PiGlow is a spiral nebula of 18 coloured, individually-controllable LEDs for your Raspberry Pi. Use it for all sorts of things. And, of course, it fits inside a Pibow case!
This diminutive board is compatible with all 40-pin Raspberry Pi models, and can be controlled really simply with our PiGlow Python library.
Use PiGlow for mood lighting / ambience, monitoring the status of your system, scripts, or daemons, Twitter mentions or emails, VESA-mounted behind your monitor or TV, or a zillion other things!
Features
- 18 coloured LEDs (3x each red, orange, yellow, green, blue, white)
- Driven by the SN3218 8-bit, 18-channel PWM LED driver
- Uses I2C (address 0x54)
- PiGlow pinout
- Compatible with all 40-pin header Raspberry Pi models
- Python library
- Comes fully assembled
Software
Our PiGlow Python library makes controlling PiGlow a piece of cake. You can control the brightness of the different colour groups of LEDs, the arms of the nebula, or individual LEDs - flexible! There's also a handful of examples to show you what can be done.
Community software
A bunch of awesome folk have contributed code for PiGlow. Here's just some of it:
Gordon Henderson has added a PiGlow driver for wiringPi that you can find here: http://wiringpi.com/dev-lib/piglow/
Simon Walters has added PiGlow support for Scratch: http://cymplecy.wordpress.com/
Jason Barnett has put together a great Python class and a load of samples: https://github.com/Boeeerb/PiGlow
Ben Lebherz has forked Jason's project and tidied up the code a bit while adding gamma correction: https://github.com/benleb/PyGlow
Manuel Ernst has created a Node.js library: https://github.com/zaphod1984/node-piglow
Falldeaf has put together a nice XBMC hack to use the PiGlow as a status indicator: http://falldeaf.com/2013/11/the-xbmc-piglow-information-display-addon/
Jonathan Stowe has created a module for the Perl divers among you: https://metacpan.org/release/JSTOWE/Device-PiGlow-1.0
Toon Schoenmakers has gone as far as making a library for Golang: https://github.com/schoentoon/piglow
Bruce Beisel has created a Java package (with GUI simulator and example applications): https://github.com/brucebeisel/PiGlow4J
Robert Peake has made a simple, mobile-friendly, web-based interface, the PiGlow Web Controller : https://github.com/cyberscribe/piglowweb
Joris Vervuurt has created a lightweight Node.js module: https://github.com/jorisvervuurt/jvspiglow
Notes
- Photo-sensitivity warning: flashing, strobing, and patterns of lights may cause epileptic seizures. Always take care and immediately stop using if you feel unwell (dizziness, nausea, affected vision, eye twitching, disorientation).