Minotor software.

RGB pixels

We use RGB LED pixel strips. Each pixel is made of four SMD5050 RGB LEDs and a WS2801 chip that controls the colour of the whole pixel. Pixels are powered with 12 V DC and each one consumes 0.96 W at most.

The WS2801 datasheet can be found on Adafruit: adafruit.com/datasheets/WS2801.pdf

Controller board

A display device communicates with our pixel matrix over a serial link. We used an Arduino Mega 2560 and developed the LEDuino firmware: github.com/minotor-org/leduino

Minotor software

Minotor runs on Windows, Linux and macOS. It is connected to LEDuino by serial communication over USB.

LED matrix

Our LED matrix is made of several panels, for easier carrying. We used Alupanel composite (the same thing as Dibond) for the frame: it is light, rigid and easy to cut.

Each panel holds 8 × 8 pixels, a data input and output (5-pin DIN — MIDI cables) and banana plugs for power. Input power is 12 V DC, 5 A for each panel.

Daisy-chain configuration:

In >-------|
          |-------<
  >-------|
          |-------<
  >-------> Out

Pixels inside each panel use this configuration, and the panels are wired together using the same logic. More about building your own LED matrix here.

Control case

We used a very basic case from a local shop to hold the power and data control of the matrix.

We decided to use ATX power supplies, as they provide good 12 V DC power and are very cheap. The power supplies are racked in the case so they can be replaced easily. We use one power supply for two panels, but it can easily power one more, which lets us keep the matrix running if a power supply breaks. (Only three power supplies are in the picture, but this case can hold one more.)

The case also contains the controller board, an Arduino Mega 2560.

Note: our Arduino's SPI port is burnt, so we added a dedicated shield with an 8-bit shifter to send data to the matrix very fast. You should just use the SPI port if yours works.

Editor's note, 2026 The original page had nine photos — the panel front and back, a corner bracket, the connectors from behind and in front, the case open and closed, the ATX rack and the Arduino board. None of them survived, so this page is text only. The photos that did survive are on the build guide.

The power figures are consistent with each other. One panel is 64 pixels × 0.96 W = 61.4 W, or 5.1 A at 12 V — the “5 A per panel” above. Two panels on one supply draw 10.2 A, inside the 10–12 A the build guide expects from one ATX supply. The full 24 × 16 wall is six panels, 384 pixels and 369 W at full white, which is three supplies — the fourth slot in the case was the spare.

LEDuino was first published at github.com/neomilium/leduino; the link above is its current home.

Original page: wiki.minotor.org/doku.php/minotor_s_team_setup. Written by the Minotor team and licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. Changes: spelling corrected, LEDuino link updated, photos missing from the archive omitted, editor's note added. This page is available under the same licence. Updated 2026-09.