DiyLightAnimation
Hardware => Lynx Smart String => Topic started by: lrhorer on January 13, 2016,
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Hey, I have a question. Could the PIC in an SSC be re-flashed to handle plain DMX-512? I have an idea for an application that only requires about 50 pixels or so. That is enough to make it too expensive and too large to control via a DC DMX Dimmer, but much smaller than justifies an ETD. I've already posted a request for a couple of old USB dongles, but DMX USB dongles can be had off E-Bay for a small outlay. (Plus I have a couple of spares sitting around.)
If this works, I think there might be a demand out there for single or double string applications to a maximum of 170 pixels. I'm designing a decorative lamp fixture. Someone the other day mentioned wearable pixels.
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What player are you using? Some can use those USB rs485 dongles to output PixelNet.
EDIT: I saw you say Pi Zero in another thread. If you hookup a rs485 chip to the onboard serial port on the Pi GPIO header, you may be able to use it to send PixelNet. I need to test that sometime on the zero but I think FPP supports PixelNet on the onboard serial, IIRC.
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What player are you using?
It would be FPP.
Some can use those USB rs485 dongles to output PixelNet.
Wow. Really? That would be slick. I have a couple of Anyma clones and a couple of DMXKing Micro USB controllers I won't be using next year. Do you have any idea if those would work? It would even allow one to go as high as 4096 channels / 1365 pixels. Way cool.
EDIT: I saw you say Pi Zero in another thread. If you hookup a rs485 chip to the onboard serial port on the Pi GPIO header, you may be able to use it to send PixelNet. I need to test that sometime on the zero but I think FPP supports PixelNet on the onboard serial, IIRC.
That wouldn't be too shabby, either.
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I bought a couple of devices like this last year (from a different seller) and have successfully used them to test pixelnet strings using a 4 port hub.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-to-RS485-TTL-Serial-Converter-Adapter-FTDI-interface-FT232RL-75176-Module-Ne-/161264238508?hash=item258c18ffac:g:c5gAAOSwT~9Wj4nl (http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-to-RS485-TTL-Serial-Converter-Adapter-FTDI-interface-FT232RL-75176-Module-Ne-/161264238508?hash=item258c18ffac:g:c5gAAOSwT~9Wj4nl)
There is also work going on to drive a small quantity of 5v pixels direct from a RPI. That may be something you might be interest in. I do not know more on this just saying I have seen posts about the activity.
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Hmm. 'Certainly economical. This is in the planning stage, so all options are open.
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FPP supports driving both ws2801 and ws281x/tm1804 pixels connected directly to the Pi GPIO header. There was an issue with the Pi v2 B but that has been resolved in the master branch so the v2 B works now and we expect the Zero does as well since it is more like a B+ than a v2B.