Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

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Joebakb
 
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Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

Post by Joebakb »

So a little background on the project first: https://github.com/MLB-LED-Scoreboard/m ... scoreboard

Items in the mix:
adafruit RGB Matrix + RTC Hat w/ CR1220 3V Battery installed
64 x 32 RRB LED Matrix - 5mm pitch, female DC Power adapter w/ 5v 4A switching power supply

Once i start the script (as per the project documentation) with:

Code: Select all

 sudo python3 main.py --led-gpio-mapping="adafruit-hat" --led-rows 32 --led-cols 64
the matrix shows corruption or artifacting around different colors.

Troubleshooting steps:
Reseated cables.
Re-flowed solder on connectors.
Tried powering matrix and pi/hat separately.
Re-installed the software using project script.
Ran the adafruit installer script:

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curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/adafruit/Raspberry-Pi-Installer-Scripts/master/rgb-matrix.sh >rgb-matrix.sh
(made executable then ran sudo user)
Tried a completely different PI (both are pi 4 model B's)
Tried 32bit and 64bit Pi OS Lite versions.

This seems to be a hardware issue as far as I can tell. I can upload some images if necessary.

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mikeysklar
 
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Re: Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

Post by mikeysklar »

What model of Pi are you using?

Is this the RGB Matrix HAT + RTC model you have Ada# 2345?

https://www.adafruit.com/product/2345

Have you tried slowing down the speed as the guide recommend for glitches?

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 --led-slowdown-gpio=2
If your Pi is overclocked, or if you’re using a Raspberry Pi 2 or Pi 4, you may need to dial back the matrix control speed slightly. This can be done with the --led-slowdown-gpio=2 setting. Pi 4 may require larger values, depending on the matrix…experiment! Conversely, early Raspberry Pis (Model A, B and similar) might get an improved image by speeding up the matrix code with a value of 0 here.
Have you tried running some of the samples?

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rpi-rgb-led-matrix/bindings/python/samples

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Joebakb
 
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Re: Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

Post by Joebakb »

Thanks for the response Mike!

I did try that yes, with no effect. I will have to go through the samples a bit more closely. Most of them looked like they weren't working properly, but they also could be designed for the 32 x 32 boards. I'll have to do a bit mote experimenting there this week.

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Joebakb
 
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Re: Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

Post by Joebakb »

Now that I have a bit more time to respond, here are the answers to your questions as well:

What model of Pi are you using? Raspberri Pi 4 B 1GB and Raspberri Pi 4 B 8GB Both have a lot of artifacting. The 8GB is actually the worst of the two.


Is this the RGB Matrix HAT + RTC model you have Ada# 2345? This is the hat that I ordered and am using, yes.

I am still leaning on this being a hardware issue, but I don't know to which device to attribute the problem. I would think it's either the hat or the matrix, and I need to figure out which so I can open a case with adafruit as they are both brand new. I'll try to go through the tests a bit here this week.

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mikeysklar
 
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Re: Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

Post by mikeysklar »

The FAQ had suggested experimenting with larger values of slowdown to see if that helps with artifacts / glitches.

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 --led-slowdown-gpio=2
Have you tried increasing the value above from 2 to higher levels? Does it change the behavior at all?
Experiment to find the lowest value that provides a stable image on your system.
Is there anything else connected?

Can you post a photo of the soldering you did on the hat pins?

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Joebakb
 
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Re: Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

Post by Joebakb »

I just got the opportunity to try to test some of this again, and now the matrix won't even display. I can get to the pi just fine and have rebooted, but no pixels are lighting up now at all.

Probably need to talk with support to figure out which device is having the problem.

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Joebakb
 
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Re: Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

Post by Joebakb »

Where can I go to get a support rep for this. I realize I haven't had much time to test and report, but it does seem to be a hardware issue with either the hat or the matrix.

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mikeysklar
 
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Re: Display artifacts - RGB Matrix + RTC Hat and 64x32 panel

Post by mikeysklar »

Can you post some photos of your setup? We can go through the connections and make sure voltage is showing up on the right pins.

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