Fist i would like to thank you for sharing your hard work ! The pack looks fantastic. I hope you don’t mind me asking you a few questions about the code.
I have installed the photons library and have tried to follow the example in github… but i just cant seem to get the thing to compile. Can i ask what arduino you are using (i am using a mega) ?
I have also played around with your actuall code you used as your master but i don’t know weather i have at the right files in the correct places. would it be possible to point me in the right direction to the files i should have in cirtain places as i can see the #includes… some have “filename” which is a file used in the same folder but the are files used in the library.
I would be much appreciated if you could help a little.
That looks great! I see the four TLCs are working for you! Looks good.
Another thing I recommend strongly is to get PCBs printed. It will save a LOT of time and frustration, and if you go with OSH Park, money as well.
Power will also be a challenge, as your pack will consume more current than the puny regulator on the arduino can provide. There are some 7805 compatible switching power supplies that are your friend.
Yeah I was looking into the PCBs today as well as some prototype board to wire up the rest of the components.
I did notice the leds flicker sometimes like there wasn’t enough power. I did look into power regulators/conversters but then I stumbled across THIS which appears to supply both 12v and 5v. Once I get another breadboard I will wire up a better bench power supply but for the pack it seems like that power supply might work? The problem is they don’t give any real specs for amperage etc.
Yes, flickering means you’re not getting enough current through. I still think you should use a voltage regulator (do yourself a favor and use the switching kind like I posted above). That’ll ensure you don’t suck too much voltage through the arduino and lights. If you pull too much current through the arduino, you’ll cook it. You’ll need to use the vin pin rather than the barrel jack. If you use the barrel jack, you’ll quickly draw too much power through the arduino’s tiny little voltage regulator and fry it.
The thing about batteries is that they’ll deliver current (amperage) pretty readily, which is why they don’t list that as a spec. The 13,000 mA/h tells you how long it’ll last. I’m using a 12v 9800 mAh battery and calculated that running lights only, my pack will run for 32 hours (sound takes substantially more current). If I were you, I’d go for the 9800mAh /12v pack and the switching regulator and call it a day.
FYI, with all my lights on full brightness, they consume about 260mA of power.
So after a few stumbles (destroying an arduino and a couple TLC5940 chips) I finally have a fully working prototype with lights and sound. Below is a video showing it off I plan on uploading some more details including sketches of the breadboard layout so others can easily replicate if they so desire.
Once again thanks Scohen for the hard work on the code etc.
