Little Bird
Scroll Bot - Pi Zero W Project Kit
Scroll Bot is a desk-friendly robot kit built around the Raspberry Pi Zero W and the Scroll pHAT HD LED matrix. Once assembled, it scrolls messages, news, we...
Scroll Bot is a desk-friendly robot kit built around the Raspberry Pi Zero W and the Scroll pHAT HD LED matrix. Once assembled, it scrolls messages, news, weather, or social media feeds through its 17×7 bright white LED "mouth" — all powered by the Pi Zero W's built-in Wi-Fi.
The kit includes everything needed to build the robot (just add a micro-SD card). Assembly takes around 30 minutes and requires soldering the headers, though no-solder hammer headers can be used as an alternative.
Key Features
- Scroll pHAT HD – 17×7 matrix (119 pixels) of individually dimmable white LEDs, driven by the IS31FL3731 chip
- Raspberry Pi Zero W – Single-core CPU with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Orange Robot Stand – 3-layer acrylic stand with frosted diffuser
- Internet Connected – Display news, weather, Twitter mentions, and more via Wi-Fi
- Python Library – Full software support with examples
Specifications
- LED Matrix – 17×7 (119 pixels), individual PWM brightness control
- Assembled Size – 125 × 85 × 67 mm (W × H × D)
Ideal For
- Desk-top information displays and notification scrollers
- Learning Raspberry Pi, Python, and soldering
- Simple LED animations and pixel art
- A fun weekend electronics project
Kit Contents
- 1× Raspberry Pi Zero W
- 1× Scroll pHAT HD board
- 1× Male and female 2×20 pin headers
- 1× Orange robot stand and diffuser (acrylic)
- 1× 50 cm USB-A to Micro-B cable
- 1× USB-A (female) to Micro-B (male) adaptor
- 1× Mini HDMI to full-size HDMI adaptor
- 1× Sticker sheet
- Reusable kit box
scrollphathd.rotate(180) near the top of your code to correct this.
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- HDMI
- HDMI is a common digital video and audio connection used by computers, media players, and many displays. If a display kit has HDMI input, it is usually much easier to test with a single-board computer because it can act like a normal monitor.
- Headers
- Rows of metal pins used to plug a module into a breadboard or connect it with jumper wires. Pre-soldered headers make the module easier to use straight away without needing to solder the pins yourself.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.
- pHAT
- A smaller add-on board format for Raspberry Pi, similar in idea to a HAT but usually not full-sized. It matters because pHAT compatibility can affect how neatly a board stacks or fits into a Raspberry Pi project.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
Find this product in
Raspberry Pi
Related Tutorials
Free guides on learn.littlebird.com.au
