I’ve been wanting to make a 1:220 scale megacity diorama and don’t know what options I have. I’m projecting I’ll need to control the speed of two motors, some LEDs, and maybe a dozen or so tiny screens as digital billboards. It’s the screens I’m worried most about.

I’d like to scavenge digital displays from e-waste, group them by type/resolution, and have a slideshow for each group that rotates throughout the city.

My initial idea was to use digital photo frames, but they’re too big, and used ones are still too expensive for the quantity I need.

I’m assuming I will need multiple controllers(/processors?), but I don’t know enough terminology to find what I need. I’m still thinking out the diorama, so if it’s too hard/expensive I can just do backlit decals, but that’s boring.

  • wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works
    2·
    12 days ago

    ESP32-S3 will do everything you want and then some. And you can do it all without any programming by using ESPHome. And they are incredibly cheap (starting around $3 a board and up depending on options).

    There are more suited, fancier, better options, like using STM32FX microcontrollers, but that will require more knowledge, programming skills, and you’ll find it harder to get help.