Smart LED matrix
A device and its iOS app, both ends written by the same person.
An addressable LED matrix driven by an ESP32 acting as a Bluetooth LE peripheral, with a custom GATT service, paired with a native iOS app for live control. Small in scope, but it is exactly the shape of the work a device manufacturer needs: firmware on one side, Core Bluetooth and a real app on the other, and one person responsible for the protocol between them.
What this proves
BLE device-to-app integration end to end — custom GATT service design, Core Bluetooth, pairing and real-time control — which is precisely the half most hardware companies have to outsource.
What it does
- ✓ ESP32 BLE peripheral with a custom GATT service
- ✓ Native iOS app (Core Bluetooth) for real-time control
- ✓ Live control of an addressable LED matrix
Built with
My role
Solo — firmware, BLE protocol design and iOS app.
Same architecture as
The scale is small. The structure is not — this is the shape of a working commercial system:
- →Instruments and controllers that need a phone app
- →Battery, charging and power systems
- →Sensors and handheld measurement devices
- →Anything currently shipping with a bad white-label app
What I'd change for a client
This was built for my own use, and it's scoped accordingly. Paid work gets built differently, and I'd rather tell you exactly how than let you find out:
- →Production BLE security — bonding, pairing and access control
- →Firmware update over the air
- →Reconnection and state handling hardened for daily real-world use