Espixel by Bill Porter

[jchuchla]

The espixelpops are a 3rd party slimmed down version of the original espixelstick. The goals for it's existence is a less expensive unit that can be assembled by hand. They're not related except that the former is designed to use the same firmware as the original. It would have to be a completely new board. The SD Card feature requires the bigger ESP module than the original. So it's not a simple retrofit. It'd likely need a whole new board. Furthermore, I've never seen a SD Card slot that can be soldered by hand. So I'm not sure if that could be provided in kit form in keeping with the pixelpop concept. I think if you want those features, you should probably just buy the actual espixelstick v3 hardware.

[ukewarrior]

As the Pixel Pops creator I have to say that Jon pretty much nailed this.
With that said, there are some SD Cards with smd "pins" that stick out the back and should be solderable by most folks. Another thought I had was to buy SD Card adapters boards that would easily solder to a pixel pops board.
I'd be happy to layout a new pixel pops with this feature. What I'm not sure of is if the schematic for the v3 board has been published. Anyone know?
The pixel pops was created so that the DIY aspect of our hobby could continue and to provide an extremely inexpensive pixel controller.
I'd love to keep that tradition going.

The espixelpops are a 3rd party slimmed down version of the original espixelstick. The goals for it's existence is a less expensive unit that can be assembled by hand. They're not related except that the former is designed to use the same firmware as the original. It would have to be a completely new board. The SD Card feature requires the bigger ESP module than the original. So it's not a simple retrofit. It'd likely need a whole new board. Furthermore, I've never seen a SD Card slot that can be soldered by hand. So I'm not sure if that could be provided in kit form in keeping with the pixelpop concept. I think if you want those features, you should probably just buy the actual espixelstick v3 hardware.

[MartinMueller2003]

As the Pixel Pops creator I have to say that Jon pretty much nailed this.
With that said, there are some SD Cards with smd "pins" that stick out the back and should be solderable by most folks. Another thought I had was to buy SD Card adapters boards that would easily solder to a pixel pops board.
I'd be happy to layout a new pixel pops with this feature. What I'm not sure of is if the schematic for the v3 board has been published. Anyone know?
The pixel pops was created so that the DIY aspect of our hobby could continue and to provide an extremely inexpensive pixel controller.
I'd love to keep that tradition going.

The V4 software allows you to configure the SD card pins via the UI. It does NOT support the ESP-01 (not enough IO). You would need to be using a node mcu or other ESP12 device. It also support ESP 32. I currently test it using the LoLin D1 R2 and LoLin ESP32 Pro boards. The Proboard comes with a built in SD card.

[fdiwe]

I'm fine with a soldering iron, but board design is not a skill I claim to employ. I appreciate the work and information on this thread greatly.

However, I'm having problems sourcing the 10v electrolytic capacitor that is 6mm or less in size. Am I better going with a 6.3v capacitor (I only use 5v pixels if this helps), or going with a 10v capacitor but 6.3mm in diameter. If the 6.3v is acceptable - is UHV0J221MDD a valid choice?

Thanks,

Scott

[ukewarrior]

Scott,
You need to also pay attention to the spacing of the leads on the cap.
If you read the wiki, It states 5mm or less with a lead spacing of 2mm.
If you look at the board pictures, you will see that a 6mm cap may not fit.
http://www.doityourselfchristmas.com...l_of_Materials

I'm fine with a soldering iron, but board design is not a skill I claim to employ. I appreciate the work and information on this thread greatly.

However, I'm having problems sourcing the 10v electrolytic capacitor that is 6mm or less in size. Am I better going with a 6.3v capacitor (I only use 5v pixels if this helps), or going with a 10v capacitor but 6.3mm in diameter. If the 6.3v is acceptable - is UHV0J221MDD a valid choice?

Thanks,

Scott

[jfunk138]

Many thanks to @ukewarrior for offering me 8 PixelPop Tiny's and 2 PixelPop Regular's really cheap!

To save others the work of piecing together an order, here is my recent order from Arrow to successfully produce 8 PixelPop Tiny's and 2 PixelPop Regular's:

5-146282-6
TE CONNECTIVITY

Quantity: 2

CPN:
Price: $0.275

Total: $0.55

C320C104M5R5TA
KEMET CORPORATION

Quantity: 10

CPN:
Price: $0.091

Total: $0.91

1N4148
GOOD-ARK SEMICONDUCTOR

Quantity: 2

CPN:
Price: $0.05

Total: $0.10

5-534206-4
TE CONNECTIVITY

Quantity: 10

CPN:
Price: $0.623

Total: $6.23

MF1/4DC3300F
KOA SPEER ELECTRONICS

Quantity: 20

CPN:
Price: $0.052

Total: $1.04

LD1117V33
STMICROELECTRONICS

Quantity: 10

CPN:
Price: $0.43

Total: $4.30

ECA-1CM101
PANASONIC

Quantity: 10

CPN:
Price: $0.083

Total: $0.83

2N7000
ON SEMICONDUCTOR

Quantity: 10

CPN:
Price: $0.289

Total: $2.89

LM78L05ACZ/NOPB
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

Quantity: 10

CPN:
Price: $0.551

Total: $5.51

FSM4JH
TE CONNECTIVITY

Quantity: 2

CPN:
Price: $0.07

Total: $0.14

Total with tax and shipping $30.55

I had to order terminal blocks from Ebay because Arrow required min quantity 1000.....
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-pcs-Scre...w/143546035273

And for the most expensive component... I ordered ESP-01's from Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[MartinMueller2003]

I'm fine with a soldering iron, but board design is not a skill I claim to employ. I appreciate the work and information on this thread greatly.

However, I'm having problems sourcing the 10v electrolytic capacitor that is 6mm or less in size. Am I better going with a 6.3v capacitor (I only use 5v pixels if this helps), or going with a 10v capacitor but 6.3mm in diameter. If the 6.3v is acceptable - is UHV0J221MDD a valid choice?

Thanks,

Scott

It is usually safe to go up a few volts (not hundreds) on a capacitor. It is rarely safe to go down even a few volts.

[11Bravo]

you know, back a couple yrs ago when no one had any spare pixlepops PCB's I ordered some, and when I got them they were a thin PCB almost half the thickness of the originals.

[fdiwe]

You're completely right (of course). I got the C2 part from the Pops O'Matic in my head (also 10V and 220uF) and completely missed the size restrictions being different. I also apparently should have gone to Arrow instead of Mouser - I find what I believe is a reasonable part there easily (https://www.arrow.com/en/products/uvy1a221mdd/nichicon).

Another question if I may - The R4 resistor in the Pops O'Matic is listed in the BOM as 560 Ohm. But, using the LED resistor calculator as suggested in the BOM (here) I only need a 75 ohm resistor for a fairly standard 1.8v 20ma red LED. Is this right? I don't want to order 40 (big display change) and then a) burn up some chips or b) need to reorder a different part.

Thank you for your help - both in the board/wiki as well as my questions.

Scott

[ukewarrior]

That cap looks good from Arrow.

You know, resistors for LEDs are a funny thing. You should always check the dropping resistor against the one you plan to buy and get the right one. It's always okay to go with a higher resistance. The LED just won't be as bright. If you have a stand alone power supply you can check different resistors out with the led you plan to use.
If your calc says you need that value with 3.3v and a 20ma draw, then go with it. Did you use 3.3v for the calc or something else?

You're completely right (of course). I got the C2 part from the Pops O'Matic in my head (also 10V and 220uF) and completely missed the size restrictions being different. I also apparently should have gone to Arrow instead of Mouser - I find what I believe is a reasonable part there easily (https://www.arrow.com/en/products/uvy1a221mdd/nichicon).

Another question if I may - The R4 resistor in the Pops O'Matic is listed in the BOM as 560 Ohm. But, using the LED resistor calculator as suggested in the BOM (here) I only need a 75 ohm resistor for a fairly standard 1.8v 20ma red LED. Is this right? I don't want to order 40 (big display change) and then a) burn up some chips or b) need to reorder a different part.

Thank you for your help - both in the board/wiki as well as my questions.

Scott