zombieCat's dashboard

Thanks Tod, I'll send you an email. BTW, my script has the #include "Wire.h" line (just didn't get it in the copy/paste).

z

Tod,
Thanks for the reply. I originally had the 4-byte fade script line, but the datasheet sample for Set Fade Speed only shows two, so I changed it. I switched back to 4 bytes (actually, I copied your lines above), and I get the same 7-second static color and a 1-second fade. Washing it over white paper verifies that. I don't have reflash capability at this point. Here's the entire script:

#include "BlinkM_funcs.h"

void setup()
{
byte blinkm_addr = 0x09;
byte script_id = 0;
byte script_mode = 1;
byte script_len = 4;
byte script_reps = 0;
byte fade_speed = 1;
byte time_adjust = 0;

blinkm_script_line script_lines[] = {
{1, {'f',1,0,0}},
{240, {'c',0xff,0x00,0x00}},
{240, {'c',0x00,0xff,0x00}},
{240, {'c',0x00,0x00,0xff}},
};

BlinkM_beginWithPower();
BlinkM_setAddress( blinkm_addr );
BlinkM_stopScript( blinkm_addr );
BlinkM_setStartupParams(blinkm_addr, script_mode, script_id, script_reps, fade_speed, time_adjust);
BlinkM_writeScript( blinkm_addr, script_id, script_len ,script_reps, script_lines );
BlinkM_playScript( blinkm_addr, script_id, script_reps, 0 );
}

void loop(){}

Thanks again,
zombieCat

I'm sure you know the answer to this by now, Fe2o3Fish, but I thought I'd add a reply in case someone else has this question. You set the number of ticks it takes for the script to run:

{ script_ticks, {'c', 0xff, 0x00, 0x00}}

A tick is 1/30 of a second, so a script_tick value of 150 would make it fade over 5 seconds.

As an aside, if you set the ticks above about 240 (I haven't taken the time to narrow it down exactly), the script lines seem to start stepping over one another and creating unexpected fade speeds.

Rusty,
You might actually want to try the glue stick trick. Just grab a stick for a glue gun, cut about a half-inch section off of it, throw it in a vice and drill the end using a 3/8" drill bit, to a depth of about 1/8 of an inch. You'll have just enough glue left around the edge to slip over the LED. I think a 7/16 bit would actually be a bit better (didn't have one). With the 3/8, I ended up heating the bottom of the drilled-out stick with a lighter held under it--about 8 inches below for a second or two--to soften it just enough to make it a bit more plieable. It diffuses the light quite well, and it's as cheap as horse feet.

Very good, thanks. I'll be using my MaxMs behind some frames on the wall, so they may actually work quite well with the natural color wash.

Thanks for the info Tod. Several MaxMs are on my Christmas list :) I've never ventured int AVR-ISP programming, in fact I'm brand new to electronics (but not programming in general). I'll try my hand at reflashing after finishing some other projects.

I'm having a lot of fun with these things, and I'm dreaming up all kinds of applications for them. Your support is outstanding as well.

As it stands, my solution works quite well, because I actually like the hit of red at the beginning of each script--it's spaced out enough to be just right. Thanks again (and also to Fe2o3Fish for pointing out that I needed to pull my head out of my 4th point of contact and think about it in a different way).

As a side note, do you have any suggestions for a good diffuser for the MaxMs (since they're too big for glue sticks)? I was thinking of a ping pong ball but would love to hear if you've used something particularly successfully.

z

OK, I tested it out and it works pretty well. I decided to stay away from the yellows, since they come out chartreuse, and I had to bump the green value WAY down (0x19, or 25). Since the amount of randomness is related to the previous amount of green, multiple high random values in a row were putting me in the chartreuse range. In case someone is interested, this script fades to full red and runs through a set of 25 random reds through orange-yellows and starts over infinitely (and it runs standalone, powered by 3 AA batteries):

/*************************** BEGIN SCRIPT *********************************/
#include "Wire.h"
#include "BlinkM_funcs.h"

void setup()
{
byte blinkm_addr = 0x10;
byte script_id = 0;
byte script_mode = 1;
byte script_len = 27;
byte script_rep = 0;
byte fade_speed = 1;
byte time_adjust = 0;
byte script_speed = 450; // adjust the amount of time it takes for the script to run

blinkm_script_line script_lines[] = {
{ 1, {'f', 1, 0x00, 0x00}}, // set fade speed speed to slowest
{ script_speed, {'c',0xff, 0x00, 0x00}}, // fade to bright red
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}}, // fade to full red/partial-green
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}}, // repeat 24 more times...
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
{ script_speed, {'C',0x00, 0x19, 0x00}},
};

BlinkM_beginWithPower();

BlinkM_setAddress( blinkm_addr );

BlinkM_stopScript( blinkm_addr);

BlinkM_setStartupParams(blinkm_addr, script_mode, script_id, script_rep, fade_speed, time_adjust);

BlinkM_writeScript( blinkm_addr, script_id, script_len ,script_rep, script_lines );

BlinkM_playScript( blinkm_addr, script_id,script_rep,0 );
}

void loop()
{

}
/***************************** END SCRIPT *******************************/

Thanks for the reply Fe2o3Fish. The problem with doing that is that I end up with red-->random color-->red-->random color-->red, to infinity and beyond., when I want red-->random color-->random color-->random color, to infinity and beyond. I think the best I'm going to be able to do is:

{script_speed, { 'c', 255, 0, 0}},
{script_speed, { 'C', 0, 255, 0}}, ...40 or so times.

Although not a fully random solution, I should be able to manage with it.

Matthew,
r:0xff, g:0xff, b:0x00 is the definition for yellow. I've noticed that this value produced on the BlinkM (haven't tried the MaxM) is indeed a sickly green-yellow rather than true yellow. For an orange, try something along the lines of r:0xff, g:0x7F, b:0x00 (or even less green). I'm not too heavy on color theory, but reproducing web colors with BlinkMs is a black art at best and an exercise in futility at worst. (Sorry, I'm not slamming them--I love these things).

Are you diffusing the light from the LEDs? That may help some. I saw a great suggestion from Tod that I use for my BlinkMs--a non-melted piece of glue gun glue on the LED makes a perfect diffuser. For the MaxM, maybe a ping pong ball with the bottom cut out?

By the way, where did you pick up your LED strips?

OK, thanks to all for the input. I added the BlinkM_setStartupParams call and used Tod's modified BlinkM_funcs.h with the delay in the writeScript. Everything is working magically. By including both BlinkM_playScript and BlinkM_setStartupParams, the script runs on and off the board. One additional question--in this line:

{ 1, {'f', 20,0x00,0x00 }}

...what does the first number (1 in this case) control? I didn't see anything in the datasheet (maybe my skim reading was a bit too fast?).

Thanks again, you all have been a great help. I love these things! Major kudos to ThingM for making them!

Will,
Thanks for the response. The correct script does not play when connected to the Arduino, and when it's disconnected, a previously uploaded script plays. As I look deeper over things, I'm not sure that it's the initial BlinMScriptWriter2 that's playing when disconnected--I think it may be a previously-uploaded script that's similar.

I'll set up the startup params and see if that changes things (that was an easy one I should have caught). This brings up another question: For standalone applications, do I need to call both BlinkM_playScript and BlinkM_setStartupParams? If I'm understanding things correctly, calling BlinkM_playScript would ensure that the script runs when connected to the Arduino and calling BlinkM_setStartupParams would ensure that the script runs when disconnected--is that correct?

Thanks again for the help.

z