K8-Max

The K8-Max is a cape for the PocketBeagle 2 that is designed to drive ws281x LED pixels. It has 8 local ports that can each drive 800 pixels (with power injection) at 40FPS. It also has 4 RJ45 differential ports that can output an additional 16 strings via differential receivers. Finally, it has one RS485 output for DMX, PixelNet, Renard, LOR.

The K8-Max has a Real Time Clock (RTC) to maintain time, a temperature sensor, input voltage sensors, an OLED display with navigation push buttons, three powered USB ports, onboard sound, socket for FM transmitter, and a Gigabit Ethernet port (wired via USB2 so roughly 300Mb/s speed).

The cape provides:

• 8 pixel connectors in banks for four.
  • Each bank of four can use any voltage from 5V – 24V
  • Each string is protected by an eFuse that provides current monitoring, eFuse protection, and instant alerts
  • Each string can provide up to 6A of power
• 4 RJ45 connections for 16 more strings via differential receivers
• 1 RJ45 connection for DMX/LOR
• On-board pcm5102 DAC and headphone jack for sound
• Header to attach FM transmitter
• 3 USB-A connector for WIFIi adapters or other USB devices
• Gigabit Ethernet Connector
• Expansion header pins providing 8 gpio outputs and access to I2C bus, 3.3v power, and ground
• Temperature sensor.
• Real Time Clock
• 5v 4-Pin PWM Cooling Fan Connector
• 8 GPIO pins exposed to the user to allow adding additional buttons, proximity sensors, etc… to invoke various effects and functionality.

You will need:

• PocketBeagle 2 – the K8-Max will NOT work with a PocketBeagle 1
• A good quality SD card with the latest FPP image installed on it. The K8-Max requires at least FPP 9.0 to be fully functional. The latest FPP images can always be found at https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp/releases/
• Power supply
• ws281x compatible pixels

Mounting Information:

• https://kulplights.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/K8-Max.pdf