ShiftBrite Development Update

[Photovor]

I posted about a new tri-color LED module about a month ago. It's based on the Allegro A6281. I didn't create the module, but I created some custom software, and a Vixen plugin to support a chain of these being controlled from the parallel port. You can check out the project, and any updates here: http://www.AltoonaLights.com/shiftbrites.html . Pretty neat (and inexpensive) modules. Kinda like JEC's Pixels, but not really.

The plugin is beta, but is currently working. Has no problem running at 50ms either. There are some test videos at the bottom of the page. I'm mainly working on the Setup Dialog for the plugin right now in order to make it more friendly.

[TERBObob]

Pretty neat (and inexpensive) modules

Oh yeah .... I can see a chain of 100 of little boogers . ( and at $500.00 a pop/string ... yep , just right up my alley - cheap ... LOL )

Why would anyone want these ??? Not feasible for light strings ...
nor , for a LEDTRIX .. ( even worse ... 700 of these at $5.00 a pop --- only $3500.00

[P. Short]

Oh yeah .... I can see a chain of 100 of little boogers . ( and at $500.00 a pop/string ... yep , just right up my alley - cheap ... LOL )

Why would anyone want these ??? Not feasible for light strings ...
nor , for a LEDTRIX .. ( even worse ... 700 of these at $5.00 a pop --- only $3500.00

What are you comparing them with?

[TERBObob]

LED's ... either on a string for lighting , or even individual super brights ( led's ).

Comparing ? No really sure what you are asking ... but what I mean , is , for $5.00 each .. and those things ARE little , what would you use them for ?
Its not feasible to daisy them for a strand of lights ...
And it sure as heck is not for LED TRIX , so ... what would these be used for , or in place of ?

[Photovor]

First off they're tri color, and you can create about a million color variations by controlling either of the 3 channels individually. They're also super bright, so they'd make great wall washes. You need to make a comparison to something like a JEC pixel, not a LED light strand. As far as size, they're less than an inch square, however they're an 8k MCD super flux LED, with a 120 degree viewing angle.

If you want to make a comparison to a FULL COLOR LED sign board, $3,500 would be a good place to start, for that size. We're not talking about a mono color LEDTrik here. I found one on ebay for $2,700 and it was only 16" high.

I"m planning on using some of these pixels randomly placed throughout my mega trees. You can pulse all 3 channels to make a really nice white strobe effect. I also plan on putting some under a soffit for a wall wash effect.

Why spend between $5-$6 for a crappy SINGLE color flood light, when you can have one of these fully controllable modules, with millions of color variations.

[Photovor]

Oh yeah .... I can see a chain of 100 of little boogers . ( and at $500.00 a pop/string ... yep , just right up my alley - cheap ... LOL )

Why would anyone want these ??? Not feasible for light strings ...
nor , for a LEDTRIX .. ( even worse ... 700 of these at $5.00 a pop --- only $3500.00

They have quantity pricing.... $3.75 each for 100, and you could get them for under $2.50 for 700 (which I've gotten a quote for). Might want to do a little research before you go bashing everything about them. Heck, I've used RELAYS for my olsen board, because I didn't want to get into making that many SSRs this year, but for $5 for a small quantity for these modules, pretty nice. I'm not one to get in on expensive projects, but I can at least see the value in these.

[Virtus]

This is a neat project. I am curious about why you wanted to send serial data out the parallel port. Was there something special about the parallel interface that made it a better choice for serial data in your project?

[P. Short]

Just out of curiosity, do you have any of those modules (or seen them in person)? Not to bash any one vendor, but I'm very skeptical of any and all advertisements for LEDs. I just don't think that the people marketing them have any tendency to actually measure the light output, and numbers get thrown about with great abandon.

[P. Short]

The reason that he is using the parallel port is that those chips require a clock and possibly strobe signal to go along with the data, very similar to the 595 chips (or the chips on the Grinch and LEDtriks, for that matter).

[Photovor]

Just out of curiosity, do you have any of those modules (or seen them in person)? Not to bash any one vendor, but I'm very skeptical of any and all advertisements for LEDs. I just don't think that the people marketing them have any tendency to actually measure the light output, and numbers get thrown about with great abandon.


Yep, I have 2 right here, and they are VERY bright. The red, as usual is probably more like 6500 mcd. The 8K MCD figure is whats listed as the "maximum brightness" in the technical bulletin on the LED. Through sending the data, you can also send data to set the max current registers as well, so there's a ton of flexibility.

When you pulse all 3 colors at once, it's a pretty bright white, which would make a great strobe. I developed this plugin, and you're right- it's a chain of data bits and clock pulses, and then a latch.

It was a little tricky to learn how to do that, without any functions that already did it- like shiftOut. So I wrote everything from the ground up- in C# non the less. I have never used C# till tuesday.

[Photovor]

This is a neat project. I am curious about why you wanted to send serial data out the parallel port. Was there something special about the parallel interface that made it a better choice for serial data in your project?

No Max232 chips, or spare PICs to play with... Kinda settled on the parallel port too, because it closely resembles the 595 boards- though each module acts as a 32-bit shift register, not 8.

I'm not sure that you'd gain anything else by going serial anyways- but that's just my opinion. Using a PIC, I know you could offload some CPU, but I was trying to make it as minimal as possible.

[TERBObob]

Sorry , I am like Phil ..
there are and HAVE been many falsely advertised LED's referencing their brightness and angle , and I am finding it VERY hard to believe that a single LED can produce as much brightness as a single white/clear floodlight can , and cover the same area .
And as far as bashing goes .. sorry , but when you get taken for LEDs that have "claims" of things that they are NOT ... a person gets a little skeptical when "claims" are being thrown around .
And the MCD's ... how many times have you read about someone buying ones that claimed to be BRIGHT , and after they got them ... WHAM .... no brighter than the one on the front of your PC to let you know your HD is rolling :roll:
Ok ... I got the point that they have "billions" of colors ( which , is kinda hard to believe ) but ... so your saying that with three individual LED's that you could not accomplish the same thing ?
And correct me if I am wrong , but ... you do not have control individually , do you ? Like LEDTRIX ? These can only be daisy chained ?

And one more thing . Ok , I viewed your little vids of a single tri LED doing blinky blinky , but ... what you are talking about .. sorry , but unless you ran that at less than 20 per cent , I don't see that doing no wall washing .
And ... how come you only show a single doing the blinky thing ... and not a muliple of them ?
Would be nicer to view a vid of them on a wall , in the dark and something to use for a distance reference to show how large/small of an area this covers .
I still say , whether it does a million colors or not , at $5.00 a pop for ONE led without any real proof of the claims , is VERY stiff in price .
How many mm's in size is this single LED anyway ? 5 ? 10 ? or smaller ? ( not talking the base/pcb )

[P. Short]

After looking up some LEDS in the mouser catalog I am much less skeptical than before about the possibility that those pixels do as advertised (as far as brightness goes). And I have no doubt whatsoever that each LED can be individually controlled.

[TERBObob]

And I have no doubt whatsoever that each LED can be individually controlled.

Seeing , is believing .;)

I would also LOVE to see how bright these really are . ( in a vid )
Sorry , but after someone told me that I bought "junk" LED's , when they were the ones EVERYONE was ranting and raving about ... and yes , they DID indeed turn out to be JUNK , I am a bit skeptical on unproven claims .

[A Marchini]

No Max232 chips, or spare PICs to play with... Kinda settled on the parallel port too, because it closely resembles the 595 boards- though each module acts as a 32-bit shift register, not 8.

I'm not sure that you'd gain anything else by going serial anyways- but that's just my opinion. Using a PIC, I know you could offload some CPU, but I was trying to make it as minimal as possible.

You may have throughput issues at high speed using the parallel port. This may be a job for a USB FIFO.

Tony M.

[Photovor]

Seeing , is believing .;)

I would also LOVE to see how bright these really are . ( in a vid )
Sorry , but after someone told me that I bought "junk" LED's , when they were the ones EVERYONE was ranting and raving about ... and yes , they DID indeed turn out to be JUNK , I am a bit skeptical on unproven claims .

Please realize that I'm not the one producing these. Just programming the Vixen plugin.

The videos are taken from a few inches away to show a closeup of the lense doing the color shifts. I purposely used a lower exposure as well so the video would not be washed out. When I filmed it the first few times, the blue and green always overexposed. I just finished testing of the plugin too, so I haven't had a chance to put them to work yet. In my testing, in a medium lit room, it projected nice colors on the walls from about 6 feet away. Probably within the next week I'll have some "practical" example videos.

Here's an example of a video I believe the maker of the ShiftBrite did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PVC5jABuB8

Also, if you have 20 of these daisy chained, each one can be controlled individually, along with it's 3 color channels. So to control them individually, you just push out 32 * number in chain, bits. I'll have to post a video showing the control of 2 of these.

[Photovor]

Ok ... I got the point that they have "billions" of colors ( which , is kinda hard to believe ) but ... so your saying that with three individual LED's that you could not accomplish the same thing ?
And correct me if I am wrong , but ... you do not have control individually , do you ? Like LEDTRIX ? These can only be daisy chained ?


I think it's about 16 million colors, but honestly, the perception of all of those colors would probably be impossible- unless you have super eye sight. In practical terms, I'd imagine around at least 200 well-defined colors (minus dimming variables).

As I said before, they are daisy chained- so you can connect them end-to-end, but they are all individually controllable. So Module 1 can have different dimming/color values than module 2, 3, etc...

[NogginBoink]

Very cool. I'd love to play with these, but $5 each is too pricey for me currently. I'm sure they'd make a great show.

Unfortunately, the QFN packaging of the driver chip pretty much precludes creating a DIY version of this. :(

[Photovor]

Very cool. I'd love to play with these, but $5 each is too pricey for me currently. I'm sure they'd make a great show.

Unfortunately, the QFN packaging of the driver chip pretty much precludes creating a DIY version of this. :(


My thoughts exactly on the QFN package, thought I've started to look for either a PIC or another type of shift register to closely mimic this. The LED's aren't too pricey to make this work.

I just found that allegro makes a A6280 chip that comes in 16pin DIP. http://www.allegromicro.com/en/Products/Part_Numbers/6280/index.asp . I'm going to look into this today.

[TERBObob]

So, why couldn't ya use something like these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250171424717&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015
And do our own PCB an chips ?
Not the same ?

[Photovor]

So, why couldn't ya use something like these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250171424717&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015
And do our own PCB an chips ?
Not the same ?

Thats exactly what I'm going to do. Those LED's are the same ones that the current ShiftBrite design uses. I've ordered some samples from Allegro for that chip as well. Not figuring in the cost of the copper/etching, it's about $1.17 per "pixel". (using a base of 25-50 for pricing).

I'm planning on creating a circuit diagram this week, and some specs, and I'll get this rolling...

We need a forum for "DIY accessories", where all the misc boards and projects can be housed...

[ctmal]

One thing I've noticed about the A6280 is that it is a 31 bit shift register...I think that makes it a bit more difficult to work with.(unless anybody has any easy ways around it not being divisible by 8).

[Photovor]

One thing I've noticed about the A6280 is that it is a 31 bit shift register...I think that makes it a bit more difficult to work with.(unless anybody has any easy ways around it not being divisible by 8).

It's 32. 31 bits for the data, 1 bit for setting the current/PWM registers. It's exactly like the one that the ShiftBrite uses now- which I have a working plugin and code for. The web page reads goofy, because the A6281 says 32 bit, with 1 bit for the current/PWM registers. I've double checked this with allegro, and it's still 32 bits that you pass. Even if it was 31 bits that were being passed, it wouldn't be that much harder to code, since you shifting bit by bit serially anyways.

[JEC]

There's a significant difference between the (DIP) '80 and the QFN '81 chip which might affect your design.

The '81 has an in-built PWM oscillator. The '80 depends entirely on an external clock for both dimming and register loading. Using the '80 you need to generate a rock-solid clock signal all the time, not just when updating channel information.

That may or may not bring your drive computer to its knees, ala LedTricks.

[TERBObob]

Thats exactly what I'm going to do. Those LED's are the same ones that the current ShiftBrite design uses. I've ordered some samples from Allegro for that chip as well. Not figuring in the cost of the copper/etching, it's about $1.17 per "pixel". (using a base of 25-50 for pricing).

I'm planning on creating a circuit diagram this week, and some specs, and I'll get this rolling...

We need a forum for "DIY accessories", where all the misc boards and projects can be housed...


:wink:


:D

[Photovor]

:wink:


:D


:D I still think $5.99 isn't bad for something done and shipped (in a QFN package, no fuss, etc..), BUT, since I've found the DIP, that's definitely more attractive. Now I can afford more than 10.

Once I get the design finalized, I'll share the info. I'll probably look at offloading some LEDs and Chips too, since I don't think I'll be needing a full 50 or 100.

[NogginBoink]

There's a significant difference between the (DIP) '80 and the QFN '81 chip which might affect your design.

The '81 has an in-built PWM oscillator. The '80 depends entirely on an external clock for both dimming and register loading. Using the '80 you need to generate a rock-solid clock signal all the time, not just when updating channel information.

That may or may not bring your drive computer to its knees, ala LedTricks.

Interesting.

I suppose a driver board could be inserted at the beginning of the chain, between the PC and the first LED. The board would generate the clock and could also presumably offload some processing from the PC if we got creative enough.

[A Marchini]

Interesting.

I suppose a driver board could be inserted at the beginning of the chain, between the PC and the first LED. The board would generate the clock and could also presumably offload some processing from the PC if we got creative enough.

Or a USB FIFO, then you don't have to program any parts.

...um...just a thought.
Tony M.

[Photovor]

There's a significant difference between the (DIP) '80 and the QFN '81 chip which might affect your design.

The '81 has an in-built PWM oscillator. The '80 depends entirely on an external clock for both dimming and register loading. Using the '80 you need to generate a rock-solid clock signal all the time, not just when updating channel information.

That may or may not bring your drive computer to its knees, ala LedTricks.

This is very true, and I'm looking into some options for this. I haven't done much work with clock and timings, so if someone has some experience with this, please PM me, I have some ideas I'd like to discuss.

I've experienced PWM cycle mismatches even on the '81, when dimming multiple channels at once:
"
The A6281 generates its own internal PWM clock, which it uses to vary the intensity of the color. The clock default is 800KHz, which divided by 1024 is about 780 LED updates per second. The oscillators in each A6281 are free-running, there's no way to know at which point in a PWM cycle you will request a change in brightness. So if you're updating very rapidly, you'll end up jumping into a PWM cycle at random times, resulting in a slight brightness change.
"

So even in a perfect world, we'd want that clock to be there for reliability anyways.

[Photovor]

Got some samples in this past week of the A6280. I also have a working example of controlling the DIP chip via a PIC16F628, but I'm working on converting it to another type that may be more suited for the routines and serial communication.

It looks like the project will just consist of serial communication to a Master PIC that can control a chain of these DIY ShiftBrites. Once I have a new working example, I'll post some schematics for review.

[macegr]

Yes, the internal oscillator is the reason I selected the A6281 over the A6280. Also, the 3mm x 3mm QFN is small enough to fit inside the LED leads and enables a compact design (the limiting factor is really the headers). And when you're ordering a few thousand of something, DIP versus QFN isn't a factor except in PCB real estate, because you're not worried about ease of hand-soldering.

The flicker while dimming I *think* is a result of the PWM oscillators out of sync, although the datasheet claims that a latch event won't actually reset the oscillator. Regardless, I found that pulsing the Enable line during a Latch pulse would smooth the dimming fade immensely. That removes the need for a continuous ~1MHz PWM pulse train. But there are some situations you want a synchronized pulse train anyway, like video display. The A6281 actually lets you select the external clock and do that too, just like the A6280.

Nothing about the ShiftBrite is really a secret, it's just a breakout board for the A6281 with an included LED and preset current control resistor. I certainly have no problem with people deciding to build their own through-hole version if they have a cheap source of PCBs and some quiet winter months to solder a few thousand pads. The ShiftBrite is priced where it is because of the convenience, I still get people buying them in 100+ quantities because they need the function right now, and don't have time to design their own board, wait 2+ weeks for the PCBs, source all the parts, and spend a week soldering and testing. These are people who will calculate the hourly cost of their time when considering their options.

For hobbyists (like me, actually) who really enjoy the challenge and sense of accomplishment brewing devices like this up from scratch, the extra hours can be counted as leisure time and you might actually come out ahead building your own.

Anyway, feel free to use me as a resource for running ShiftBrites or DIYBrites(?); cabling ideas and sources, coding, interfacing to various controllers, etc. I've been primarily using the Arduino as a controller, it could easily serve the purpose of your outboard shift register and PWM clock generator. It has an embedded USB to serial converter (on the official boards) so it's a ready made interface to any PC.

Thanks for your interest and discussion, I had not actually considered the holiday lighting market when designing these. If you have suggestions for an improved device tailored to this type of application, it's very possible for me to create a customized version.

[Photovor]

Garrett, Thanks for the follow up! Even after getting some samples to play with, the DIP version is still extremely challenging to work with considering the clock that you need to create. Even though I've started this "DIY" version, the pricing scheme to buy the ShiftBrites themselves is still very attractive, considering the overhead that you don't have to worry about, the easy to use breakout board with headers, etc... Now if I could only hand-solder up the QFN packages :-)

In other development updates.... I'm starting to use the CCP module along with spi_write to create the appropriate clock and data sequences. I don't yet have a working example, but I hope to see something soon. I need to get my head wrapped around PIC interrupts.

[crperryjr]

By chance are you still working on this project? I have this idea to cover my house in about 50 frosted plastic Snowflakes http://www.partycheap.com/Sparkle_Snowflake_11_in_p/20370-11.htm (or something similar) and light each of them up using Shiftbrites. The idea being that I could control each one separately to create chases and fades across my house in different colors using Vixen. My control PC is located in my workshed, about 30 yards from the house.

Given the above info. Do you think it's possible using your idea to control the Shiftbrites via the parallel port over about 100 yards of cable? And if not, what do you think it would take get Vixen to do what I'm trying to do?

I'm aware of the JEC Pixels, but the complexity (to me at least) of DMX is not something I'd like to try and take on. It seems very simple to use the parallel port, but I worry about the reliability of the signal over that great a distance.

Your thoughts, and work on this project are greatly appreciated!!

[mrpackethead]

By chance are you still working on this project?

Not sure what is happening with that project, but you might want to check out the project that JEC and I have been working on at http://response-box.com/rgb/2009/06/micro-pixels-first-test/. The new 'tripix' pixel are three rgb leds and an A6281 on a board, complete with connectors and the like. These things are really bright. We are just completing a controller unit at the moment, which will allow DMX control of them. If you wanted to do a differnet kind of control you could as well no problems there. The construction of these is 'fiddly', so we have had them factory made. They will be avaiable for sale ready made very shortly.

[Photovor]

After having too many problems trying to work with the DIP version of the chip, I took a break from this project. In my attempts to make the allegro chip work, I found it much easier to just program a 12f PIC to use PWM and do the same exact thing, with much more flexibility.

In the same note, running a parallel port signal over a hundred yards or so isn't going to be your best friend either.

[macegr]

Yeah, the ShiftBrite or the new JEC pixel are better used in situations where you need enough pixels that it's not practical to build your own. The internal oscillator of the A6281 eliminates most of the problems you see with the A6280, but the A6281 only comes in QFN.

How did you deal with addressing on your PIC devices? The main advantage of the shift register approach is that you can replace a pixel and instantly be back in operation. Having to program an address into a pixel will increase downtime.

[budude]

I see these as obvious replacements for C9s lining the roof/gutters. What do you use to keep them safe from the elements - lots of options I suppose - just wondering if anyone has already done this?

[Photovor]

I see these as obvious replacements for C9s lining the roof/gutters. What do you use to keep them safe from the elements - lots of options I suppose - just wondering if anyone has already done this?

I haven't put them out in the weather yet, but I'm thinking clear Easter eggs :-)

[budude]

I might have to do some shopping at my local Tap Plastics - I was going to use some of their tubing for my LED Flood strips (as Frank has suggested) and they have a variety of different boxes, tubes, etc that might work. Luckily I have 4 of their stores within easy driving distance!

http://www.tapplastics.com is the link.

Right-angle header pins might be more useful for 'strip' type applications - say like running several in a tube. The square tubes might work for this too - all the boards would sit at 45 angles in the tubes to help align them in the same direction.

Brian

[mrpackethead]

I see these as obvious replacements for C9s lining the roof/gutters. What do you use to keep them safe from the elements - lots of options I suppose - just wondering if anyone has already done this?

The Tripix's fit very nicely inside clear 20mm ( 3/4" ) PVC tubing.. Call it addressable rope light then. FYI, the tripix has the option of having the RJ45's or not, if you want you can hand wire them together, there are holes for this on the pcb.

FYI, you can DIY solder the A6281's if you have a PCB that has solder mask by hand with a soldering iron, ( not receommended, but possible. ) i use a home made DIY reflow oven.

[budude]

Oh yeah - been watching development of the Tripix also - just waiting for that "Add to Cart" symbol to show up before deciding... :rolleyes:

[JEC]

How did you deal with addressing on your PIC devices? The main advantage of the shift register approach is that you can replace a pixel and instantly be back in operation. Having to program an address into a pixel will increase downtime.

True enough.

Consider, though, that an addressable design is useful because it only samples the power and data lines, rather than breaking them at each node.

Of course, different installations may make one design more attractive than another.

(No offense intended, Garrett. I've followed your work for a while and am impressed by the designs you've created.)

Here's one way of setting a node's address in the field:

http://response-box.com/rgb/2009/04/field-programmable-source-code/

[macegr]

No problem JEC...we won't have too much market overlap anyway. I have some designs for pixels with series 5050 RGB LEDs, but RJ45 jacks never appealed to me. In any case all the parts are out there for anyone to use, so it's to be expected that similar products will show up. It's just a matter of targeting a design to a specific application, and your previous experience is helping you design something that will work really well for holiday lighting.

[tconley]

All we would need on top of this is software similar to galaxia where it figures our where in space every point is so you could map video or animations on to the display.

[mrpackethead]

All we would need on top of this is software similar to galaxia where it figures our where in space every point is so you could map video or animations on to the display.

Well my freinds, we look like we have found it, and we are working on the glue controller. Check this bit of software out.

http://www.ljb2of3.net/lights/dotmatrix/index.php

It will play back quick time videos into your matrix. Its output is art-net over ethernet. John, Ben and I are collaborating on an art-net controller right now, which will take art-net in, and drive the tripix ( i guess it will probalbly drive shiftbrites as well with minimal mods ). DIY led video walls, here we come.

[budude]

http://www.ljb2of3.net/lights/dotmatrix/index.php


This link appears to be dead?

[mrpackethead]

This link appears to be dead?

It was dead earlier, but i've checked and it was up just a second ago.

[budude]

OK - - that is wicked cool (and the price is right!)... so you would just fill an entire grid with (insert DMX addressable LED widget of your choice here) and it maps the movie elements to the grid. Seems like a quick way to eat up Tripix pretty quick! Even a smallish movie of 100x100 would be 10,000 pixels and 20 DMX universes...:shock:

[mrpackethead]

OK - - that is wicked cool (and the price is right!)... so you would just fill an entire grid with (insert DMX addressable LED widget of your choice here) and it maps the movie elements to the grid. Seems like a quick way to eat up Tripix pretty quick! Even a smallish movie of 100x100 would be 10,000 pixels and 20 DMX universes...:shock:

If you wanted to build 'video' walls, ( ie U2 or other mega band style ) you need to have very big pockets, because as you can see the number of pixels starts getting up very quickly. However a smaller grid is also very effective, you need to down-sample your material ( i'm not sure if .matrix does this, but you can in quicktime ) and play that. That is essentially what i did last year for my grid. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppAV7p7P630 ), which is a more managable 10x16 grid. The base material for this was a quicktime movie. I put together a very ugly set of intermeidate steps to create the XML files that Vixen used! .Matrix will make this whole process MUCH easier than what i did.

[JEC]

If you wanted to build 'video' walls, ( ie U2 or other mega band style ) you need to have very big pockets, because as you can see the number of pixels starts getting up very quickly. However a smaller grid is also very effective, you need to down-sample your material ( i'm not sure if .matrix does this, but you can in quicktime ) and play that. That is essentially what i did last year for my grid. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppAV7p7P630 ), which is a more managable 10x16 grid. The base material for this was a quicktime movie. I put together a very ugly set of intermeidate steps to create the XML files that Vixen used! .Matrix will make this whole process MUCH easier than what i did.

@MPH - did you notice the username of the person who left the first comment on your youtube clip? Small world. :)

[mrpackethead]

@MPH - did you notice the username of the person who left the first comment on your youtube clip? Small world. :)

not until you bought it up. Half a planet and one post away :-)

[lumax]

>>Photovor<<

Did you make any further testing on multiple modules string, I'm really interested by this little Shift Bright... I'm looking to build a system with +/- 120 nodes and install them permanently in the sofit around the house, Shift Bright seem to be a system to consider...

[Photovor]

I haven't done any further testing for a while. My main focus was using the Allegro chip to make a DIY version of this, but the DIP version of the chip was pretty messy in the way the data had to be shifted in. I believe using a smaller PIC chip like a 8 pin 12F of some sorts would be better suited, plus they could be adapted to work off of the current renard or dmx protocols.