Saving hex (color codes)

Using Arduino Programming Questions
#1

Hi everyone,

I have been using arduinos for years, but have very limited knowledge on how to write my own programs for them. I usually modify other programs that I find online. I recently got a strip of addressable leds from radioshack for a price I couldn't turn down. The program that they have written works good, but I want to modify it. It uses large paragraphs of code like this

PROGMEM const unsigned long pattern_test_red[10][10]={
  {0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000},
};

I want to do something similar, but instead of having hex values for the numbers, I want to have the name of the color in place of the hex value for the color. So I need a way of telling the arduino that Blue is 0x00ff00 so that it can refer to that while reading the paragraph.

I have done a decent amount of reading and experimenting trying to get this to work, but I am a college student and don't have a ton of time to figure this out. Could anyone tell me how I could do this? Is it even possible to do what I want to, or does it need the hex values there?

Thanks!

#2 
unsigned long blue = 0x00FF00;

Now you can use "blue" in place of 0x00FF00.

#3

Thanks for the quick reply! I did try what you said, and for some reason it does not work. It compiles fine, but the leds do not light up when the code gets to a point where I replace the hex with “blue”.

Here is the full code (mainly the radioshack provided code just chopped up)

#include <avr/pgmspace.h>

// ******** DEBUG ==== should auto config to adapt different mother board *********
//#define DATA_1 (PORTF |=  0X01)    // DATA 1    // for ATMEGA
//#define DATA_0 (PORTF &=  0XFE)    // DATA 0    // for ATMEGA
//#define STRIP_PINOUT DDRF=0xFF  // for ATMEGA
#define DATA_1 (PORTC |=  0X01)    // DATA 1    // for UNO
#define DATA_0 (PORTC &=  0XFE)    // DATA 0    // for UNO
#define STRIP_PINOUT (DDRC=0xFF)    // for UNO

unsigned long blue = 0x00ff00;


PROGMEM const unsigned long pattern_test_red[10][10]={
  {blue,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000,0x000000},
  {0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0x000000,0xff0000},
};







// ***********************************************************************************************************
// *
// *                            Power Up Init.
// *
// *
// ***********************************************************************************************************
void setup() {                

  STRIP_PINOUT;        // set output pin - DEBUG: should auto detect which mother board for use

  reset_strip();
  //noInterrupts();

}



// ***********************************************************************************************************
// *
// *                            Main Loop 
// *
// *
// ***********************************************************************************************************
void loop() 
{

  send_1M_pattern(pattern_test_red, 10, 500);
  delay(500);


}


/*******************************************************************************
 * Function Name  : send_1M_pattern
 * Description    : Transmit pattern to whole 1 meter strip
 *                  
 * Input          : pointer to ROM pattern; pattern length; frame rate
 *                  
 * Output         : None
 * Return         : None
 *******************************************************************************/
void send_1M_pattern(const unsigned long data[][10], int pattern_no, int frame_rate)
{
  int i=0;
  int j=0;
  uint32_t temp_data;

  for (i=0;i<pattern_no;i++)
  {
    noInterrupts();
    for (j=0;j<10;j++)
    {
      temp_data=pgm_read_dword_near(&data[i][j]);
      send_strip(temp_data);
    }
    interrupts();

    delay(frame_rate);

  }




}


/*******************************************************************************
 * Function Name  : send_strip
 * Description    : Transmit 24 pulse to LED strip
 *                  
 * Input          : 24-bit data for the strip
 *                  
 * Output         : None
 * Return         : None
 *******************************************************************************/
void send_strip(uint32_t data)
{
  int i;
  unsigned long j=0x800000;
  
 
  for (i=0;i<24;i++)
  {
    if (data & j)
    {
      DATA_1;
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");    
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      
/*----------------------------*/
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");  
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");  
      __asm__("nop\n\t");  
      __asm__("nop\n\t");        
/*----------------------------*/      
      DATA_0;
    }
    else
    {
      DATA_1;
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");    
      DATA_0;
/*----------------------------*/      
       __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");
      __asm__("nop\n\t");      
/*----------------------------*/         
    }

    j>>=1;
  }


  
}

/*******************************************************************************
 * Function Name  : reset_strip
 * Description    : Send reset pulse to reset all color of the strip
 *                  
 * Input          : None
 *                  
 * Output         : None
 * Return         : None
 *******************************************************************************/
void	reset_strip()
{
  DATA_0;
  delayMicroseconds(20);
}
#4

You define "blue" but don't seem to use it.

#5

Before I copied the code I had the top left corner of the "paragraph" set to say blue, but changed it back after it didn't work.

Edit: went back and changed it to how it was before I switched it back to the hex version of blue. It is now exactly the same as the code currently on the arduino.

#6

Can you see a single blue pixel?

#7

So I need a way of telling the arduino that Blue is 0x00ff00 so that it can refer to that while reading the paragraph.

I don't want to be nit-picky and I know this is the least of your problems but FYI , that block of code you keep referring to as "the paragraph" is called an array . The word paragraph has the same meaning in C++ as it does in word processing. (it has no specific software definition other than it's word processing definition.).

#8

There is not a single blue led. It is a strip of 30 (10 sets of 3) so if this does work, then in theory the first set of three should light up blue.

I used paragraph for lack of a better term to my knowledge. I will call it an array from now on.

#9

Delta_G:

unsigned long blue = 0x00FF00;

Now you can use "blue" in place of 0x00FF00.

Considering these are RGB codes, it is more likely that blue is 0x0000FF as JohnChi said. (Red, Green, Blue).

Also I would use:

const unsigned long blue = 0x0000FF;

Note the use of "const". Otherwise I'm not sure that your array will work correctly, particularly as it is in PROGMEM.

#10

Adding the "const" worked! Thank you everyone for helping me so quickly!

However, for some reason blue is 0x00ff00 instead of 0x0000ff. I don't know why, but that is how it seems to work and the blue section of the code that I chopped out had blue as 0x00ff00. I will experiment and see how it reacts to other color codes.

EDIT:

So this is how the strip works
green 0xff0000
blue 0x00ff00
red 0x0000ff

#11

Unusual, but that could just be the way they wired it.

#12