NeoPixel 1/4 60 Ring - Project Advice

General project help for Adafruit customers

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
Locked
User avatar
KRYOMAN
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2014 3:34 pm

NeoPixel 1/4 60 Ring - Project Advice

Post by KRYOMAN »

Hi there,

I need some advice on a project I'm starting.

I'm planning to have 4 sets of 4 NeoPixel 1/4 60 Rings on 4 separate installations.

I did some reading up and i wanted to get some advice on how to power and control each set of four rings.

my question is how should i power each set of 4 NeoPixel 1/4 60 Rings.

Also how should i control each set of 4 NeoPixel 1/4 60 Rings

I do not know how to write code, but i did see the spark core as an option with the tinker app so i do not have to write code.

User avatar
adafruit_support_mike
 
Posts: 67446
Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:51 pm

Re: NeoPixel 1/4 60 Ring - Project Advice

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

I'm afraid the Spark Core Tinker app won't help you with NeoPixels.

The app is a wireless control interface that gives you basic control of the Spark Core's GPIO pins, but NeoPixels require a complex control signal.

There's really no way to avoid programming if you want to work with NeoPixels, but we have lots of tutorials and examples that you can use to get started:

https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide

User avatar
KRYOMAN
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2014 3:34 pm

Re: NeoPixel 1/4 60 Ring - Project Advice

Post by KRYOMAN »

Ok, so the spark core is not an option.

how should i power each set of 4 NeoPixel 1/4 60 Rings?

Also how should i control each set of 4 NeoPixel 1/4 60 Rings?

User avatar
KRYOMAN
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2014 3:34 pm

Re: NeoPixel 1/4 60 Ring - Project Advice

Post by KRYOMAN »

adafruit_support_mike wrote:I'm afraid the Spark Core Tinker app won't help you with NeoPixels.

The app is a wireless control interface that gives you basic control of the Spark Core's GPIO pins, but NeoPixels require a complex control signal.

There's really no way to avoid programming if you want to work with NeoPixels, but we have lots of tutorials and examples that you can use to get started:

https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide
Ok, so the spark core is not an option.

how should i power each set of 4 NeoPixel 1/4 60 Rings?

Also how should i control each set of 4 NeoPixel 1/4 60 Rings?

User avatar
RBDigital
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 1:24 am

Re: NeoPixel 1/4 60 Ring - Project Advice

Post by RBDigital »

http://www.bhoite.com/2014/08/spark-core-neopixel-app/

This guy has designed a really cool little program for your iphone and using the sparks core. I have controlled a single Neopixels 1/4 60 Ring with the app.

I'm in the development stage of using this coding and adjusting so you can put your sparks id and access code within the app, usually you have to code it in before compiling it to your iphone.

User avatar
adafruit_support_mike
 
Posts: 67446
Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:51 pm

Re: NeoPixel 1/4 60 Ring - Project Advice

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Depending on where you want to put the NeoPixel rings, you can power all of them from a single, central power supply or give each ring its own power supply.

Each NeoPixel consumes up to 60mA, so a ring of 60 would consume a maximum of 3.6A. We've found that in practice you can make a series of NeoPixels work on about 1/2 to 1/3 the absolute maximum power, so one 5v @ 2A power supply per ring would work: https://www.adafruit.com/products/276

If you wanted to use a single power supply, you'd probably have the best luck with a 5v @ 10A supply: https://www.adafruit.com/products/658

As far as generating the control signals goes, the FadeCandy is probably the interface that invovles the least programming:
https://www.adafruit.com/product/1689

Each FadeCandy board can control up to 8 independent strips of NeoPixels.

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “General Project help”