BlinkyTape and DMX - a HUGE Opportunity

KenKen
edited November 2013 in BlinkyTape Fun
I want to put this concept out to the community now, as I think there's a huge market waiting for the BlinkyTape if someone (probably not me) can do the coding to allow for easy control via DMX. The prosumer holiday lighting market is pretty substantial. One of the most popular systems is Light-o-Rama, which includes sophisticated sequencing software and lighting controllers for creating amazing displays. One of the products LOR sells is a pixel-level RGB light string that can be controlled via their sequencing software at the individual pixel level, making for some wonderful effects. These strings cost about $250 a pop. However, the LOR software will also put out DMX. There are a number of enthusiasts hacking together their own versions of the light strings with over-the-counter parts, but they are still very much in the DIY stages of development (usually soldering involved). I can imagine that if Blinkinlabs could make it possible to just download and install a sketch onto the BlinkyTape that would get it up and running on DMX immediately, the prosumer holiday lighting enthusiasts would go nuts for it.

Comments

  • ThreeethanThreeethan
    Hey Ken -- cool idea, we will look into this further for sure!
  • dangarrettdangarrett
    I wish!
  • claudioclaudio
    i wish too much!!!
  • claudioclaudio
    any news about it ?
  • ThreeethanThreeethan
    Not right now, but we haven't forgotten! Stay tuned for future developments.
  • claudioclaudio
    some good news ?
  • ThreeethanThreeethan
    Actually there is something on the horizon with some DMX capability!
  • Matt MetsMatt Mets
    Hi Claudio (and others),

    Which software would you like to use with the BlinkyTape? I'm looking into it and it seems like it won't be too difficult to make it compatible with the Open USB DMX or similar. Light-O-Rama's Sequencing Suite Advanced version should work with that kind (but their cheaper versions only seem to support their own DMX controller).

    Let me know and I'll be happy to try out a new firmware.
  • claudioclaudio
    My first software id like to use it for is touchdesigner(only windows)
    My second choice would be madmapper..(only Mac)
    Please let me know what you think :)
  • KenKen
    I'd vote for LOR - I run my holiday lights using LOR, and being able to add in new elements like this would be fantastic. And I think, once word of mouth made it to their forums that this is a possibility, you'd see a lot of people checking these out.
  • claudioclaudio
    Hello! Something happening with Dmx? I was hoping to have some good news after one year.. Any information about it?
    Thanks a lot
  • ThreeethanThreeethan
    Claudio - thanks for checking in on this. We're working on a few things recently, but not what you requested. However, we'll take another look and see if we can fit something like this into our next rounds of software development.
  • darthzendarthzen

    Mark me down as somebody interested in this as well.

  • Matt MetsMatt Mets

    There's been some progress here! Madmapper (and MadRouter) both support the BlinkyTape protocol natively. I think for LoR we will need to create a small server to accept artnet.

  • MadmiralMadmiral

    How about a small 14 key RF wireless Remote? Would it be simple to have it run off of the xtal frequency on the blinky controller?

  • Matt MetsMatt Mets

    @Madmiral said:
    How about a small 14 key RF wireless Remote? Would it be simple to have it run off of the xtal frequency on the blinky controller?

    Those are cool! I think the easiest way to handle them is to use the receiver board from a remote/controller pair, and decode the data stream from the receiver board. We've play around with this a bit but I didn't manage to get a sample working correctly yet.

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