Sean Meighan
Welcome => Do You Need Help? Post it here => Topic started by: glowpros on December 28, 2015, 02:51:54 PM
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Hello from an avid Christmas light enthusiast!
I'm writing this as we get pounded with snow here in Omaha... thankfully we had some on Christmas Eve as well!
With the advent and improvements to RGB pixel strands, I'm very interested in leaping into a more customized and potentially multi-seasonal solution that I can create a variety of display sequences with.
I consider myself fairly technically-savvy and I'm hoping with the technology available today that I could put together a system of components and software to give me what I'm looking for.
Here's what I'd like to be able to do:
- Build pixel panels or sections that consist of about 10 pixels high x 30 pixels wide.
- I would like the panels to be able to be connected end-to-end to extend the overall length of the display. For example, if my first trial at this is 30' in length, but the following year I decide to go along another section of my roof which is another 15' long, I'd want to be able to add on later
- in the panels I would like to be able to display different decorations or animations.. stockings, holly, snowing, fireworks, etc.
- I've found a lot of resources for the WS2811 strips, and due to my "newness" with this, I don't know what the best solution is for LED strips, power supplies and controllers.
- Many of the basic WS2811 strip resellers offer SD-card controllers for the lights. Can you help explain the limitations of those and what I would need in order to control my lights?
I've provided a link to a YouTube video I've found that demonstrations what I believe is a similar style of layout or display type I'm looking to use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvylpA4jB00
I'm also including a photo of the roof line of my home and how it's presently decorated each Christmas. I'd like to replace the "linkable" metal units with the red ornaments and change over to more of a video-type of system.
I know I missed the boat for 2015, but I'm one of those plan-ahead types and would like to start getting things lined up for next year. Plus, if I can put this together how I'd like to, this is something I'd like to use for multiple holidays or events throughout the year, rather than necessarily limit it to a Christmas decoration.
I'll apologize in advance for any ignorant or basic questions that I may have asked - but based upon the reading I've done through a lot of the posts on this forum, it appears many of the users/members are receptive to other people's questions and have a genuine interest in helping people figure things out. ;)
Thank you,
Dustin
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Hi,
You could use P10 panels which are 16 H * 32 W - lots of folks have used them this year , but mostly as a matrix. One Beagle Bone Black or Green can drive upto 64 , though if you are placing them end to end , then probably 16 would be easy enough if your controller was in the middle as each output of the BBB/BBG can drive 8 panels. After that the length of the flat ribbon data cable could be tricky (or someone else may know what to do). The BBB/BBG then has the Falcon player software installed.
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How would they connect together and how would you program graphics?
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