controlling four LEDS

Testing/Troubleshooting
1

Hi All,

I have some quick question, which i would like to know…What application

or files should I take from TK to control only four LEDS, which

should burn with a DOUT-module by a “software based “on”(specific for each)” on the PC.

Without doing any modifications (if possible) in the existing files, because  i am not so fond on editing the assembly-code…ie…i don’t really understand it.

By clicking onscreen in MAX / MSP  (and so by sending midi to the

core) to let the LEDS burn.

Thanks in advance…

Erik

2

/edit…

Okay, I had to look better…there some really nice example called:

j5_dout-led.  

This works really great…

Only question left now if it’s possible to get these Leds which are triggered by midinotes also working in the same way on a dout-module with 32 LEDS, without to change too much of the original existing files in MPLAB IDE?

Is this possible…if yes, where do have to start if I need to change the existing files…(asm) in MpLAB???

Thanks in advance…

Erik

3

Just use the MIDIO128 application, it provides up to 128 LEDs

Best Regards, Thorsten.

4

Thanks for the reply, Thorsten…

…So if i understand it right:

I can use the Midio 128 for controlling the 128 LEDS by sending midinotes from my PC to the core…(i.e. to the output pins of the 4 Dout-modules connected to the core)…

…and I don’t have to worry about the input - pins, which i don’t need in this case?

That would be pretty amazing if that works   :stuck_out_tongue: …without changing anything…or so?

Thanks in advance…

Erik

5

sure - just don’t forget the 10k pull-up R9 if no DIN module is connected to the core.

By default, the first 64 LEDs are assigned to Note 0x30-0x6f, the remaining 64 LEDs to CC 0x10-0x4f of the first MIDI channel, but you can change the MIDI events via SysEx by using the mk_midio128_syx script (or by changing the midio_presets.inc file) as often like you want.

Best Regards, Thorsten.

6

Thanks for the quick reply…

I understand it now…although…I am not so good in hexadecimal notation…but probably note  0x30 is note C3 in midi…right?

and 0x6f is note D#7 or D#8…

And I looked on the web for CC, but that’s probably in Control Changes (ie. Program changes)…I am not such an expert in midi…just like the protocol because it’s fast and able to control everything.

This was really my last question…

I still gonna send you the SID-PSU..which is finished in Eagle now…and fits into the case…mine fitted great…and I am gonna send you a PCB-file on which you can control relays (probably 16) in the same way as the LEDS..

If you’re interested I also have a PCB-layout for a Midi-out/in function working on PalmOS. Controlling Midi in a tiny screen…yep…it’s shitty…but works in my case…

Let me know…

Thanks in advance…

Erik

7

Yes, your assumptions are correct…

To the PCBs: don’t ask me, ask the community! :slight_smile:

Best Regards, Thorsten.

8

…and I am gonna send you a PCB-file on which you can control relays (probably 16) in the same way as the LEDS..

If you’re interested I also have a PCB-layout for a Midi-out/in function working on PalmOS. Controlling Midi in a tiny screen…yep…it’s shitty…but works in my case…

Let me know…

Thanks in advance…

Erik

Heya Z!  I’m very interested in the Palm MIDI thing, I could possibly eliminate one Mac from my show rig with that.  I have MAX doing some offset and position processing that has to change every show (so the laser hits the right targets). It drives the V-Drum to Laser interface, so the drummer directly controls the laser when it is used (keeps it in sync way better than a human!)

This sounds like a perfect job for my low end palm instead of carrying an old powerbook everywhere we use the laser.

I would love to take a look at the relay board also!

Have fun!

SmashTV

9

and i’d like to see the sid psu board!

10

Hi…

Smash.:

I don’t quit get your story…but i’ll send you the Midi to Palm.brd…and some documentation can be found under

http://www.physicalbits.com, the original PCB is from Geoff Smith, but I re-made (maybe stole) it, quite easy on 1 layer PCB.

I can’t reach him to ask him if this is allowed, but anyways…don’t know the bound rules to this…

(BTW.: there’s one failure…in my board and that’s the D9-connector pins …please check this in the schematic from the url)…but i guess you know your way around as expert in electronics.  ;)

Do you already know what software (palmOS) you’re gonna use? I’m using beatpad…but couldn’t get my hands on the midimonitor…does someone have it?

Arumblack:

I’ll send you the PSU.brd…(I bought some new Caps (2200uf/16V and 2200uF/25 V), so these are orientated radial…but if you like,you can change it…

To whom do i have to send this information for putting it online on the Midiportal.org ? …or just post it there…??

bye…Erik

/edit…Smash…do you still have some interesting patches…for in MAX/MSP?..I do control a lot of video externally through midi to Max/jitter/softVNS/NATO …By the way there’s only one midichannel avialble form beatpad to Max. (actually two…but this seem to fail sometime’s…)…Also…I’m starting to get the story… ;)…

11

Best solution would be the MIDIbox.org portal - thats the idea behind this website - just send the stuff to Poeloq (note that he is currently very busy)

Best Regards, Thorsten.

12

the original PCB is from Geoff Smith, but I re-made (maybe stole) it, quite easy on 1 layer PCB.

I can’t reach him to ask him if this is allowed, but anyways…don’t know the bound rules to this…

(BTW.: there’s one failure…in my board and that’s the D9-connector pins …please check this in the schematic from the url)…but i guess you know your way around as expert in electronics.  ;)

It looks like abandonware.  I had come across this site in the past, but I have not taken an in-depth look at anything midi for the palm.  I’ll only be building one for use and one for backup, so I’ll see if I can find some contact info to buy the boards this guy sells (or used to sell).

Do you already know what software (palmOS) you’re gonna use? I’m using beatpad…but couldn’t get my hands on the midimonitor…does someone have it?

I’ll probably just write something in basic, the changes I am making to the MIDI data are not too intensive, but have to be edited easily at show time, possibly by someone else.

/edit…Smash…do you still have some interesting patches…for in MAX/MSP?..I do control a lot of video externally through midi to Max/jitter/softVNS/NATO …By the way there’s only one midichannel avialble form beatpad to Max. (actually two…but this seem to fail sometime’s…)…Also…I’m starting to get the story… ;)…

I don’t really have any cool MAX stuff, I have one huge patch that I use to control the lighting gear live, but it works only with my hardware for both input and output so it won’t do much of anything without connecting it to the show.  :(

I have attempted several times to find a way to represent the show as 3d primitives in a small openGL or quicktime3d window in real time, so advance programming would be easier.  I know nato has this capability, but I can’t get past the hacker like documentation on the site to figure out what I need, and none of the other 3d externals really do what I need (so if you have any suggestions based on your nato knowledge I’m all ears!)

Also I would love to write a patch with softVNS and MAX that would track people on stage through input from a small video camera, and use Infrared filters on the camera and some IR only lights to keep the mac from losing them during blackout.  That way I could tell Max to automatically follow the performers with some of the moving lights when I need followspots on them… :slight_smile:

Whoop!  Long, off topic post again… :slight_smile:

Let me know your thoughts!

Smash

13

yep.. the documentation of nato is pretty hard to work through…

just read between the l!n3s!..  ;)

but probably the 3D primitive representation you’re saying is also possible in jitter (and hereby this externals are being bought all at ones in one packet, and not one by one…as in Nato…damn those expensive modulaire externals…don’t have them either..) and

absolute plus…jitter is real fast with OpenGL… :stuck_out_tongue:

But it should be possible…  

Give me some time to think about the first thing…and i’am gonna try to do some…(i’am not a 3d orientated person, but i can give it a shot…)

The second idea does interest me more…because this is more my field…although i forsee some problems …using the IR LED’s and the range of them…and softVNS is capable of pretty nice tracking, but also has some minors…

I will think about it…(btw..softVNS only works on G4)

bye  Erik

14

…jitter is real fast with OpenGL… :stuck_out_tongue:

But it should be possible…  

Give me some time to think about the first thing…and i’am gonna try to do some…(i’am not a 3d orientated person, but i can give it a shot…)

Looks like I need to take a close look at Jitter.  I have not worked with MAX in a while, so Jitter will be a new experience for me.  :)  All that is really needed is the ability to move and color some cone shaped primitive objects in open GL from numbers fed to it from other parts of the patch, I was almost there with a simple open GL external but it would not move the cone from the point, instead it wanted the point of origin to always be at the other end… :frowning: (you can tell I’m not a 3d guy either!)

The second idea does interest me more…because this is more my field…although i forsee some problems …using the IR LED’s and the range of them…and softVNS is capable of pretty nice tracking, but also has some minors…

I will think about it…(btw..softVNS only works on G4)

bye  Erik

I had not really thought of using LEDs, I was thinking more along the lines of a halogen flood with a dichroic gel or stacked traditional gels.  The IR thing is not an original idea, I read a mailing list archive where some people building museum exhibits were having success using this method for tracking in the dark with softvns.  All issues aside it would seem to be a lot less hassle than RFID type tracking (and way less expensive!).

My last followspot cheater patch was very low tech, we had to follow “wrestlers” down the runway with the lightshow, so I mounted a super cheap color wireless x-10 camera in the lighting grid aiming down on the runway, fed that video to an old commodore monitor with a clear touch screen attached to the front (left over from my tech days, came from a Megatouch touchscreen bartop game) and read the touchscreen with MAX.  That way the lighting op could just put his finger on the wrestlers head and follow as he walked down to the ring.  Very low tech and way cheaper than $10K-$15K for an autopilot rig http://www.wybron.com/Entertainment/AutopilotII/ but it looked and worked great, like we had human spot ops up in the grid!

I’ll dig around in the backups and see if I can find some of the MAX stuff I have written that might be of interest.  I have one that uses a headset with a noise canceling mic to follow voice commands (would be hard to use at a rock show!), one that detects BPM changes via a redsound voyager and generates a random but weighted chase sequence at the start of each song, with moods to match the speed, and a few other little chunks of patches that would probably never be useful to anyone but me…  ;)

Have fun!

Smash

15

 All issues aside it would seem to be a lot less hassle than RFID type tracking (and way less expensive!).

…You’re right…but to me such a schematic…or solution by this..is really interesting…Do you have something for this (in this way)…since you have that much… :wink:

fed that video to an old commodore monitor with a clear touch screen attached to the front (left over from my tech days, came from a Megatouch touchscreen bartop game)

…

Look this is quite interesting…making laptop screen…motorfaders…or something like that…I understand the principle you’re working with it…and i think it’s more brilliant than using tracking software…although one man has to be occupied with it…but has some nice ungraspable virtual/real feature in it…didn’t figure out exact to which parameter(s)…but..like it…

Are these “screens” some where for sale…??? And do you have some circuit which is able to transfer data from this “screen” to MAX…I definetly (beside using the PIC) want to learn these kind of “interaction” tools…or how to make them… :smiley:

I’ll dig around in the backups and see if I can find some of the MAX stuff I have written that might be of interest.

Righty…I’m anxious to see, what’s out there by you as lightning technicians/artists …(am i right now…?  ):wink:

It’s really a good idea to put up a forum in which we can handle topics concerning Max…

Grtz…

Erik