P5 Matrix, What else do I need?

Looking at building a P5 matrix, likely utilizing 12 panels (4x3). If my research was accurate I'll need a Colorlight 75B or E, enclosure with 350 watt PSU, and a USB to Gigabit CAT connector. Probably some cables and odds & ends, but I'll cross that bridge.

Question on the setup of a P5 matrix, does anyone know how I wire it back to my F16 controller or is that not needed since its getting data from my Pi4 over ethernet?

Right, the F16 is not involved, it just gets part of the ethernet data from the player. These are square panels?

They are 320x160mm. Are you thinking I should do a 4x4 to keep the aspect ratio?

What aspect ratio are you going for? Your 12, 3 columns of 4 rows is approx 3' wide and 2' high, reasonable ratio.

So, you will need something to drive the colorlight receiver. There are different options from sender cards or fpp instances, on your flavor of hardware. At what distance will it be viewed from, that might make a difference also. My P5 matrix Tune to was 2x2 from about 30 - 50 feet. I'm going to expand it to 2x3 to give a bit more space on it.

I keep thinking I want to build a 5x4 for a 20 panel for video effects.

Yes, use the link Indigogyre posted. It will lay out the "lights" side pretty nicely.

You will need an enclosure of some kind that largely depends on the type of panels you choose.

@indigThanks, checking that link now. Viewing distance could be up to 150ft if I locate this on my house. If I build a stand and put it in the front yard, viewing distance could be 2ft (not that I would do that). I have flexibility though. I could even do 20 panels as I have ample space.

I have a Pi4 running FPP. From vids I watched it looked like a Gig speed ethernet plugged into the Colorlight and my Pi4 is what I needed. Are you saying I need another card in there though? Or, just have FPP configured to do the sending?

@merryoncherry I wasnt going for a set aspect ratio, just something "reasonable".

@MikeKrebs I was planning on Scott's LED panels which are IP67 outdoor panels. Will certainly need an enclosure for PSU and card(s).

I would not use my show PI to run a matrix panel at the same time, it's a personal preference as I like to segment things off. At the moment I run a PI for each matrix that I use. For Christmas it is a single tune to sign. For Halloween I run 5 different matrix props. Tune to and then 4 tombstones with an individual P5 panel.

For driving the matrix:
Old configuration:
1 PI of your choice
1 100mb usb network connector
1 Power supply

I run the show connection into the usb device as it does not require 1G speed. Use the built in PI network to control the colorlight card. Connect power of your choice.

New configuration:
Swap power supply with a POE adaptor and use that to power the PI, reducing the need for a power source. Now it's just two network cables to the matrix controller box. The POE adaptor is just a little more expensive than the pi power supply.

Last year I swapped out my P5 panels and used the ones from Scott LED without an issue. My tune to sits under my porch roof on my railing. I used Wired Watts connectors to tie the panels together, screwed them into some pine 2x2. I wrapped it all in white PVC 1x4. The back has been completely open since I built it. I should enclose it this year though to help it seal better with the weather but I never had an electrical issue with it. It is in storage right now but maybe I will dig it out and take pictures so you can be amazed at my shoddy work.

Notice:
At some point xLights made an adjustment to how panels are handled, which ties into the newer version of FPP. I Could NOT output effects onto the panel correctly from xLights, even after I upgraded to the latest FPP version. The matrix and color light card are properly setup in LED configurator but it is when effects are output to it that it alters how the effects are being displayed on the panel. I plan to go back to an earlier version of xLights for testing.

*** EDIT ***
After testing there are no issues with xLights and the latest version of FPP. Turns out it was user error in how I configured the connections. It was odd that it only showed up while running effects though.