Before I make the post I feel the need to preface it with a statement... I have almost no experience with Arduino and coding.
With that said, I was wondering if anyone could help me with figuring out how to go about doing this or at least lead me in the right direction...
I have done a lot of research and I found pretty much zero info about random color generators. I know that to begin with i have to find a Natural/True/Quantum number generator (links below).
And then from there I understand that I have a truly random number sequence. What I think happens next is that to get a random color generator I have to get an RGB LED and have random number generators for each color/value , in which a color is assigned a true random number. So basically I have to pull out three random numbers from the same (or different) sequence(s) and assign it to a color. From there on I'm pretty stumped, and coding all of this is beyond me. If anyone has any info on how to go about coding this and getting this wired up please let me know..
The link below isn't a true random mood light, but as far as coding goes, it's a step closer to what I want to do..
The problem with random colours is that they all look very much the same because on average they are similar.
To get a random colour is simple, just feed three random numbers into three PWM pins with an analogWrite command. With each PWM pin connected to one of three LEDS red, green and blue.
Don't worry about true random numbers you will not see any difference.
Look up colour space:-
For an example of random colours look at 4:30 in on this video of a project of mine:-
This uses the technique of only generating a random number for two of the three components of a colour and leaving the third blank or zero. The one left at zero is of course one chosen at random.
We'll I need a true random number generator because I'm making a conceptual art piece using the random color generator.. I know that there wont be a difference visually between the truly random and fake random generators..But its essential to the project.
Grumpy mike.. how would the code look if you wanted to do what you did with your hexagon project but instead of having to press each individual LED part, the user stood on the device and it turned on when he/she stepped on and turned off when he/she stepped off?
Also, how do you know how much voltage to use with all of those LED's ,I want to do something similar.. in terms of how many lights you have.
I know that there wont be a difference visually between the truly random and fake random generators..But its essential to the project.
Ah ... arts bollocks talk, you don't care how it looks it is the concept. Then sorry there is nothing you can create inside a computer to generate a true random number. You have to use something external like the time between radioactive decay. Fancy making a giger counter or a cell with silver nitrate solution with cotton wool in it?
We had some guy some time ago that wanted to make an LED turn on for 100 years but actually wanted the code to do it even though it could never work. It is about time art moved on from this sort of nonsense and concentrated on what it looks like.
Also, how do you know how much voltage to use with all of those LED's
how would the code look if you wanted to do what you did with your hexagon project but instead of having to press each individual LED part, the user stood on the device and it turned on when he/she stepped on and turned off when he/she stepped off?
Exactly the same. That light show does not depend on pressing anything it just generates a pile of random colours that walk through the cubic colour space to give a series of blending colours.
To do this take an arbitrary starting position, something like:-
r = random(255);
g = random(255);
b= random(255);
then to get the next colour in the walk just increment a random component:-
MarkusPouch:
I know that there wont be a difference visually between the truly random and fake random generators..But its essential to the project.
Oh dear!
I fear you are missing a critical component of "art".
It's not what you actually use to implement it, it's what you tell people it is. XD
This will be in a lit place, won't it? Connect a LDR to an analog input and read the least significant four bits regularly, using that to re-seed the random function by adding to its current output. The value will vary - mostly randomly - with shadow, reflections and people moving about.
Grumpy_Mike:
...
then to get the next colour in the walk just increment a random component:-
if(random(1) == 1) inc = +1; else inc = -1;
component = random(2);
if(component == 0) r = r+inc;
if(component == 1) g = g+inc;
if(component == 2) b = b+inc;
almost,....
the increment should also have a chance to be zero.
inc = random(2) -1; // -1 0 1
component = random(2);
if (component == 0) r = r + inc;
else if (component == 1) g = g + inc;
else if (component == 2) b = b + inc;
What if the numbers assigned to each color on the LED came from a true random number generator using radio active decay, and I used a unique sequence for each one? That would work.... But I still have no idea how to go about coding that... And are there already number/bit sequences made by someone who has a true random number generator out there so I don't have to go finding my own & buying all the stuff?
I don't necessarily need a "real time" or "live" random number generator spewing out random numbers/colors as the project is going..
What I mean about not mattering what it looks like, its the concept.. The actually finished piece is going to have a lot of aesthetics behind it. I was talking about how the lights would look/be perceived by the individuals looking at it, not the project as a whole.
MarkusPouch:
The actually finished piece is going to have a lot of aesthetics behind it. I was talking about how the lights would look/be perceived by the individuals looking at it, not the project as a whole.
As far as the aesthetics go, absolutely no-one observing could ever distinguish the difference between a "true" random number generator, and a properly written (which is to say, long sequence) psuedo-random number generator using EEPROM to transfer seed from one session to the next.
It simply is not possible to discern "by eye". You need extensive analysis by a computer to verify randomness.
And are there already number/bit sequences made by someone who has a true random number generator out there so I don't have to go finding my own & buying all the stuff?
Once you write down a sequence it ceases to be a random sequence, it then becomes deterministic.
I think you are having trouble understanding what a random number is. Even seeding the pseudo random number generator with a true random number still only gives a pseudo random sequence.
What is it in your mind that you think is the difference between the two?
