Manufacturer: Electromage
Price as tested: $117
Link: Beautiful Pixelblaze Display Box Kit
This box brings me joy every day. I picked it up as a Maker Faire souvenir, looking for a simple kit. What I got was an elegantly designed decoration, an intro into a cool LED driver board, and a very satisfying build experience.
Part of the credit goes to a smoke acrylic panel that’s just the right depth to diffuse the 8×8 LED grid, making low-res animations silky smooth. The artworks they’ve designed for it are great; it’s like having an MP3 visualizer on in the background. Our house has fun setting off the sound-reactive graphics, and you can also make your own animations.
Beyond casual decoration, it’s a useful wind-down timer at the end of work-from-home days. If you’ve ever wanted an elegant accent light for cues like breaks or bedtime, this box is a subtle way to do it.
I thought I’d need to add more lights to justify the price, but the box looks great as it is. Use it to add a bit of structure to your day or nerd flair to your home, or gift one to a geeky friend.
This article appeared in Make: Vol 94.
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