1. Arena Board
    1. Arena 10-10 board
    2. What is in the current design?
    3. Which revision should you build?
    4. Mechanical and reference assets
    5. Current scope of the published G6 arena hardware

Arena Board

The arena board is the main backplane for a Generation 6 modular LED display. It defines the circular panel geometry, distributes power, routes the panel communication lines, and carries the local controller and experiment-facing I/O on the same PCB.

At the moment, the published Generation 6 arena documentation is much simpler than the long Generation 4 arena history. This repository currently contains one main G6 arena family: a 10-10 arena built around a Teensy 4.1 with Ethernet connectivity.

If you need a short recommendation: for a new build, use the newest production package for arena_10-10_v1, currently v1p1r6. Older revisions are best treated as manufacturing history unless you need to match hardware that already exists in your lab.

Arena 10-10 board

The 10-10 arena PCB is the backplane for a cylindrical Generation 6 display with up to ten panel columns arranged around the ring. In practical terms, this is the board that turns a collection of panel boards into a mechanically consistent arena with a single power and control backbone.

The local README.mdown summarizes the current project status well:

  • the board hosts up to 10 LED panel boards arranged around a circle
  • the board is driven by a Teensy 4.1 MCU (not part of the BOM, buy separately)
  • updates are received via Ethernet
  • the first large production run was version 1.1.6, ordered on 2026-04-27

That combination makes v1p1r6 the best default choice for a new build.

What is in the current design?

The KiCad project in arena_10-10/arena_10-10_v1/ combines controller, power, analog I/O, and panel connectivity in a single arena design.

The top-level project is:

  • arena_10_of_10_v1r1.kicad_pro
  • arena_10_of_10_v1r1.kicad_sch
  • arena_10_of_10_v1r1.kicad_pcb

The design is split into supporting schematic sheets (see schematics pdf), including:

  • teensy.kicad_sch for the controller and external digital connections
  • power.kicad_sch for board power entry and distribution
  • analog.kicad_sch for experiment-facing analog I/O
  • panels.kicad_sch and panel_column.kicad_sch for panel connectivity
  • fan_out.kicad_sch and related sheets for signal distribution

Controller and communication

The controller sheet is built around a Teensy 4.1 footprint (teensy:Teensy4.1_Ethernet_Only) and an RJ45 magjack.

The panel routing is organized as two SPI groups:

  • SPI bus B0 for columns P1-P5
  • SPI bus B1 for columns P6-P10

Each panel column has dedicated chip-select routing, and the panel sheets also include external interrupt routing for the columns.

Experiment I/O

The published schematics indicate that the arena board also exposes experiment-facing signals:

  • one analog output labeled 0-5 V
  • two analog inputs labeled +/-10 V
  • one digital input/output labeled 0-5 V
  • one external interrupt connection

This is useful when the arena must interface directly with external instrumentation or behavioral control hardware.

For the I/O power, one additional component is needed: Recom Power RB-0515D. This part is not included in the BOM, so we solder it by hand after receiving the arena boards.

Power entry

The power sheet includes two DC barrel-jack connectors. J25 is the main input from the power supply. J26 can be used to distribute power to a separate top board, although that top-board design is not yet part of the published G6 arena hardware.

Which revision should you build?

The repository currently archives several production revisions under:

arena_10-10/arena_10-10_v1/production/

Published revisions include:

  • v1p1: Production files generated by Will Dickson
  • v1p1r2: Increased via size from 0.2 mm drill holes to 0.3 mm drill holes and added a switch component
  • v1p1r3: Updated via sizing to work with via-in-pad at JLCPCB
  • v1p1r4: Fixed a grounding issue on J25 / J26
  • v1p1r5: Adjusted panel placement and length-matched the EINT traces
  • v1p1r6: Fixed the silkscreen and used it for the first production run

For a new build, use:

  • arena_10-10/arena_10-10_v1/production/v1p1r6/G6_10-10_Teensy_Arena_v1.1.6.zip

Each production folder also contains the usual fabrication support files such as:

  • bom.csv: bill of materials; it currently focuses on LCSC components
  • positions.csv: CPL file adjusted for JLCPCB requirements
  • designators.csv
  • netlist.ipc

Unless you have a specific reason to reproduce an older board, there is little value in starting from an earlier production revision.

Mechanical and reference assets

The assets/ folder in arena_10-10/arena_10-10_v1/ contains supporting files that are helpful during review and assembly planning, including:

  • a STEP model: assets/arena_10_of_10_v1r1.step
  • a PDF board export: assets/arena_10_of_10_v1r1.pdf
  • pin-placement reference files such as assets/10-10_pin-placement-model_6-variants.svg; this file was laser-cut from acrylic and used to compare panel spacing before finalizing the placement for v1.1.5

Current scope of the published G6 arena hardware

At present, this repository documents a single practical Generation 6 arena path:

  • build the 10-10 arena
  • use the integrated Teensy 4.1 + Ethernet controller approach
  • start from the latest archived production revision, v1p1r6

Compared with Generation 4, there is not yet a long list of alternative geometries or controller families documented here. That is helpful for new builders: there is one clear hardware path, and the repository already includes both editable KiCad sources and production-ready manufacturing files.

This site uses Just the Docs, a documentation theme for Jekyll.