Make the Internet Blink: Web-Controlled LED Matrix Lab (CHM)

What happens when you mix websites, Wi-Fi, and blinking LEDs? You get a tiny internet-connected billboard you control yourself.
In this beginner-friendly makerspace workshop, you’ll build a simple website that sends commands to an ESP32-powered LED matrix over Wi-Fi. Press buttons on your webpage to display messages, trigger animations, and control your matrix in real time using a Node.js server and web sockets.
You’ll learn how websites talk to hardware without getting buried in complicated code—we’ll provide working starter code so you can focus on customizing and making it your own. Expect plenty of copy/paste coding, hands-on building, and satisfying “wait...I made that?!” moments.
By the end of class, you’ll leave with:

• A working LED matrix connected to an ESP32
• A simple website you can customize
• A Node.js server that sends commands to your hardware
• Fun animations, scrolling text, or custom patterns you create

Perfect for beginners who are curious about coding, hardware, or building weird things that probably blink too much.
No prior coding experience required. Basic computer comfort helps.
Come make a website that bosses around LEDs.

If you have a laptop, please bring it — but come anyway if you don’t!