Pimoroni Interstate 75, controller for LED matrices

Enter the (LED) matrix with this all-in-one controller with USB-C power supply for HUB75 panels.
Interstate 75 is an RP2040-based driver board for HUB75-style LED matrices. It easily plugs into the back of an LED panel and provides a quick and easy way to create scrolling signage or an eye-catching LED display for sensor outputs.
The Interstate 2040 is powered via USB-C and is programmable . USB-C can deliver up to 3A of current, which should be enough for a single 64x64 (or smaller) panel, assuming you're not planning anything too bright. If you need more power (e.g. to connect multiple panels together), you can feed it into the screw terminals instead. There are also two useful buttons, a reset button and an onboard RGB LED.
We've also included a QW/ST connector so you can easily connect Qwiic or STEMMA QT breakouts.

Features

• Powered by RP2040 (Dual Arm Cortex M0+ with up to 133Mhz and 264kB SRAM)
• 2MB QSPI flash with support for XiP
• Compatible with 32x32, 32x64 and 64x64 LED matrices.
• Sturdy screw terminals for the power supply of the LED panels.
• USB-C connection for power supply and programming (max. 3A)
• Qw/ST (Qwiic/STEMMA QT) connection
• Reset, BOOT and a user button (the BOOT button can also be used as a user button)
• RGB LED
• Fully assembled (no soldering required)
• Dimensions: approx. 48.5 x 31 x 17mm (L x W x H, including connections)
• Circuit diagram
• C++/MicroPython libraries

LED matrix panels and cables are available separately.

Software
As it is an RP2040 board, the Interstate 75 is firmware-independent! You can program it with C/C++, MicroPython or CircuitPython.
Our C++/MicroPython libraries include some nifty HUB75 drivers that take advantage of the RP2040's PIO state machines and DMA to minimise CPU usage and maximise the lush, gamma-corrected 10-bit colour depth.
You'll get the best performance if you use C++, but if you're a beginner, we recommend using our MicroPython build included in the batteries to get you started.

• Getting started with Interstate 75
• Download MicroPython from the Pirate Brand
• Interstate 75 Function Reference
• C++ examples
• MicroPython examples

You can also use CircuitPython on your Interstate 75! Since the CircuitPython drivers are designed for a number of different microcontrollers, you don't get the fancy RP2040 architecture-specific tweaks you'll find in our library, but you do get access to Adafruit's powerful DisplayIO library, which makes it super easy to display all sorts of text, draw shapes, and display images.

• Getting started with Interstate 75
• Download CircuitPython for Interstate 75
• Getting started with CircuitPython
• RGB LED matrices with CircuitPython

Please note that some less common variants of 64x64 panels, e.g. those using the FM6126A chip, are currently not supported by CircuitPython.

Connecting breakouts
If your breakout has a QW/ST connector on the board, you can connect it directly with a JST-SH to JST-SH cable, or you can connect any of our I2C Breakout Garden breakouts with a JST-SH to JST-SH cable and a Qw/ST to Breakout Garden adapter.
A list of breakouts that are currently compatible with our C++/MicroPython build can be found in the latest release notes.
We have also added a number of useful I2C pins, analogue pins and debug pins to the side of the board to which you can connect, for example, breakouts or analogue potentiometers.

About the RP2040
The RP2040 microcontroller of the Raspberry Pi is a dual-core ARM Cortex M0+ that runs at up to 133Mhz. It has 264kB of SRAM, 30 multi-function GPIO pins (including a four-channel 12-bit ADC), a bunch of standard peripherals (I2C, SPI, UART, PWM, clocks, etc.) and USB support.
A very interesting feature of the RP2040 is the programmable IOs, which allow you to run your own programs that can manipulate GPIO pins and transfer data between peripherals - they can offload tasks that require high data transfer rates or precise timing, which would normally have meant a lot of work for the CPU.