8 RGB LED Sequencer [pics & vids]

S

specialk

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Feb 20, 2001
Messages
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Hey all,

Just wanted to show you one of my latest little projects. It is a RS232 (serial port) controlled 8 RGB LED sequencer. It uses a microcontroller which controls the individual LED's Red, Green, and Blue channels independently. 3 bytes are sent to the chip for each color channel. Right now each color is either on/off, however, I plan on implimenting PWM so that each LED can show any color of the visual spectrum. Here are some pics just to show what they look like:
rgbleds_rgb.jpg

rgbleds_rainbow.jpg

rgbleds_allwhite.jpg


And here's two sample videos of some of the sequences that can be sent to them:
Monie # 1 - Curtain Wipe
Movie # 2 - Rainbow

It's like a flipped out Knight Rider sequencer!

-special [k]
 
Awesome!
those look great man
what kind of mod do you plan to integrate them into?
 
yay, pretty cool man, i work @ radio shack so ill have to pick up some leds and try that myself!
 
Originally posted by DRxAndy

what kind of mod do you plan to integrate them into?
Click to expand...
I'm thinking a Download/Upload meter or a processor meter of some sort. The hard part is over, I've made cpu and d/u meters for LCDs in the past and it really isn't that hard. I'm also thinking of some more ideas...

-special [k]
 
A full schematic is needed, quite badly in fact. Or a HQ pic of both sides of the board.
 
do they make those LEDs in super bright versions? i can think of something cool to make with them if they do.

how about case lighting that actually performs a function.

red = hot
blue = cool
green = hdd indicator or pulse from music.
 
Originally posted by kovermours
A full schematic is needed, quite badly in fact. Or a HQ pic of both sides of the board.
Click to expand...
To me, it looks like he is using a bread board

In any case, i would love to see the schematic too

wish i did fun stuff like that right now, my currnet eletronics class is so boring :goes back to studying nodes and mesha analysis on useless circuits that really dont do anything:
 
that + some sort of D/U meter type thing would be awesome in my router ;)

keep us posted
 
You wanted it... Here it is... (I just whipped it up, and it looks like I have everything covered...)

8LEDschematic.gif


-special [k]
 
Looks cool but your vids are down :confused:, if you need hosting PM me cause I wanna see the vids!
 
Originally posted by grjr
Looks cool but your vids are down :confused:, if you need hosting PM me cause I wanna see the vids!
Click to expand...
Really?
Hmm... Odd... it's on my university's server, so it should be viewable by anyone... I'll check into it...
(the pictures are on the server as well and if you can see them, there should be no problem...)

-special [k]
 
oops nm, it doesn't work when I click on the links but it does work when I save target as...

Looks even cooler working :D
 
That's pretty awesome dude. I think I might have a 16f628 around here somewhere and I'm pretty sure I have a few max232s. Does the 16f628 not need an external oscillator? I'm amazed at how few external parts you used. Is the 16f628 able to sink enough current to drive all the leds at full brightness? Will you release code when you are done with it? I've been meaning to do something like this but I usually lose motivation before I actually start anything. Sorry for all the questions but I am very interested in this project.
 
Originally posted by Shinare
Are those RGB LEDs pretty pricey?
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~$1.00 each + shipping, so they can be pricey in larger quantities, but I personally think it was worth it for this batch. These have waterclear lenses, but I would prefer diffused.

Originally posted by jpmkm
Does the 16f628 not need an external oscillator?
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It has a 4MHz internal oscillator which has been stable enough for 19200 & 9600 baud communications. Some people don't trust it for the higher communication speeds, but so far I have not had a problem with it.

Originally posted by jpmkm
Is the 16f628 able to sink enough current to drive all the leds at full brightness??
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I actually have resistors on the red, green, and blue lines right now (they are actually MUCH brighter normally), but it should be able to handle the pulses, especially because they are not actually all lit up at once. The refresh rate is very high and they are being pulsed, so it shouldn't draw too much current, although current limiting transitors are a good idea. Ultimately it would be best if I used transistors to drive them, but I'm happy as it is.

Originally posted by jpmkm
Will you release code when you are done with it?
Click to expand...
I actually would have to if anyone would want it ;) I'm using JAL (http://www.voti.nl/jal/index_1.html) and it is covered under the GPL, so yea :p It's actually really pretty simple code. I made a VB app on my computer to send out pre-made strings of data, so that is what you are seeing in the videos.

-special [k]
 
A free high level language for the pics??? That's fucking awesome!! Thanks. I know what I am going to be doing this weekend(not homework!). I was dreading writing low-level code(x86 assembly is bad enough). Unfortunately I don't have any 16f628's. I do have a couple 16f84's and a couple 16f877a's, which is what I am going to try to use(overkill? maybe. oh well :). Now I just need to find some linux software that works with my programmer.
 
to make the diffused just sand them down with some sand paper, it has allways worked great for me. 400 grit is what i think i used.
 
could you drive more than one color at once?

also could you use 3 sets of 8 single color led's instead of 8 RGB leds and drive them as 3 bargraph displays or something like that?

did that make any sence? i think im drunk :(
 
Originally posted by PhreakPhy
to make the diffused just sand them down with some sand paper
Click to expand...
I've done that, but unfortunatly, that isn't technically diffused. It doesn't mix the colors as well as an LED that is diffused throughout the casing.

Originally posted by FLECOM
could you drive more than one color at once?
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I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but that's essentially what I am doing. I do pretty much strobe each LED and have red, green, blue, or any combination of the 3 on.

Originally posted by FLECOM
also could you use 3 sets of 8 single color led's instead of 8 RGB leds and drive them as 3 bargraph displays or something like that?
Click to expand...
Yes, that's essentially what I'm doing. Each color is essentially a 8 LED bargraph and so I just choose which should be on and which should be off. I could easily add a 4th row of 8 LEDs by using RB0 to drive one more column. Doing a little rewiring I could probably drive more.

-special [k]
 
I can see it now............NExt step is to daisy-chain a bunch of those together to make your own huge 128x128 LED screen........hehehe
 
Originally posted by beamrider
I can see it now............NExt step is to daisy-chain a bunch of those together to make your own huge 128x128 LED screen........hehehe
Click to expand...


ohhhh the wiring nightmare that would be :mad:
 
Would anybody be interested in one of these?
I can make a serial 8 RGB LED or 3 single color 8 LED bargraph controller if anyone has a want/need for them. Lemme know...

-special [k]
 
Originally posted by SarverSystems
$$$ ?
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Proposed Prices:
Programmed PIC16F628: $4.00 each (they are normally $2.06 unprogrammed)
RGB 5mm LED (Water-Clear Lens): $1.00 each
(+ $1.50 shipping for bubble envelope or $0.75 if you are willing to risk a regular envelope)

I can't sell the MAX232, however, there are plenty of schematics online for converting RS232 levels -> TTL
Maybe a discount price of $10.00 + shipping for the microchip & 8 RGB LEDs?

-special [k]
 
You lost me.

Is this a complete kit or not?

Maybe take some pics of what you'd get if you bought one?
 
Heres what I suggest you do:
1) Get yourself like 100 PCB's made for this circuit.
2) Build like 20 of them
3) Sell them for $20 each.

I'm sure they would sell. Why cant you sell the MAX232? Is that something that is copyrighted or something?
 
Originally posted by Shinare
1) Get yourself like 100 PCB's made for this circuit.
Click to expand...
If I had the money I would; however, I'm a starving college student and can't afford putting down that kind of money for a hobby.

Originally posted by Shinare
Why cant you sell the MAX232? Is that something that is copyrighted or something?
Click to expand...
Only reason I can't is because I don't have enough to sell. I only have 2 MAX232s on me and 1 is being used quite heavily right now, so I may need to use the 2nd. I have ~10 PIC16F628s that I can part with and ~40 RGB LEDs I can part with.

-special [k]
 
It sounds like more than a few of us are interested in the "never took a class on electronics or assembly" but "we'd love to buy it off you". Very nice and seemingly simple to implement. . . lots and lots of uses.

How much for a pre-built kit, if you were offering it? I believe I've got a serial to USB adapter. . . would that still function correctly?
 
One of the main issues in designing the PCB would be how people would want to use it. Would they want the LEDs mounted to the PCB or would they want leads so that the LEDs can be mounted anywhere? (I would assume the latter) Would I have to include a MAX232 or should I assume that people who will be using this would just "want it to work"? (I would assume the former) And most importantly, cost. I can't afford to have a PCB manufacturing run done because I don't have the capital necessary to have them made...

I can however, provide the parts and let people do what they want with them. This would be easiest for me and cheapest for everyone; however it would be more difficult for those who don't know what they are doing. Honestly, the circuit is really pretty simple. Connect all the red anodes together, connect all the green anodes together, connect all the blue anodes together, then make the 11 connections from the LEDs to the PIC.

Also, with the USB->serial adapter, yes, it would work, however, as of right now I am only using some software that I whipped up for the demo. The is no concrete software made.

-special [k]
 
this mod would go well with a wavemaster case, how the power LEDs are setup at the front. this LED board setup vertically. i think it would anyway.

one of many many ideas one could do with something like this.
 
Originally posted by jwill
this mod would go well with a wavemaster case, how the power LEDs are setup at the front. this LED board setup vertically. i think it would anyway.

one of many many ideas one could do with something like this.
Click to expand...

Agreed - I was either going to mount it in a 5.25, or now that I think about it - probably drill holes in the window I've got and route the LEDs through it.
 
nice looking stuff...i'd consider buying one if you do go about selling them with all the parts unassembled or however you want do it
 
Well, this is on the backburner for a while for me now. Even though everything works together (and it wouldn't be hard to make more), I can't afford to make PCBs for those who aren't as electronically adept. Right now it is in a breadboard and I'm not really sure where to go from here. The more I look at it, the more I realize that it would be a pain for anyone who wanted to mount the LEDs. I'll try to figure something out, but for right now, my efforts are concentrated on something different that I'll post about later when I get it working (ohh, and I guess my efforts should also be concentrated on my Calc III midterm this evening...)

Remember, Integral(e^x) = f(u^n)!

-special [k]
 
Looks really cool-- I could always do with a few more flashy lights, especially if they can do that. I do not have any PIC chips handy, nor do I have any experiance programming with them. Instead I think I will try to make something similar using something from Atmel's AVR line. Thanks for the idea.
 
Originally posted by Boosted_Framerate
how much would it cost me to have it be worth your while to make me one of these?
Click to expand...
The main problem for me to make them is that the software I am using to control it (at least for the videos) is just a simple little demo program whipped up with Visual Basic. It is by no means a "production" product. Unless you know how to program and deal with the serial port, I wouldn't suggest using this. That being said, do you know how to program so you could make your own program for it?

Originally posted by Guy.Named.Matt
Instead I think I will try to make something similar using something from Atmel's AVR line. Thanks for the idea.
Click to expand...
Shouldn't be too hard, I'm not sure what the AVRs have (I have only used PICs), but the program is really pretty simple. It checks the onboard USART to see if there's a byte waiting and if so, it deals with it by putting it into the correct RAM location, otherwise it displays the data already in RAM on the matrix. And then it just loops, really simple. :p

-special [k]
 
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