Show HN: I spent 6 years building a ridiculous wooden pixel display

9 months ago

The Kilopixel project is a large, inefficient display with a 40×25 pixel grid (1,000 pixels total), inspired by unconventional displays and eInk technology.
The project involves a web app, physical controller, custom CNC build, gcode generation, fabrication, 3D modeling, and printing.
Initial pixel attempts included ping pong balls, foam Nerf balls, bouncy balls, wooden balls, and styrofoam balls, each with unique challenges.
Ping pong balls were fragile after modification, foam Nerf balls had color and turning issues, and other materials were inconsistent or heavy.
The final design uses cubic wooden pixels, manufactured by the creator, arranged on a strict grid with metal wires for independent movement.
A CNC-controlled gantry with a reciprocating poking mechanism turns the pixels, using a Raspberry Pi, CNC controller, and light sensor for feedback.
The web app, built with Laravel, InertiaJS, and VueJS, controls the display via an API with user-submitted and voting modes.
The display is streamed live via YouTube with two webcams, and timelapses of submissions are generated and shared on Bluesky.
Defensive features are in place to handle potential abuse, with submissions requiring Bluesky OAuth login and open voting.
Future plans include handing control to an internet friend or using it as an interactive background during video calls.

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