A desk setup with a black LED display showing text, a black desk lamp, a pegboard with various tools, a pair of black headphones, a computer monitor, a desk mat with contour lines, and a keyboard. The LED display shows the text: 'SH424178 Booking 737 New Op 12:58am'.

Flight Tracker

2025

Summer

An arrivals board for your living room

An airplane flying high in a clear blue sky with some scattered clouds.

The Idea

Watching planes descend into San Diego inspired a display that makes live flight activity visible at home without relying on a phone or laptop.

A workbench with a black LED matrix displaying the text 'FLIGHT 159'; a Raspberry Pi connected with cables; a laptop showing a flight tracking website; various tools hanging on a pegboard above, including screwdrivers, pliers, headphones, and a white lamp.

The Creation

Step by step, a loose prototype became a reliable LED board, refined through wiring, mounting, and tuning to run smoothly on its own.

The interior of an electronic device case, showing a circuit board, wires, and connectors, with tools and miscellaneous items on a workshop pegboard in the background.

The Tools

A Raspberry Pi, Adafruit bonnet, and high-current power supply were housed in a custom 3D printed case, with Python scripts linking live flight and weather data.

Electronic LED display on a wall showing a message with the words 'Silly stuff saving 77 Baltimore' with a small green figurine on top.

The Final Product

The finished board is a live arrivals tracker for San Diego, built to update continuously and blend into the room as an object rather than just another screen.

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