Hi @liminalsunset,
I don’t usually offer this option. I appreciate the interest and support and willingness to pay for the firmware, though I would still recommend purchasing the hardware.
The majority of Pixelblaze proceeds cover support and software development, and the hardware is designed to minimize the potential problems and also minimize the support costs around hardware, setup, and troubleshooting.
So a bit counterintuitively, when I do license Pixelblaze firmware for customer provided hardware, I charge more than a physical PB.
Addressable LEDs are fickle things, and having proper level shifters is critical, though many DIY LED setups with a bare bones ESP module will skip this because it seems to work, most of the time.
There is also reverse polarity and over voltage protection in Pixelblaze (v2+, v3 standard) that protects against human mistakes I think we’ve all made at one point or another. Because Pixelblaze primarily stores pattern code on the device, there’s more to protect than just the hardware.
I also license Pixelblaze firmware for use in commercial contexts where a business is bringing their own hardware, however these tend to be more complex agreements and shift end-user support responsibility.
If you (or anyone else reading this) are interested in licensing Pixelblaze for use with your hardware either for personal use or in a commercial context, please contact me at wizard@electromage.com.