Hey everyone, new to the forums and to Arduino. I run a Youtube channel where I model miniature stuff and I'm planning on making a cyberpunk diorama. I've got a bunch of LED effects I'm wanting for the project. My question is, do i need multiple Arduino boards to achieve this?
In particular, I'd like to have at least three separate effects, if not more.:
-Chasing LEDs for a building sign/window lighting. Ideally 15-20 tiny 1mm LEDs
-more chasing LEDs at a much slower rate along the street curb indicating direction of traffic
-glitching/flickering neon sign effect
So this thing will be heavily lit up with just static lighting, but the more effects, the better. If I could do like 6 effects that would be even better.
I'll be (hopefully) using existing code off the web.
Sold lol
Can you ship it to Canada with some very fast, like 2-3 day shipping? We can continue in private on this, but if I put you up on the channel I'm sure we'll be able to get you a butload of sales if you have the means to make a lot of these quickly.
As far as the programming goes, it's feasible then to do multi patterns like this?
While you're waiting, you could use the time effectively by defining exactly how you want the sequences to play out. Some forethought about the effects will pay dividends.
Hmm, well I want them all to effectively be separate systems. So each sign or effect is in their own loop playing regardless of what the other is doing. So, I dont think there necessarily needs to be a specific sequence between each system/loop right? Or am I thinking about this the wrong way?
You have to give all the loops separate effects processor attention so they appear to run simultaneously. This is not hard, but does require a conceptual leap. Take a look at this pinned tutorial from this forum:
neil-rth:
Hmm, well I want them all to effectively be separate systems. So each sign or effect is in their own loop playing regardless of what the other is doing. So, I dont think there necessarily needs to be a specific sequence between each system/loop right? Or am I thinking about this the wrong way?
Good approach.
The tricky bit is where all those effects will end up in the same matrix (that 64-LED thing), so your effect loops will not be controlling the LEDs directly. You create a matrix (array) in memory where you simply write 1s when an LED is supposed to be on, 0s when it's supposed to be off, and have a separate routine that writes the latest array to the Max7219.
That matrix in memory would be something like:
bool myLEDs[8][8];
You will have to do some planning; it is likely easiest to have each effect loop control its own one or two rows of the matrix. One of the hardest parts (at least initially) is to translate between the regular matrix and the arbitrary placement of the LEDs in the final diorama.
wvmarle:
… One of the hardest parts (at least initially) is to translate between the regular matrix and the arbitrary placement of the LEDs in the final diorama.
This is more likely to be the easiest part. The use of maps to establish a correspondences between the physical and logical is well known and widely exploited and straightforward.
Simple literal programming would use arrays of indices and covering functions; I'm sure that the modern programmers who embrace more sophisticated features of C++ can roll up some structures or classes or whatever that will make it look like cutting butter with a blowtorch.
A mildly challenging part will be a matter of book-keeping and keeping the physical wiring consistent with the mappings.
In my case, a bit more than challenged by that. In fact, maps are often handy when one has wired something all wrong - a map can sort this out, that is to say "fix it in software".
Maps are also how serpentine LED matrices of smart pixels are sorted.A legitimate use as opposed to a fix for errors after the fact.
Now it is time to recommend considering smart pixels over the matrix + hardware approach. Smart LEDs come in a variety of sizes and are so very convenient to work with, especially if runs of them can be found that match physical distancing requirements or such requirements are, um, negotiable.
If every LED needs two wires, a smart LED needing three might not one a deal breaker wiring-wise.
Another thought is the addressable color LEDs
AFAIK they do not offer anywhere near the variety of shapes and sizes of regular LEDs
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As a comment. If you think about a computer game you have a sign- on then select your cart the play levels.
If your project has starbursts then chase lights then random......
Just like a computer game you program what happens and why and when
Gonna be a challenge to squeeze three LEDs and the control chip into a single 0805 package (which I guess is the 1 mm LED OP asks for; that package is just over 1x2 mm). The four leads coming out would also be a headache to solder.
If every LED needs two wires, a smart LED needing three might not one a deal breaker wiring-wise.
Smart LEDs have at least 4 wires: Power, Gnd, Data In, Data Out to the next device.
I have only seen 5mm and 8mm WS2812B LEDs in thru hole package (see the addressable LEDs here), or LEDs married with WS28xx boards that are even larger. WS2811 would be the smallest chip, just 8 pins.
Yeah, I see the PITA that the smart LEDs might indeed be. I’ve succeeding in soldering directly to an occasional unmounted LED as well as repairing some problems that way, but I wouldn’t wanna make a career of it.
Naturally if you have a matching physical circumstance the prewired collections can make thing go. Quicker.
A glance at Adafruit shows a variety of individual LEDs, strips, strings, rings and matrices then I thought, but fewer than I hoped to find.
In any case appropriate software abstraction will be key to easy management.
If you do the 8x8 matrix, you need 2 wires to each LED. But if you have groups of 8 LEDs that are close together, and on a single column or row of the matrix, they can share one wire and you need 9 wires total to that group of 8.
If you do the individually addressable LEDs (most commonly available in 5050 SMD or 5mm bulb, so pretty large compared to a 0805) you have a bundle of 3 wires that goes from one LED to the other (power, ground and data). At least the data wire must go to all LEDs in series, no branching there. So for most that will be three wires in, and another three wires out. Power and ground may be branched, as long as that goes to all LEDs.
