Lumyn Labs Announces ConnectorX: A Low Cost, High Performance "Connect Anything" Board for FRC

FIRST General Forum
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Lumyn Labs Banner
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Hello Chief Delphi!

I am thrilled to introduce Lumyn Labs, a startup I helped to create, and the launch of our ConnectorX lineup of products! Designed with the FRC community in mind, the ConnectorX is a versatile and powerful “Connect Anything” IO breakout board that combines high performance with affordability.

ConnectorX ConnectorX Animate

ConnectorX and ConnectorX Animate

What is ConnectorX?

ConnectorX streamlines your robot’s electronics, providing seamless integration for a wide range of components and sensors. Available in two models for 2025 (with more to come!), ConnectorX empowers you to focus on innovation- not wiring.

Advanced LED Control

Connect any WS2812B (AKA NeoPixel) LED strip to ConnnectorX to instantly control them with complex animations.

Need more granularity? We’ve got you covered! Divide your strips into zones and assign a unique animation to each one for even more control.

LED Strip Animations

Additionally, connect LED matrices to display images, text, and even GIFs right on your robot, leaving behind old methods of signaling.

Matrix animations

Modules

Unlock Infinite Possibilities with Lumyn Labs Modules! No more fiddling with wires, soldering connectors, or hot gluing your RoboRIO just to keep connections tight. The Lumyn Labs module ecosystem provides integrations with all your favorite sensors, including:

  • Lidar distance sensing
  • Beam Breaks
  • Hall Effect Sensors
  • And More!

Modules Demo Reel

Just plug the module in, add it to the config, and you’re ready to start reading values in robot code! Best of all, with custom firmware, you can create your own modules for ConnectorX and open up limitless possibilities!

Web Based Configuration

The Lumyn Labs Studio web app makes it easy to connect and configure all of your Lumyn Labs devices fully offline. Easily set up LED channels, create animations, configure modules, and more with zero code for a truly seamless experience. On the robot side, ConnectorX can be playing animations in as little as 3 lines of code!

Lumyn Studio
Lumyn Studio1536×960 154 KB

One Product, Many Models

ConnectorX is designed for you. Choose the model that fits your needs the best!

  • ConnectorX: $64.99 - Ideal for teams needing easy I/O expansion and sensor integrations. One LED channel, 5V @ 3A out
  • ConnectorX Animate: $74.99 - Great for teams needing advanced LED control and signaling capabilities. Includes enhanced power regulation (up to 5V @ 6A out) and a total of four LED channels, minus the modules.

Technical Specifications (ConnectorX):

  • Microcontroller: Raspberry Pi RP2040
  • I/O Pins*: 2x I2C connectors, 2x Digital in/out headers, 2x Analog in/out headers, 1x SPI header
  • Power Requirements: 6-20V input, 5V @ 3A output (ConnectorX), 5V @ 6A output (ConnectorX Animate)
  • Dimensions: 1 7/8" x 3 1/4" (Smaller than a debit card!)
  • Software Libraries:
    • Custom firmware that lets you add your own Arduino libraries, sensors, and LED animations
    • Robot code: Use our WPILib driver for C++ and Java

*Not available on ConnectorX Animate

Who We Are

Two guys that like robots! Lumyn Labs was founded by a mentor and recent alumnus with the goal of building products that we wanted to use ourselves. The end result combines years of FRC programming experience into one package that anyone can use.

We can’t wait to see the amazing innovations teams will achieve with the ConnectorX!

Join The Community

Still not sold? Check out our documentation website to learn more. Ready to jump in? ConnectorX Animate is open for sales today at https://LumynLabs.com and ConnectorX is just around the corner. Both models will ship by the end of January. Lastly, stay tuned. We have more exciting announcements coming soon! :eyes:

Best Wishes,
Evan Rust (@having11) and Levi Belland - Lumyn Labs

43 Likes
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How this is connect to roboRIO? USB?

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Looks cool! Would it be possible to have an offline version of the studio? Wifi isn’t always guaranteed at competition.

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Yes, it communicates with the RIO over USB Serial

Studio is a progressive web app, so you should be able to save it offline on any modern web browser

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image

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6

Looks awesome! As for the vendordep “Coming soon” are you aiming for before kickoff?

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Really cool, love seeing more options in this space.

Does the LED matrix support a panel like these Adafruit displays or is it for LED strips laid out in a matrix?

8

How do the modules connect to the board securely?

Almost every single sensor shown in the modules uses a header on it, and I see no way to latch the cables to the module without “soldering connectors, or hot gluing” them…

9

Yep!

Unfortunately not. ConnectorX works with WS2812B matrices like this one on adafruit’s store. We also sell an identical matrix for a quarter of the price.

The demo showcases some preproduction hardware which used grove connectors, however we have since switched to QWIIC/STEMMA QT which is an open standard. You can purchase already assembled cables that connect securely from a variety of places such as adafruit. This enables connecting a variety of off the shelf sensors that come with STEMMA QT female.

Additionally we plan to provide a standard 0.1" header which you can solder to if doing something custom.

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Do you have a list of modules you will support?

Edit: Also, do you have a solution for a team that use both of the USB ports? We connect the canivore and then a USB drive for logging.

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Very similar to something I’ve been working on! Looks sweet, I’ll have to try it out

1 Like
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The exact list is still in flux but at a bare minimum we plan to support the ones mentioned in the post: distance, hall effect, beam breaks and a color sensor. Of course if you want to do something bespoke you can always create a custom module for it.

At the moment you’ll need to use some form of USB hub, however in the future we plan to allow connecting via the MXP port and releasing a model which supports CAN.

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Custom Firmware Meme

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for the positive response to the ConnectorX announcement! We’re incredibly excited to see the creative ways you’ll use it.

For those of you eager to dive into custom firmware, we’re happy to announce that the template repositories are now live! You can find them here:

Each repository contains a basic PlatformIO project to get started building your own animations and custom modules. Custom firmware builds on top of our existing firmware for ConnectorX and ConnectorX Animate, letting you leverage the seamless integration with Lumyn Studio and our vendordep for anything you might want to create.

We know the vendordep is highly anticipated, and we’re excited to share that it’s coming very soon! We’re putting the finishing touches on it and will have it available shortly.

As a reminder, if you run into any issues or have questions, feel free to ask them here in the thread, or check out our documentation website at https://docs.lumynlabs.com.

Happy coding!

-Levi

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I’d love to see an ethernet version of this that could use NT for data transfer. (or CAN)

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:tada: Happy Reefscape Season! :tada:

The 2025 FRC game has officially launched, and we’re thrilled to support teams in this year’s competition. To celebrate kickoff, we have a few announcements that we’d like to share.

Firstly, the kickoff release of our WPILib vendordep is officially live! Information on integrating it with Java and C++ projects can be found on our documentation website.

We’re also happy to share that we remain on track to ship ConnectorX orders at or around January 26th. New orders placed today will still meet this timeline, so if you’ve been considering ordering, it’s not too late! Alongside this, we’ve rolled out an update to Studio, making it more stable and reliable than ever. We’re committed to delivering continuous improvements throughout the season to keep your creative workflow smooth and hassle-free.

3D-Printed Cases

We’re excited to introduce 3D-printed cases for both ConnectorX and ConnectorX Animate! These durable, lightweight cases are designed to protect your hardware and make mounting your robot easier than ever. The cases are printed in two parts (base and lid) and should be compatible with any FDM printer. They feature M3 screw holes for joining the parts together and for mounting directly onto your robot.

Animate Case
Animate Case2048×1536 78.5 KB

Top View
Top View2048×1536 76 KB

Isometric View
Isometric View2048×1536 73 KB

ConnectorX Case
ConnectorX Case2048×1536 77.6 KB

Side View
Side View2048×1536 67.8 KB

You can purchase the cases directly from our store:

Alternatively, you can download the STLs for free from our GitHub.

Game Piece Sprites for LED Matrices

To commemorate Reefscape, we’ve created pixel-perfect sprites for this year’s game. These include sprites for each game piece in 16x16 and 8x8 pixel sizes. In addition to the game pieces, we’ve also included season-themed elements to add a bit of flair to your displays!

These sprites are perfect for displaying on LED matrices to signal human players, drivers, or alliance members during matches. We hope they inspire creative uses for your displays and help robots communicate more effectively on the field.

New LED Matrix Options

We’ve expanded our LED matrix offerings! In addition to the 16x16 and 32x8 matrices already in our store, we’re now offering an 8x8 LED matrix. This compact size is perfect for smaller robots! (:wink:)

Check out our LED matrices here: Led Matrix - Lumyn Labs

We wish all teams a fun, rewarding, and innovative Reefscape season. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out—we’re here to help.

Here’s to a fantastic season!

-Levi

4 Likes