NeoPixel NeoMatrix 8x8 - 64 RGB Arduino box

thingiverse

The box can be easily printed in any material with just some support material for the front opening part. To mount the Arduino, three screws M3x10mm are required and for the Neopixel matrix four screws M3 with a length from 10 to 16mm will do. I used an external power supply (5V DC, 3A) to power the Arduino as well as the Neopixel matrix. The wires connections are very easy. The DIN of the Neopixel Matrix has to be connected to a PWM pin of the Arduino (by default the Neopixel library of Adafruit uses the pin number 6). The ground of the matrix has to be connected to the GND of the Arduino. The 5V of the matrix DOESN'T have to be connected to the 5V of the Arduino! because it can only provide 500mA of current. To solve this, I soldered it directly to the positive pin of the 2.1mm Jack connector of the Arduino so that the matrix is directly powered by the power supply. For safety follow the instruction provided by the Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1487 To program the Arduino you can connect the external 5V power supply into the 2.1 jack connector and the USB cable to your computer as well (in my case it worked just fine).