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Here is a discussion about using a MOSFET or 4066 analog switch. I used a 4066 analog switch to turn off the video signal for lines in a certain range.
https://nootropicdesign.com/store/forums/topic/black-letters/
It was a long time ago, so the details may be fuzzy for me….
For all the switches, both “top” pins are connected to ground, and both “bottom” pins are connected to the microcontroller. So to replace a switch, use either of the top pins and either of the bottom pins.
Correct, the IR sensor is SIGNAL – GND – 5V
To get color, people have to replace the 16MHz crystal on the Arduino with a 14.31818MHz crystal. This is hte frequency of the color burst portion of a composite signal.
I’m not sure color is possible without doing that.The 5V power connection should just go to the Lumazoid, since it is a 5V device. The strip should just connect directly to the 3 pads on the Lumazoid: GND, DOUT, and 5V. There’s no need to have separate power supplies. Just one big supply (600mA is fine for your testing) into the Lumazoid. It passes that power directly to the strip.
Hi, I’m sorry to hear you that it isn’t working for you. To answer your question, no the Lumazoid does not require 2A just to operate. Your 600mA power supply should work just fine to display some LEDs. Only when turning on lots of LEDs does the current requirement go higher.
Pressing the COLOR and MODE buttons should cause the strip to show something.
Just to confirm, when you power on the Lumazoid does the blue LED blink a few times? This tells us that the microcontroller is running.
Do you have a multimeter? I would check to ensure that the DOUT data pin is not shorted with the 5V or GND lines on the strip.
Also, how long are the wires from the Lumazoid to the strip? They should be kept short (less than 1/2 meter).The viewport may not take up the entire screen on some screens. You can adjust the top edge by changing this value:
display.output_delay = 130;
Try values between 130 and 200 to see the difference.
To change the left edge, change this value:
display.start_render = 10;
Try values between 10 and 70 to see how the left edge changes.
This may help you move the entire viewport up to the upper left corner…Hmm, the timing is off. Did you buy an assembled Video Experimenter or a kit that you assembled?
I’d check to make sure you have a good connection on digital pin 2. That is the vertical sync.
Also, you might try another video source and another video display.Ok, I understand but I really have no idea how Windows manages the port for a USB serial adapter. I don’t use Windows at all, so this is all unfamiliar to me. It must be familiar to other people in the Arduino community, though. Your best resource is the forums at arduino.cc
It is possible that you have the driver installed but there is a problem with the backpack. How confident are you in your soldering? Feel free to send me a picture of the bottom of the board and maybe I’ll see a problem. Also, are you sure the ATmega328 chip is not backwards? That’s one more thing to check. You might try removing the chip and carefully re-inserting it.
I’m confused about what you mean when you say “my Arduino”. Do you have an actual Arduino connected to the computer in addition to the FTDI cable to the backpack?
When you try to program the backpack, is it connected to the panel? If so, the panels external power must be connected. You really should program the backpack without it connected to the panel.
The device that Windows needs to communicate with is the cable, not the backpack. The “device” is the FTDI chip in the cable. The problem has nothing to do with the backpack.
Did you install the drivers? If this is the cable you bought, there is a link to the Windows drivers at the bottom of the page: http://tinkersphere.com/cables-wires/135-ftdi-usb-to-serial-cable.html
Here are some other links that may help:
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=104698.0
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-install-ftdi-driversAlso, I’m not sure how you hooked up TWO panels to a backpack. I only officially support 1, but if you have 2 chained together, maybe it will work. No promises, though.
You are drawing your crosshair in the ISR(INT0_vect) interrupt handler. I do not think you should be doing that. All your drawing should be in loop(). Should the crosshair drawing be at the beginning of loop()?
To trigger both a siren and smoke grenade, you could use 2 relays both triggered by the detonation trigger connection. The trigger would just go to two relays instead of one.
Yes, I think that siren will work. You need a 12V source for it, and the relay would complete the 12V circuit for the siren. The second relay would complete a 9V connection to a smoke grenade.
You can connect an external button using the pads next to the button. This video shows an external switch connected: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLG3BWkn8TM&t=3s
Yes, the code could be modified to detect when the wires are connected to ground instead of disconnected. If you are experienced with programming, I can give some details, but if not, then I’d recommend the Custom Programming item in our store, and I’d code/test that for you after getting your exact requirements. You would need a USB to serial adapter to use the Arduino IDE to upload the new code. Experience with that?
Sander, I’m glad you like to build things — me too. However, this product will only be available fully assembled. Nearly all the electronics are surface mount, and I solder on just a couple parts by hand. Nearly all customers for the Defusable Clock were ordering them assembled. Most people don’t want to solder. And I certainly don’t want to solder for everyone, so I’ve minimized what needed hand soldering.
I’ll tell you what, though, if you order one and want to solder on the display, terminals, power connector and speaker, just say the word and I’ll let you do it. That’s just fine by me!
Cheers, and thanks for asking this question.
