I need some help by figuring out with which kind of hardware i should start my first Led Project. I now got completely confused about the hardware part. Its a project with 780 Pixels. Actually its a infinty led mirror project. One big rectangle containing 3 circles. I realy would like to have some fast turning rainbow animation on the 3 circles.
I’m looking for some hardware which can work standalone. Firstly i found some led mediaplayers. But all of them seems to have some Speed limitations. So i started my research and ended up with FastLED.
I do normaly programm Jav/Delphi so i’m at least used to that part.
At the moment im really not seeing throught to options anymore. Do i need apa102 leds or can i go with the cheaper ws2811 or should i take the ws2812 stripes?
I never hesitate to recommend the Teensy 3.1/3.2. I’ve used it in a lot of projects. It works every time, with more speed and RAM for less cost than most Arduinos.
As for LED type, I’d say go with the faster APA102, unless you just want to save money and go with the cheaper WS2812. I assume you’re looking to use strips, and not the pixel nodes/strings.
I also highly recommend you start with a project smaller than 780 LEDs if this really is your first LED project. Crawl, walk, run. You’d need a large power supply for that many LEDs, which could draw as much as 46.8 amps at full brightness, solid white.
There is never a definitive answer for that kind of question…
I agree with Jason and Andrew, you may be over your head with that size project to start with but here’s my suggestion…
Thank you for all the comments
I thought i’ve read that the octows2811 is only supported in the pre release for now.
So a teensy it is.
Yeah i will not order the 780 leds ad once but i think the size doesn’t really matter if the concept is clear. And the “easy” part its all 1 dimensional so only a flat stripe.
Good hint about the 50amp powersupply i didn’t do the calculation until now. Because i wantet ro start a bit smaller.
The OctoWS2811 is just used to convert the 3.3V output of the Teensy to 5V for the LED’s. The board has been released for sometime now.
If you don’t know where to start, I’d just start out with an Arduino UNO and a small strand of LED’s, let’s say 20 or so. You’ve got a big project in mind, and that’s a great starting point. Once you get a grip on the library, you can then branch out with the Teensy.
I don’t see what the benefit is to start with a arduino woulden’t i just have to learn the stuff twice? As i said i’m familliar with the programming part. I read some code examples and they where very intiutive to me. Whst troubles me more is the how to store/run the code on those devices.
Hi @Andrew_Tuline , yes, the OctoWS2811 adapter from a hardware standpoint is only a level converter but it is a perfect fit for the Teensy 3.1 and coupled with the associated OctoWS2811 library gives you 8 channel parallel output, a must for larger sized projects that dont need the added benefits and/or costs of the APA102 !
@JP_Roy have you tried to run the led througt the parallel multiple output?
Because this sounds for me verry beta without a lot of example. But why not i could give it a try…
Edit: i just ordered now a teensy and a shield 1-3 weeks until delivery… just the right amount of time to find tge led seller
Hi @Severin_N , I have been using the OctoWS2811 and Teensy3.1 to drive the 512 RGB LEDS (8mm WS2811 RGB LEDs) of my 8x8x8 cube and that is a great device for so many LEDs.
Unless you decide to go for APA102, for so many WS2812 that device is a MUST !!
I agree with your comment about not seeing the benefit of starting with a UNO however, I think Andrew’s point (shared by Jason’ and myself actually…) is mostly about the steep learning curve of such a large project and his suggestion to start small has a lot of merit. Please do not dismiss it too easily.
If you are still fully decided to take on that 780 LED mirror as a first project, I will give you some more suggestions…
Might as well order all your strips at once and possibly benefit from a bulk discount rather than buy a few at a time.
I do not know your experience with power distribution but in my humble opinion that is where you may have the biggest problems. Do not underestimate the amount of raw current and associated voltage drops that happen in long strips. You really need to carefully plan ahead for this !!!
@JP_Roy
No i don’t and i agree with you thats peobably a big investment to start. But still i d like to do every step into this direction and be able to use the hardware for the big project. I will keep it small and let it start growing as soon i get more used to the material. But the end goal is clear for me. And id like to invest my time into the right material. So i guess i will try the ws2812 first.
And saving some money for the powersuply
i will start with a one meter strip to be able to learn about the programming part. and then order the rest of it. Also i will start with a small power subbly at first and then go for the big one.
no im definit not the best expirienced guy conserning power distribution. But i heard about that problem and i was thinking to cut the stribes every 4 meters or so and then attach newly to the power. the good thing is i can hide the cables behind the mirror. but if you are pointing this point this hard then it’s probably not that easy?
how about the data line ? will that one couses trouble aswell with a distance of around 13 meter?
My brother should be better at this. He is commited to the project aswell.
Hi @Severin_N , I guess you are talking about 13 strips of 1 meter and 60 leds/meter for a total of 780 RGB LEDs !
That will not be a problem for data. The data signal is a very low power and every WS2812 device regenerates the data so there is no signal degradation even if you had 130 meters or even more !!!
The problem is only related to the 5Vdc and Gnd power wiring because of the high dc currents demands of the LEDs.
If I was to build that project, I would split the LEDs into 8 equal parts to make optimal use of the parallel capabilities of the OCTOWS2811 adapter. However, 780 / 8 = 97.5 so for more practical reasons, I would cut and reassemble the strips into 7 X 100 LEDs and 1 X 80 LEDs and I would provide 8 separate sets of power wires.
I would use the heaviest wire gage that ensures that the voltage drop at the end of a strip is minimal and I measure no less than 4.9 Vdc anywhere along the strips when I drive all LEDs to full brightness white. That is the highest current possible for all LEDs.
@JP_Roy So i read the code for the nucleus/electron animation it seems that you dont have to worry about on whitch parallel interface its tunning right. Its still like one veri long strip?
You’d need a large power supply for that many LEDs, which could draw as much as 46.8 amps at full brightness, solid white.