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ESP Flight Tracker
I built a custom ADS B flight tracker that pulls live traffic from adsb.lol and displays it on an ESP32 matrix setup with my own pixel airline logos.
Background
This build is a dedicated flight tracker using open ADS B data from the adsb.lol API. It renders nearby or global traffic on a bright pixel display. I wanted it to be affordable and actually usable, so the parts cost stayed around $30, with custom electronics and graphics. It has been stable enough to run continuously on a desk or mounted on a wall.
Hardware
- MCU: Adafruit ESP32 Feather V2, enough headroom for Wi-Fi, parsing, and tight display refresh.
- Display: Waveshare 64×32 RGB LED matrix (HUB75-style routing).
- Assembly: Hand-soldered on protoboard today; a proper PCB is on the roadmap for cleaner power and signal integrity.
- Enclosure: SolidWorks-designed 3D printed case for bench or wall mounting.
Software & firmware
ESP-IDF runs on both cores without stutter. Networking, JSON parsing, and framebuffer updates are split to keep animation smooth. I designed the GUI manually, including layout, typography, and transitions. The board has been running continuously for over three months with no issues.
60+ pixel airline logos I manually drew each airline logo pixel by pixel.
Roadmap
Next steps are integrating the design into a dedicated PCB, open sourcing the repo, and releasing an affordable kit so hobbyists can build the same live map without paying premium gadget pricing.