154 replies to this topic

[starrynight]

Would love to build the controller board for this....unless they're going to be available soon. 😁

[Sneetch]

so read the entire thread and Swisslizard had a great demo vid too...   yet i really like the 144/m strip effects.   that really makes it feel like thee lights were meant to be there.   looks really awesome.   Here is hopong Swisslizard real life allows a break so we can show off the great work on some cabs across the globe.   

 

@randr I also think your desktop image is great.  didyou get it on the net or take it yourself since you have real pins?   It is something I would like to add to my cab as a nod to the real deals.    

[randr]

so read the entire thread and Swisslizard had a great demo vid too...   yet i really like the 144/m strip effects.   that really makes it feel like thee lights were meant to be there.   looks really awesome.   Here is hopong Swisslizard real life allows a break so we can show off the great work on some cabs across the globe.   

 

@randr I also think your desktop image is great.  didyou get it on the net or take it yourself since you have real pins?   It is something I would like to add to my cab as a nod to the real deals.    

 

 

I think i started a thread about desktop backrounds on here somewhere... dboyrecords had a couple good ones and think i used on he uploaded.

[Swisslizard]

Hi everyone

I have been very silent about the ledstrip controller for a long time.  However, a lot of work has been done in the meantime and the ledstrip support has taken a new direction.

 

It has been a long time since I started to develop a own controller board for addressable ledstrips. At that time there were no easy to use and affordable controllers for those ledstrips. This has changed a lot over time.

Today there are quite a few different strip controller solutions, some of them are much more powerfull (more RAM, ROM, higher CPU clock and more) than the board I had designed. For this reason, I have decided to stop further development of my own design and its firmware and build support for another strip controller into DOF (DOF will continue to support my old controller design).

After a little research on available hard and software, I have decided to go for the Teensy 3.1/3.2. The Teensy has few important benefits when it comes to adressable ledstrips:

• 64kb RAM (enough for 8 strips with 1100 leds each).
• 256kb ROM
• DMA support
• OctoWS2811 lib, a high performance lib for WS2811/WS2812 based led strips which can driv 8 strip at the same time.
• additional adaptor for WS2811/WS2812 is available
• price for the hardware is quite low

Developing a suitable firmware for the Teensy (supporting up to 8800leds) was surprisingly easy and adding a driver for the Teensy to DOF was easy as well.

 

Here is a picture showing how the Teensy setup looks. The Teensy is the small pcb on top, the WS2811 adaptor is the bigger pcb on the below the Teensy. Connection of the strips to the Teensy is done trough normal network cables. Connection of the Teensy to the computer is via USB.

The source code of the current (alpha) firmware for the Teensy is available over at Github. A compiled firmware file is available as well. In the Wiki (also on Github) there is also a bit of information on installing the firmware, installation of ledstrips and configuration for DOF (if you find something missing in the wiki, please contribute ). All those things are work in progress and bugs are to be expected!

DOF R3 which is required for the TeensyStripController is almost finished. A preview release for testing will be available soon. Apart from the the new strip controller DOF R3 will also have a few other new features like Pinballx support, a few more supported output controllers, a bunch of new effects (mainly for led strips).

 

Last but not least I want to thank to Randr and Arngrim who have been helping with testing and with the development of the config tool. Dont miss the youtube video of Randrs ledstrip installation:

 

https://youtu.be/7AvNmeaO4WA

Edited by Swisslizard, 27 September 2015 - 03:31 PM.

[Sneetch]

Sounds like a great choice and looking forward to making use of the new updates you all have been working on! Now to acquire a teensy and some led strip. . Thanks for all your great work and tinkering to expand the possibilities.

[Piggei]

 

Today there are quite a few different strip controller solutions, some of them are much more powerfull (more RAM, ROM, higher CPU clock and more) than the board I had designed. For this reason, I have decided to stop further development of my own design and its firmware and build support for another strip controller into DOF (DOF will continue to support my old controller design).

 

 

Swiss, I agree with your decision and I love what are you doing. I tried to make a controller with an Arduino Nano but I had problems with DOF drivers. I used that card because I know how to program it and because I used it on some projects with ledstrips (lamps and ambient lights). TIn attachment a picture of the box with the Arduino and the power supply for about 200 LEDs.... There are 3 contacts for the ledstrip and 4 for 3 switches.

 

A question about your project and DOF: we need to decide a "standard layout", like we did with contactors (7 or 10) and flashes (5 or 3) or is more configurable?

 

I mean: we need to decide now, for example, "If you want to use DOF without problems, you must use the channel 1 with a 100 led strip for right, channel 2 with a 100 led strip for left, channel 3 with a 60 led strip for center or channel 4 for a 5x60 led strips with interpolated (or linear) data connection for an alternative central panel matrix (like the Randr panel)" ?

 

P.S. : Just for curiosity, can I compile the same source for the Arduino?

Attached Files

•  IMG_3881.jpg   39.58KB   19 downloads

Edited by Piggei, 29 September 2015 - 09:53 PM.

[viktory2k1]

I can't wait!

[Swisslizard]

@Piggei:
No the code cant be compiled for a Arduino. A Teensy 3.1 or 3.2 is required. Arduinos just dont have enough cpu power and no DMA.

Regarding stanard layout:
Just put a row of strip on playfield left and right and one or several rows of strip to pf back. In each of the places you can have as many leds as you like (many leds will be very bright). It does not matter to which output you connect the ledstrips or if the are all wired for one channel or if you distribute them on several channel. This can/must all be defined in the cabinet config.

[Piggei]

I found the Teensy and the adapter here in Italy, my only (little) problems is that I have no space in my cabinet for ledstrips...

 

I looked at the docs about ledstrips configuration and I understood that each cabinet requires the definition of the strips size and "start position", and every command is in % so there are no problems... very good!

[AndersE]

Swisslizard:

I see that you have started to use octows.lib and teensy,  but i think a arduino nano with fastled library would have worked also and be perhaps cheaper as teensy's still are more expensive,and overkill

as only one output is used correct? (for the rgb data).

Take a look at the fastled library, there are support for way more strip/led types. Both 3 and 4 pin leds (clock or no clock)

 

www.fastled.io

 

I am running a 29x17 PL9823 (8mm round rgb led) display (493 rgb leds) and can run animations streamed from the pc via the usb on the nano.

 

 

I may be out on deep water because i can't program, so i will check out yours..

Link to a video of my display with some audiotriggering, driven at about 30% brightness:

 

Edited by AndersE, 03 March 2016 - 12:56 AM.

[BlackZero]

Hello,

 

I'm trying to install Swisslizard's teensy led strip controller.

 

I bought one Teensy 3.2 and an OctoWS2811 Adaptor. I flashed the latest compiled Version 1.02. The control LED is flashing once - i think - every 1.5 seconds. Unfortunately Windows 7 can't find a driver for this device. Thus I can't determine the Virtual Comport...

What is the solution for this? What did I do wrong? Did I miss something?

 

Thank you very much!

 

 

Greetings,

 

BlackZero

 

 

Edit:
Perhaps the Virtual Serial Port Driver is the correct one?

 

Edit2:

It was the right one. It's working now

 

 

 

Hi everyone

I have been very silent about the ledstrip controller for a long time.  However, a lot of work has been done in the meantime and the ledstrip support has taken a new direction.

 

It has been a long time since I started to develop a own controller board for addressable ledstrips. At that time there were no easy to use and affordable controllers for those ledstrips. This has changed a lot over time.

Today there are quite a few different strip controller solutions, some of them are much more powerfull (more RAM, ROM, higher CPU clock and more) than the board I had designed. For this reason, I have decided to stop further development of my own design and its firmware and build support for another strip controller into DOF (DOF will continue to support my old controller design).

After a little research on available hard and software, I have decided to go for the Teensy 3.1/3.2. The Teensy has few important benefits when it comes to adressable ledstrips:

• 64kb RAM (enough for 8 strips with 1100 leds each).
• 256kb ROM
• DMA support
• OctoWS2811 lib, a high performance lib for WS2811/WS2812 based led strips which can driv 8 strip at the same time.
• additional adaptor for WS2811/WS2812 is available
• price for the hardware is quite low

Developing a suitable firmware for the Teensy (supporting up to 8800leds) was surprisingly easy and adding a driver for the Teensy to DOF was easy as well.

 

Here is a picture showing how the Teensy setup looks. The Teensy is the small pcb on top, the WS2811 adaptor is the bigger pcb on the below the Teensy. Connection of the strips to the Teensy is done trough normal network cables. Connection of the Teensy to the computer is via USB.

The source code of the current (alpha) firmware for the Teensy is available over at Github. A compiled firmware file is available as well. In the Wiki (also on Github) there is also a bit of information on installing the firmware, installation of ledstrips and configuration for DOF (if you find something missing in the wiki, please contribute ). All those things are work in progress and bugs are to be expected!

DOF R3 which is required for the TeensyStripController is almost finished. A preview release for testing will be available soon. Apart from the the new strip controller DOF R3 will also have a few other new features like Pinballx support, a few more supported output controllers, a bunch of new effects (mainly for led strips).

 

Last but not least I want to thank to Randr and Arngrim who have been helping with testing and with the development of the config tool. Dont miss the youtube video of Randrs ledstrip installation:

 

https://youtu.be/7AvNmeaO4WA

Edited by BlackZero, 30 August 2016 - 10:05 PM.

[MajorFrenchy]

Will the Teensy with the Octo2811 allow a non addressable LED RGB strip to be controlled?

What i am trying to achieve is to have some of my non addressable LED to display other colour than RGB.

 

Anyone knows  how to achieve this?

 

... I tried to change the colour in the Future Pinball table script to Yellow, and the strip shows green and red. I saw some videos from TerryRed where he has a non addressable led strip near his speaker flashing different colour, like purple, pink etc.... 

 

 

Thanks!!!

[randr]

Use a simple ledwiz to control non addressable leds. Once you flash teensy for dof it will only control your addressable leds.

[Hinnerk]

Hi SWISS LIZARD

I am looking for the firmware for the Ledstrip controller with the MEGA644

The Teensy controller is currently unavailable

Thanks hinnerk

[Suikazz]

Hi SWISS LIZARD

I am looking for the firmware for the Ledstrip controller with the MEGA644

The Teensy controller is currently unavailable

Thanks hinnerk

get a Teensy 4.0 on Reichelt