# hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix

Controlling up to three chains of 64x64, 32x32, 16x32 or similar RGB LED displays using Raspberry Pi GPIO

Repository: https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/rpi-rgb-led-matrix
Language: C++
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: raspberry-pi, rgb-panels, led-panels, multiplexing, gpio
Last push: 2026-08-20T18:41:38+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 76/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4946, "days_push": 13, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4362, forks 1339 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:46.583506+00:00)

## What it is
A C++ library (with Python bindings) for driving HUB75-style RGB LED matrix panels directly from Raspberry Pi GPIO pins, supporting multiple chained panels with up to 11-bit PWM per channel. It includes demo binaries and utility tools for displaying content on the panels.

## Use cases
- drive an RGB LED matrix panel from a Raspberry Pi
- display scrolling text or images on LED panels
- build a LED matrix clock or info display
- chain multiple 64x64 LED panels on a Raspberry Pi
- render animations on HUB75 panels with 24-bit color
- create a Raspberry Pi LED sign

## When to choose
- you have HUB75-style RGB LED panels and a Raspberry Pi
- you need high refresh rates and true 24-bit color via PWM
- you want a mature, well-documented C/C++ or Python API for LED matrices

## When to avoid
- you use PWM-based LED panels, which need a different driver
- your project is not on Raspberry Pi hardware
- you need a plug-and-play application rather than a programming library

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: graphics, embedded, sdk
- domain: hardware, embedded-systems, graphics, iot
- platform: cpp, python, embedded
- tags: raspberry-pi, rgb-led-matrix, gpio, led-panels, hardware-driver, linux

## Member repositories
- hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix (main) score 76

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:46.583506+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:21:26.489152+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/hzeller/rpi-rgb-led-matrix (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:46.583506+00:00, sha f684ed00d0e4)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.