Display-first hardware
Rack-ready LED matrix bar built around chained MAX7219 modules with wide-format 1U presentation in 10-inch and 19-inch styles.
Stand-in product site concept
Make your rack look alive.
RackBeacon is a 1U LED matrix bar for homelabs, desks, and network racks. It blends retro pixel style with practical live information like clock, weather, MQTT control, and purpose-built homelab views for stats and status.
- 10-inch & 19-inch 1U
- 50+ built-in modes
- Wi-Fi, BLE & MQTT
- Pico 2 W powered
Built under
The Grazing Llama
A maker-first brand focused on homelab-friendly hardware, practical display tools, and pixel-heavy charm.
Why it stands out
Retro looks, real rack utility.
RackBeacon is not just an animation bar. It is designed to be controllable, configurable, and useful in an actual homelab environment.
Modes for mood or function
Over 50 built-in scenes ranging from Matrix rain and plasma to clock, weather, stock ticker, and homelab-focused layouts.
Browser-based control
Adjust brightness, power, mode order, parameters, scheduler rules, Wi-Fi, MQTT, and more from a web UI once online.
On-demand connectivity
Wi-Fi and BLE can stay off by default until you enable them, with setup portal support for first-time onboarding.
Homelab telemetry modes
Show compact numeric cards for CPU, memory, disk, temperatures, or rotate through issue states like WAN down or UPS on battery.
Automation-friendly
MQTT topics support remote control, status publishing, and live payloads for telemetry-focused effects.
In the wild
Built to look right in a real rack.
“From ambient pixel art to useful live rack signals, RackBeacon aims to be the bar that earns its spot in the front of the rack.”
Concept positioning copy for launch-ready storytelling.
Core platform
Made for tinkerers, friendly to everyday use.
Under the hood, the platform centers on a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W and chained LED matrices, with optional buttons, scheduling, OTA support, and a control layer that keeps the device approachable.
Hardware
- Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W
- MAX7219 8x8 LED matrix modules
- 1U rack-friendly bracket formats
- Optional GP14 momentary button
Control
- On-device web control UI
- Brightness, mode, text, scheduler, parameters
- BLE control with PIN auth
- MQTT remote control topics
Network features
- On-demand Wi-Fi onboarding portal
- NTP time sync
- Open-Meteo weather support
- Home Assistant friendly MQTT design
Launch angle
- Pre-assembled ready-to-run units
- Visual showpiece for homelabs
- Useful status surface for real systems
- Strong maker / open-source story
Useful modes
Telemetry that fits the display.
RackBeacon includes two standout data-driven experiences: one for rolling stats and one for actionable issue status.
HOMELAB_STATS
Compact cards for values like CPU, memory, disk, UPS, network, and temperature. Ideal when you want readable at-a-glance numbers with optional severity cues.
CPU 32%
MEM 68%
DSK 81%
MEM 68%
DSK 81%
HOMELAB_STATUS
Summary and issue drilldown mode for outages or degraded conditions like WAN down, UPS on battery, NAS degraded, or other critical states.
ALL OK
WAN DOWN
UPS BATT
WAN DOWN
UPS BATT
MQTT CONTROL
Publish to topics for power, mode, text, brightness, auto-cycle, and mode-specific data payloads to fit into your existing automation stack.
/mode
/text
/homelab
/text
/homelab
Animation library
From digital rain to llama dioramas.
Some of the built-in personalities include RAIN, GLITCHFIELD, AQUARIUM, LLAMA, WEATHER, CLOCK, FIRE, STOCK_TICKER, HOMELAB_STATS, and HOMELAB_STATUS.
FAQ
Quick answers for curious homelab folks.
Is it only decorative?
No. The visual side is a major part of the appeal, but the project also supports clock, weather, MQTT control, scheduling, status pages, and compact telemetry views.
Does it need MQTT?
No. MQTT is optional. The device can still work through its local web UI and onboard controls.
Who is it for?
Homelab builders, makers, network nerds, rack enthusiasts, and anyone who wants their gear to look more alive.
Can I customize it?
Yes. Modes, order, brightness, text, scheduling, network settings, telemetry feeds, and per-mode parameters are all part of the platform direction.
Launch interest
Want to be first to know when RackBeacon goes live?
This placeholder site is ready for an email form, Etsy link, or future storefront button whenever you are.