Buying guide
Hardware we have used and tested. If you are not sure what to buy, start here. All items below have been used with MoonModules software and in real projects.
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For the full list of tested boards with pinouts and configuration details, see the MoonLight board details page.
Complete LED controller boards
Ready-made boards that combine the ESP32 and LED driver circuitry. Plug in power, connect your LED strips, and flash firmware.
QuinLED
- QuinLED Dig-Uno v3: 2 LED outputs, 50 W. Good starting board.
- QuinLED Dig-Next-2: 2 LED outputs, 65 W, 4 relay pins.
- QuinLED Dig-Quad v3: 4 LED outputs, 150 W.
- QuinLED Dig-Octa v2: 8 LED outputs, 400 W, onboard Ethernet, 16 MB flash. For large installs.
Serg (srg74)
- Universal Shield: 50 W, IR, relay, mic, I2C
- Mini Shield: compact, 50 W, mic, I2C
Olimex
- ESP32-POE: onboard Ethernet with Power over Ethernet support
MyHome-Control
- MHC V43: 4 LED outputs, 75 W, mic
- MHC V57 PRO: 4 LED outputs, 75 W, relay
- MHC P4 Nano Shield: up to 16 LED outputs, 100 W, ESP32-P4, mic/line-in
StephanElec / Limpkin
- SE16 v1: 16 LED outputs, 500 W, SPI Ethernet (W5500), ESP32-S3
- LightCrafter16: 16 LED outputs, 500 W, SPI Ethernet (W5500), ESP32-S3, RS-485
M5Stack
- Atom S3R: 4 LED outputs, 10 W, compact. Used at the September 2025 festival.
Microcontrollers
- Lilygo T7-S3 (AliExpress): recommended for the MoonHub75 PCB
Peripheral boards
LEDs
LED curtains
Note (January 2025): Recent shipments of LED curtains often have T-connectors with an LED inside. These need to be addressed as 800 lights to burn 400 (the T-connector LED shifts each ID by 40). Types vary between batches and sellers. Ask on Discord before buying if you are unsure.
- RGB LED Curtain String (AliExpress): normal 400 addresses (until mid-2024)
- LED Curtain (AliExpress)
- LED Curtain with T-connector LEDs (AliExpress): use 800 addresses
- LED Curtain USB, APA106 (AliExpress): red and blue swapped
HUB75 panels
P2, P2.5, P3 etc. is the pixel pitch in mm. We work mostly with P2.5.
- 128×64 P2.5, €23.97 (AliExpress)
- 128×64 P2.5, €19.19 (AliExpress)
- 64×64 P3, €22.39 (AliExpress)
- 32×32 P6, experimental WLED-MM support (AliExpress)
Good panels have larger LED chips (3535 vs 2121), brightness above 800 cd/m² (1200 is good), and a solid frame. Outdoor panels reach 8000 cd/m².
Use the MoonHub75 PCB to connect a HUB75 panel to a Lilygo T7-S3. WLED-MM HUB75 instructions.
Moving heads
- 19×15W Zoom Wash RGBW Moving Head (AliExpress): used at the September 2025 festival
19 LEDs, 15W each (max 285W). Supports zoom. Three LED groups for 16Ch or 24Ch DMX mode. Temperature-controlled fan. No gobos. ~100–110 €. Supported by current MoonLight.
Multi-pin fixture shopping list
For driving large LED setups across multiple outputs using FastLED or the physical LED driver:
Basics
- Universal Control Box 12×12×5 (Makerworld, printable)
- Prototype board 10×10 cm (AliExpress)
- 16-pin mini screw terminals (AliExpress)
- Wiring connectors for GND and + (AliExpress)
- 5V 20A power supply (AliExpress)
- 2-pin screw terminals for power (AliExpress)
- 3-pin wire 22AWG (AliExpress)
- 19-pin female header for ESP32 WROVER (AliExpress)
- 22-pin female header for S3 (AliExpress)
Physical LED driver
Virtual LED driver
Optional
Other useful items
- 3-wire connectors (AliExpress)
- Push-in terminal block (AliExpress)
- Logic analyser (AliExpress): for diagnosing flickering LEDs