Reef Discussion

rockerpeller

Member
Oct 14, 2011
1,261
436
Hastings, Vic
Correct me if I'm wrong @MagicJ .

In my (twisted) mind, I take it that rather then the other controllers which focus on the power being pushed through the LEDs, this controller will focus on the light output produced from the LEDs regardless of power consumption.
The only reason I mentioned power consumption is thats actually what the others are focussing on, isn't it?
Should make the light transition from 0% to 100% a lot more gradual, rather then noticable jumps.
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
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Hobart, Tasmania
@rockerpeller , you are correct. By focusing on the PWM, and thus the current supplied to the driver, we get uneven variations in the actual light output.

From my previous example, other controllers would produce an additional 42 lumens of light for an increase from 0 to 10% but only an additional 27 lumens for the increase from 90% to 100%.

Using my equation, any 10% increase across the range from 0% to 100% will result in an increase of 35 lumens.

looks great and I still have no fricken idea what you are talking about
No problems Dale - you don't need to know :) It was just something that I thought was worthwhile doing even though no one will probably ever notice the difference.
 

rockerpeller

Member
Oct 14, 2011
1,261
436
Hastings, Vic
You probably haven't been looking into it, but have you thought about remote mounting the screen?
So the main arduino can be in a box in the stand while the screen can be mounted somewhere high/visible.
I've been toying over whether or not its worth it, but given there are 3 pairs of little hands that would like to push the "flashy little TV" at my place, i think i might go for it.
 

MagicJ

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Jul 11, 2011
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Yes I have but I have dismissed it as a viable option given the amount of wires required - you would need to use some type of ribbon cable which would be difficult to manage on a DIY basis. I also understand that if the screen gets too far from the Arduino the response times get slower - up to 30cm should be OK but any further I think you will struggle.

I have the backlight turning off after a preset time so it may not present such a drawcard. You could always have a childlock built in i.e. need to enter a 4 digit number to wake from sleep mode??
 

rockerpeller

Member
Oct 14, 2011
1,261
436
Hastings, Vic
Thats a good point. I've looked into 40pin IDE breakout boards and the only place I could find them that were selling them were bumping the price up to $30 a board excluding postage. Doesn't seem so worth it anymore.
Any chance of an optional lock code? :worship
 

MagicJ

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Jul 11, 2011
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Any chance of an optional lock code? :worship
I can reuse a fair bit of existing code for the number input etc so it shouldn't be too difficult.

Would you want to have the ability to change the number, or would just a hard coded number be acceptable ? A 4 digit code OK ?

Do you want it to blow up if you get the number wrong 3 times ?

Just thinking about this - if we make the number changeable, what happens if someone forgets their number o_0
 

rockerpeller

Member
Oct 14, 2011
1,261
436
Hastings, Vic
Hardcoded would be a hell of alot easier. If the code needs to be changed, the user can adjust the number in the code before uploading it again I guess.
Of course that won't work with the ready made units, or will it?
 

MagicJ

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Jul 11, 2011
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Hobart, Tasmania
Hardcoded would be a hell of alot easier. If the code needs to be changed, the user can adjust the number in the code before uploading it again I guess.
Of course that won't work with the ready made units, or will it?
I *may* not make the source code freely available. I have found a Windows application that makes it easy to load a compiled 'hex' file to an Arduino so the source file will not be required.

We are not planning on this being a password as such, merely to stop kids etc playing, so just a number like 2013 should be sufficient ??
 

rockerpeller

Member
Oct 14, 2011
1,261
436
Hastings, Vic
Just have a cheap RTC from Ebay. one of those "Design by Waiman - TinyRTC V1" chips. Just want to put in on a proto shield so it's cleaner in the housing.

Edit: I think they're the same ones. The DS1307 chips.
 

MagicJ

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Jul 11, 2011
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Hobart, Tasmania
And BoostLED didn't even write the code for their product :eek They made some minor changes which might have taken them an hour or two.
 

macca_75

Member
Apr 22, 2012
2,125
844
It depends - do you want a 4 channel controller with a 16x2 LCD and push button controls for around $95 or do you want a 10 channel controller with a 3.2" TFT LCD with full touch controls for a similar price :)
Ouch....