https://github.com/oddacon/BlinkyTape/blob/master/MyBlinkySketch/RandomColorFade.cpp
https://github.com/oddacon/BlinkyTape/blob/master/MyBlinkySketch/RandomColorFade.h

I wanted to find out if there's some way to attach a bigger button to my blinkytape. I found this post which points out you can do it if you're willing to solder something new to the board.

However, is there another way to do it which takes advantage of the USB connection? What I'm wondering is, is there some kind of T-shaped cable that can go between the blinkytape and the power source, which can have a button and whose button state the Blinkytape can access over the USB interface?

Thanks to everyone who made the device possible, it's been a ton of fun so far!

Cheers,

• Dave

How exactly would I go about cutting blinkytape to make each led distance longer/shorter? I know some soldering would likely be involved, but I’ve never soldered before. Do I just cut on the dotted line then solder the wires onto blinkytape? What kind of wire would I need? Would it still work with pattern paint if I cut each led? Thank you very much for your help!

I am able to to import individual images into PatternPaint using File => Open => Frame Based Pattern, but ideally I'd like to open a sequence of images all named the same with incrementing frame numbers as an animation. Is this possible? I have not found a way to create an animation based off of multiple images. Even bringing them in manually adds new patterns rather than creating new frames within.

Thank you

Next I looked at device manger and there was no PORTS section. When I manually run dpinst64.exe it says there are no drivers that need installing, but the tape only blinks once, turns off and does not register.

So based on the advanced install section, it seems that drivers are not installing and the blinkytape is not being recognized as a result.

https://symbolicdomain.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/blinkycat.jpg

pendant-firmware-v300.dfu I got it from here and I am using Pattern Paint v2.4.1

I was able to add images but now I want to remove them or maybe restore the original images, sorry If this is a basic question but I could not find how to do it.

Thanks

I am on a Macbook Air 2015 running Sierra. I have an EightbyEight blinky that on the back says 2016. I am using PatternPaint 2.4.1.

Every time I try to download a file from PatternPaint to the Blinky it says Error Message: Command getFirmwareVersion timed out. I had apparently been able to Restore the Firmware and download the file, but when unplugged, the Blinky would just go dark and then play the default Beer animation instead of the one I was trying to add.

After that “success” I tried following instructions I found in the forum to use the Terminal to update firmware to 1.0.1 and it went back to giving me the same error message (Command getFirmwareVersion timed out) and when I try the Restore Firmware from inside PatternPaint again it seems to be doing it, but it doesn’t seem to change anything and I get the same error.

I thought using the PatternPaint app would allow me not to have to use the Arduino IDE and would be an all in one solution to just add quick animations to the Blinky. Am I wrong?

I’ve tried to read through other posts and understand how to fix this, but I’ll be honest: I am a total noob and got lost reading the instructions. (ARM? Homebrew?) It is very overwhelming for something I thought was going to be very easy to work with.

Any (step-by-step) suggestions of things to try?

These have DMX addresses programmed into the chip. Does anyone know:

1. How long these chips have been around?
2. How long they can be expect to be continued in manufacture? (VERY LITTLE about these pixels are out there)
3. If they MUST be permanently programmed with an address before use?
4. If the DMX address programming is changeable at some point? Can it be done "In Place" or must it be isolated? How many times can It be reprogrammed?
5. If the Lightbuddy LED controller dies, can I get just one of those?
6. Is there something else I could use in its place?
7. Some of the write-ups say you COULD use Neopixels (Are these the exact same as WS2812B ?) instead of WS2822's/. What is the downside of using WS2812B's instead of WS2822S's?
8. Where is the address programmer's specification for WS2822S?
9. Are the Blinkey Tile 2822S's compatible with the same driver as the Blinkey Tape Control Board? What is interchangeable, if anything?

Wish I could get these questions answered in an FAQ!

I'm embarking on an adventure, and before a possible futile wiring I thought I'd ask here, first.

I'm hoping to use some stiff wire to make spatial connections.

Is this possible: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1D2KcUJs-gyjpZbt9i0T84IpwWmdamAbo

Or do I have to stick to: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LSq-JqMgnii-TRfe14zKFNKxYNuGZz35

Thoughts? THANKS!

Source code here: https://github.com/digitalaudiotape/CorazonNervioso

HOW TO DO THIS?

I just discovered Patternpaint which seems amazing! :O

I want to use it to simulate animations for an LED strip. In the end, I need an excel graphic file which describes my animations: their RGB levels and intensity every second. Do you know how I can do this?

Thank you!!

I was able to get PatternPaint working with it, but when I tried to upload one of the example sketches, I get the errors:
warning: espcomm_sync failed error: espcomm_open failed error: espcomm_upload_mem failed

I followed the instructions in the Getting Started Guide to load the ESP8266 Board info.

I am pretty new to Arduino, so I could be making some newbie mistake that's just not documented in the 8x8 docs.

Here is the full set of steps I've gone through so far:
Basic Connection

• downloaded and installed arduino IDE for Mac v1.8.4
• followed instructions to Install the ESP8266 Board
• configured the Tools > Board configs according to the screencap in the Getting Started guide (also set Tools > Port to /dev/cu.usbmodem1421
• at this point I could open the Serial Port monitor and it shows debug info when you hold the button down (mac & IP address, accelerometer info)

Pattern Paint

• downloaded the app from http://blinkinlabs.com/blinkytape/patternpaint/
• quit out of the arduino app and restarted the pattern paint app to get the "save to blinky" button to be enabled
• I also had to do "tools > restore firmware" to get the 8x8 to respond to pattern paint
• after that it worked to preview the patterns on the device, and when i "saved" the patterns to the blinky and unplugged it, they were added to the end of the pre-loaded demos.

Next I tried loading an Arduino sketch, starting with the BlinkyDemo from the EightByEight repo
but I get an error whenever I try to upload a sketch. I tried out some of the example arduino sketches too, and they're giving the same error.

Here's the full output when I try to upload a sketch:
Archiving built core (caching) in: /var/folders/8l/s03hdskd4xv2jskdlwyrk66c0000gn/T/arduino_cache_708934/core/core_esp8266_esp8266_generic_CpuFrequency_80,FlashFreq_40,FlashMode_qio,UploadSpeed_460800,FlashSize_2M,ResetMethod_nodemcu,Debug_Disabled,DebugLevel_None_____c9d37bcc24a4e4f34f6c8352a98fda97.a Sketch uses 275877 bytes (26%) of program storage space. Maximum is 1044464 bytes. Global variables use 35848 bytes (43%) of dynamic memory, leaving 46072 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 81920 bytes. warning: serialport_set_baudrate: baud rate 460800 may not work warning: espcomm_send_command: wrong direction/command: 0x01 0x00, expected 0x01 0x08 warning: espcomm_send_command: wrong direction/command: 0x01 0x00, expected 0x01 0x08 warning: espcomm_sync failed error: espcomm_open failed error: espcomm_upload_mem failed error: espcomm_upload_mem failed

Do I need to reset the firmware again to upload a sketch from the Arduino IDE?
If so, is the "Updating the ARM Firmware" link from the Getting Started guide the one I should follow?

Thanks in advance!

I did find animation.cpp and animation.h in the BlinkyTape repository which looks promising, but this references FastLED as the output class, rather than RGBMatrix.
So, I'm thinking what is needed is to adapt the Animation class referenced above to use RGBMatrix (instead of FastLED) as the output interface.

Does that sound right? Any other guidance as to how to approach this?

This will also enable me to use one button to control the mode-switch on both of my BlinkyTapes - by wiring both up to the same button.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
AJ

I wanted to see how I'd be able to do some programming to input a midi file to light up blinkytape's leds instead of using patternpaint. I've been using patternpaint to map the notes of a piano to the blinkytape leds and thought there has to be a quicker way to do this. What I'm envisioning is to grab a midi file online and drop it in a program, making blinkytape light up to the song. Thank you!

Bryan