Im a noob. now thats out of the way, i am attempting to build a pixel tree that is (a 180 degree tree) for a boat parade. basically going to swap out the 2" steel post on the bow used for the table with a 2" PVC and use that as the tree center for the front of the boat having the display.
Equipment: 1 x Teensy 3.5, 1 x OctoWS2811, 19 x 5M (30/M) WS2812B Mokungit Addressable RGB LED Strips, 2 x 5V 60A AC to DC Power Supplies. plenty of Cat 6 cables, weather-proof housing, 3 pin connectors, etc.
I am planning on cutting the 5M strips in half to create 38 strips of 75 pixels ea. (total of 2850 pixels). the linear ft. for the "half circle" i would like to create is approx. 12' (bow of boat is approx 8' wide).
Questions: will the teensy 3.5 & octows2811 be enough to support all of these, or should i look at getting a controller board?
Software - if i can utilize what i have, what would be the best (easiest) software to learn/program/use if i would like to have the show sync'd with audio (and preferably, because i am short on time, some sketches that may be up for grabs to use while i'm learning? i have downloaded both vixen and xlights. i have been able to get the teensyduino to do a strand test successfully using pin2 for data, 150, 300 & 450 pixels by connecting 3 strips.
Audio - my boat does have a sound system & receiver (with bluetooth) that i plan to use for the audio during the parade. should i get a bluetooth controller, or should i look at using a laptop on the boat that is bluetooth capable to broadcast to the receiver and teensy simultaneously? doubt i would be able to connect to the teensy and head unit simultaneously with bluetooth, but could connect with another phone and start the song and program simultaneously
Video - saw there was a way to also "mirror" the image on a laptop through the serial. would be cool to maybe have clips of classic xmas movies/cartoons play across the pixeltree with music to sync, but probably way ahead of my league. if its possible, would like to see whats out there. (https://github.com/i-make-robots/LEDWall/tree/64x36-wall/Teensy)
Power - majority of the time, boat will be docked with a couple 110v outlets nearby. boat does have 6 x 6v deep cell batteries that basically bridge in to a programmed charger that distributes the power evenly to motor, accessories, etc. where its needed. but i can clamp directly on the terminals or there is a 12v accessory (cigarette) plug on boat i could use. (http://usbattery.com/products/6-volt-batteries/us-2200-xc2-lf/) as I will need additional power for when the boat is cruising the lake and for the parade.
Wiring configuration - this was basically the project i started to mimic at first because i was going to create an "Giant LED" on cloth vinyl, then just throw that over the sides of the boat. i dont believe that is going to work now and the tree will be more visible for the parade. would i still wire the same way as this? (https://makezine.com/projects/construct-giant-led-video-screen/). Follow the power wiring diagram to connect power to every second strip. On the left side, connect every odd strip (1, 3, 5, etc.) to a power cable. On the right side, connect strip 1 to 2, then 3 to 4, etc., all the way down. Each power cable then connects to a power supply — solid colors to VCC, white wires to GND.
You’ll connect the data cables in 12-strip blocks. Connect Data line 1 (orange and orange/white) to the first LED strip’s male SM connector. Then connect the next 11 strips, zigzagging, down through strip 12. Connect Data line 2 (blue and blue/ white) to strip 13’s male SM connector, zigzagging down through strip 24. Connect Data line 3 (green and green/white) to strip 25’s male SM connector, zigzagging through strip 36. Now plug the data cable’s CAT5 connector into the Octo shield’s port 1.
any help is greatly appreciated and will be grateful for any input/suggestions. thank you!
-Casey
Equipment: 1 x Teensy 3.5, 1 x OctoWS2811, 19 x 5M (30/M) WS2812B Mokungit Addressable RGB LED Strips, 2 x 5V 60A AC to DC Power Supplies. plenty of Cat 6 cables, weather-proof housing, 3 pin connectors, etc.
I am planning on cutting the 5M strips in half to create 38 strips of 75 pixels ea. (total of 2850 pixels). the linear ft. for the "half circle" i would like to create is approx. 12' (bow of boat is approx 8' wide).
Questions: will the teensy 3.5 & octows2811 be enough to support all of these, or should i look at getting a controller board?
Software - if i can utilize what i have, what would be the best (easiest) software to learn/program/use if i would like to have the show sync'd with audio (and preferably, because i am short on time, some sketches that may be up for grabs to use while i'm learning? i have downloaded both vixen and xlights. i have been able to get the teensyduino to do a strand test successfully using pin2 for data, 150, 300 & 450 pixels by connecting 3 strips.
Audio - my boat does have a sound system & receiver (with bluetooth) that i plan to use for the audio during the parade. should i get a bluetooth controller, or should i look at using a laptop on the boat that is bluetooth capable to broadcast to the receiver and teensy simultaneously? doubt i would be able to connect to the teensy and head unit simultaneously with bluetooth, but could connect with another phone and start the song and program simultaneously
Video - saw there was a way to also "mirror" the image on a laptop through the serial. would be cool to maybe have clips of classic xmas movies/cartoons play across the pixeltree with music to sync, but probably way ahead of my league. if its possible, would like to see whats out there. (https://github.com/i-make-robots/LEDWall/tree/64x36-wall/Teensy)
Power - majority of the time, boat will be docked with a couple 110v outlets nearby. boat does have 6 x 6v deep cell batteries that basically bridge in to a programmed charger that distributes the power evenly to motor, accessories, etc. where its needed. but i can clamp directly on the terminals or there is a 12v accessory (cigarette) plug on boat i could use. (http://usbattery.com/products/6-volt-batteries/us-2200-xc2-lf/) as I will need additional power for when the boat is cruising the lake and for the parade.
Wiring configuration - this was basically the project i started to mimic at first because i was going to create an "Giant LED" on cloth vinyl, then just throw that over the sides of the boat. i dont believe that is going to work now and the tree will be more visible for the parade. would i still wire the same way as this? (https://makezine.com/projects/construct-giant-led-video-screen/). Follow the power wiring diagram to connect power to every second strip. On the left side, connect every odd strip (1, 3, 5, etc.) to a power cable. On the right side, connect strip 1 to 2, then 3 to 4, etc., all the way down. Each power cable then connects to a power supply — solid colors to VCC, white wires to GND.
You’ll connect the data cables in 12-strip blocks. Connect Data line 1 (orange and orange/white) to the first LED strip’s male SM connector. Then connect the next 11 strips, zigzagging, down through strip 12. Connect Data line 2 (blue and blue/ white) to strip 13’s male SM connector, zigzagging down through strip 24. Connect Data line 3 (green and green/white) to strip 25’s male SM connector, zigzagging through strip 36. Now plug the data cable’s CAT5 connector into the Octo shield’s port 1.
any help is greatly appreciated and will be grateful for any input/suggestions. thank you!
-Casey
