BadgeMagic Art

A collection of pixel art designs for LED name badges (11x44 pixel displays).

Hardware Compatibility

This repository contains designs for LED badges with:

• 11x44 pixels (most common)
• 12x48 pixels

These badges typically identify as:

idVendor=0416, idProduct=5020
LSicroelectronics LS32 Custm HID

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Install the LED badge python tool from led-badge-ls32:

# Install dependencies (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install python3-usb python3-pil

# Install udev rules for non-root access
sudo cp 99-led-badge-44x11.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

Upload Designs

# Upload an animation (mode 4 = still-centered, speed 8 = fastest)
./led-badge-11x44.py -m 4 -s 8 :path/to/design.png:

# Upload text
./led-badge-11x44.py "Hello World!"

# Multiple messages
./led-badge-11x44.py -m 0,4 -s 6,8 "Scrolling text" :animation.png:

Creating Animations

Some suggestions so you can create your own animations:

Step 1: Create or Source Your GIF

Start with a GIF animation at any size. You can:

• Create pixel art in Piskel
• Download existing GIFs
• Convert videos to GIF

Step 2: Prepare in Piskel (Optional)

1. Open Piskel
2. Import your GIF: Import → Browse images
3. Edit your animation:
   • Resize to roughly match 44x11 aspect ratio
   • Adjust frame count (fewer frames = faster animation)
   • Crop unnecessary areas
   • Add/remove frames
4. Export as GIF: Export → GIF

Step 3: Convert to Badge Format

The badge requires PNGs with specific dimensions:

For 11x44 badges:

• Height: 11 pixels (fixed)
• Width: 44 pixels × number of frames
• Maximum: 123 frames (5,412 pixels wide)
• Format: Tiled frames horizontally

Conversion Command

# Basic conversion (13 frames)
ffmpeg -i your_animation.gif -filter:v "negate,tile=13x1" -frames:v 1 -y output.png

# With 123 frames (looped for smooth playback)
ffmpeg -i your_animation.gif -filter_complex "negate,loop=8:1:0,trim=end_frame=123,tile=123x1" -frames:v 1 -y output.png

Filter breakdown:

• negate - Inverts colors (bright animation on dark background)
• loop=8:1:0 - Loops the animation 8 more times
• trim=end_frame=123 - Limits to 123 frames (badge maximum)
• tile=123x1 - Arranges frames horizontally

Advanced: Scaling GIFs

If your GIF isn't already 44x11:

# Scale to 44x11, then tile
ffmpeg -i your_animation.gif -filter:v "\
format=gray,\
eq=contrast=3.5:brightness=0.22,\
unsharp=9:9:3,\
scale=44:11:flags=lanczos,\
negate,\
tile=13x1" -frames:v 1 -y output.png

PNG Requirements

Critical Specifications

• Height: Exactly 11 pixels (or 12 for 12x48 badges)
• Width: 44 × N frames (where N ≤ 123)
• Maximum frames: 123 frames = 5,412 pixels wide
• Format: All frames tiled horizontally in a single row
• Color: Black and white would probably give you the best result.

Example Dimensions

• 13 frames: 572 × 11 pixels
• 24 frames: 1,056 × 11 pixels
• 123 frames: 5,412 × 11 pixels (maximum)

Display Modes

• Mode 0: Scroll left (default)
• Mode 1: Scroll right
• Mode 2: Scroll up
• Mode 3: Scroll down
• Mode 4: Still-centered (best for in-place animations)
• Mode 5: Animation mode
• Mode 6: Drop-down effect
• Mode 7: Curtain effect
• Mode 8: Laser effect

For tiled frame animations, use Mode 4.

Examples

Nyan Cat

Located in designs/nyan-cat/:

• nyan-cat.gif - Source GIF (44×11, 13 frames)
• nyan-cat.png - Converted for badge (572×11)

Upload command:

./led-badge-11x44.py -m 4 -s 8 :designs/nyan-cat/nyan-cat.png:

Contributing

We welcome your pixel art designs!

Submission Guidelines

1. Fork this repository
2. Create your design following the PNG requirements above
3. Add to designs/ directory:

   designs/your-name/
   ├── your-design.gif (optional, source file)
   ├── your-design.png (required, badge-ready)
   └── README.md (description, upload command, author section - optional)
   

4. Add author credit (optional): Include an Author section in your design's README with your GitHub/social links to get credit for your work
5. Test on your badge before submitting
6. Open a Pull Request with:
   • Clear title (e.g., "Add dancing robot animation")
   • Description of your design
   • Screenshot or GIF preview
   • Upload command

Design Tips

• High contrast works best on LED displays
• Bold lines are more visible than fine details
• 12-24 frames is a good range for smooth animations
• Test on the actual badge - it looks different than on screen!
• Invert colors if needed (negate filter)

What We're Looking For

• Pixel art animations
• Holiday/seasonal designs
• Gaming references
• Memes and internet culture
• Abstract patterns
• Custom logos
• Text effects

Tools & Resources

• Piskel - Free online pixel art editor
• Aseprite - Professional pixel art tool
• GIMP - Free image editor with animation support
• FFmpeg - Command-line video/image converter

License

See LICENSE file for details.

Credits

Built for badge magic and other supported badges.