Multi-channel LED controller for doll house - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2019, 03:29:39 pm
content: Good day guys,I'm researching on how to make amulti-zonelights for adollhouse - such that my little one can control light color and intensity in each room. Ideally I'd like to have 7 zones, but at least 4.Most of the multi zone kits I found are targeted for driving lights for human, not doll houses, and hence are bulky and expensive.The smallest and cheapest way I found is to connect each doll house room to a separate wi-fi controller like thishttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/32950661184.html?spm=2114.search0604.8.53.70161172MWFFDS&transAbTest=ae803_5and then operate them from smartphone.While this looks straight forward, it seems a bit of an overkill... Also I prefer my daughter to have a dedicated remote and not a smartphone.Then I saw there are addressable led strips, and I thought may be I can connect each doll house room serially as a single addressable led strip and program them somehow. But most of the googling ends up with adruino tutorials and assumes some adruino experience.Are there any other methods? I don't need any fancy flashing patterns - just color control and brightness.If anyone has links/tutorials to simple, multi-channel kit / easily programmable individually controlled led strip or a detailed guide how to build one?I don't have much electronics background but capable to do basic soldering/assembly, routing wires, etc.Thank you!

author: thinkfat
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 25, 2019, 11:04:38 am
content: Have a look at the ISSI catalog. They have a number of multi channel drivers.Gesendet von meinem Nokia 6.1 mit Tapatalk

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 04:15:06 am
content: Found this , but it looks too low level for my current skill sethttp://www.issi.com/WW/pdf/FxLED_Product_Guide.pdf

author: thinkfat
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 08:25:09 am
content: If you want an integrated driver, the package usually (naturally) has a lot of pins. If you don't want to do the soldering, maybe you can find an evaluation board with the chip you want to use? Mouser and Digikey list them in a separate category and they should be easy to find, if they exist.Can you do SMD soldering? How do you usually build your projects?If you have found a chip you want to use, but the package is too complex for your skills, you can use the 'find similar' function on the distributors website, maybe something comes up from a different source that is more suitable.If you are looking for ready-made driver boards, try Tindie, Seeed, Adafruit, Sparkfun, all the 'Maker' related shops, they may be a better fit for your needs. Aliexpress or Banggood may have something you can use as well, if buying from China directly is not scary for you.Gesendet von meinem Nokia 6.1 mit Tapatalk

author: autotel
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 08:32:35 am
content: I think that if you want to make it digital, the best option are indeed the WS2812 addressable leds (the same you were talking about). They are actually very easy to use thanks to libraries. You can also find them in all sorts of breakouts, such as in strip, individually, in circle, etc. There are even through-hole versions of it! I suggest connecting all of them in series, so that you can use a single Arduino pin to control them all. If you don't want to put one cable to each room for the switching, you could do a user interface with switches/potentiometers in a drawing of the house (so you don't have to cable every button to every room!)To make it analog, is still simple and more intuitive, but you will need a lot more of cables. You can have all the LED's sharing the same ground, and then dim each of them individually using a potentiometer. You need to put a resistor on each LED to reduce the current. Then, to produce things such as colour selection you'd just need many leds and potentiometers. Let's say, to control light warmth, you use a warm led and a cold led, each with a potentiometer. Note that there are 2-gang potentiometers, that you can use to make each led have the opposite brightness of the other. If you want an analog RGB light, then you need three potentiometers, which is why I would go for the digital approach any day.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 10:46:23 am
content: autotel, thanks for much for detailed answer!Hard choiceBeing a techie person, the digital version looks more appealing, but I don't want it to take "forever" till I'll learn arduino, since it my free time is limited.In favor of analog approach, is that's more tangible for a kid a play with and something that she can more easily to understand, but you are right - if I install RGB led into each room and want to control R, G, B & intensity it's 4 potentiometers per 4 room, or 32 in total that may be a bit too muchOn the other hand it's very straight-forward (for me) to implement.At least the second option is clear now. so thanks again!

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 11:11:06 am
content: I built LED stick figure costumes for our family last Halloween, using APA102 (digital, 4-wire, similar to the WS above) LED strips. The programming took me all of a couple hours.If you have a good idea of what type of user interface you want for the doll house, the programming itself is extremely easy. Deciding on and implement the UI will be the hardest part of the project. Hell, if you promise to post pics of the finished product here, I'd do the programming gratis and release the code as open source. I would definitely go the digital serial route.

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 11:11:31 am
content: You may consider DMX512 LED dimmer, wifi ArtNet receiver, control it all using Android or ios ArtNet controller software

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 11:23:12 am
content: Quote from: haizaar on June 26, 2019, 10:46:23 amI'd favor a digital approach here still, with a rotary encoder (think pot, but digital) per room that defaults to brightness. Then, press the button and it changes mode to be hue, press again and it's saturation. (Or start with brightness and press again for Red, then again for Green, then again for Blue, then again for overall, but doing the adjustment in HSV space [with V as default] will be more natural for people.)This way gives you something nice and tangible for the kid(s) to play with, while keeping the reliability high and wiring effort (and tangle) low.For the LED stick figures, I put IR receivers on the costume battery packs and used the omni-present LED remote controller as the interface to the costumes. This way, I didn't have to build anything physical UI-wise. This is another good option. Directly select the color or fade up/down and use one of the other buttons (I used smooth) to select rooms. First press controls the dining room say. Then press smooth and the bedroom blinks a couple times [to let you know which room is about to be controlled], then any buttons for the next minute control that room. Then smooth again and you control the hallway, etc.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 11:52:23 am
content: Quote from: sokoloff on June 26, 2019, 11:23:12 amCan you please elaborate on this? This remote looks like something that comes with RGB led strip driver kit , but they only can control a single strip (a single room in my case)I can install such controller for each room, but how do select between them, with a single remote, as you described? 8 remotes is a bad optionhttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/32998515986.html

author: thinkfat
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 12:05:41 pm
content: This is probably what you would need, but it's USB controlled...https://www.adafruit.com/product/1689Gesendet von meinem Nokia 6.1 mit Tapatalk

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 12:09:56 pm
content: Quote from: sokoloff on June 26, 2019, 11:11:06 amSorry, I missed this message. Your idea in other post to use a single remote while allowing switching between rooms looks very appealing to me! I'd rather not to use smartphone.If you can guide me which parts to buy and help me with initial version of software, I'll be grateful!Pics, video, and beer on me!I understand we are talking about pixel led strip like here , Arduino (Uno?) board, IR remote, and IR receiver arduino? Can RF receiver, like in kit , be used (less aiming)Thanks a bunch!https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32682015405.htmlhttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/32979080770.html

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 12:10:30 pm
content: That remote is a transmitter that converts button presses into short serial strings (think “a specific number”) sent over IR. As it was originally used, those numbers are received by the power supply for the LED string and interpreted a certain way.For the stick figures (or your doll house), you can have an IR receiver attached to an Arduino (or other microcontroller) listen for those numbers and interpret them a different way. Listen for (the number that corresponds to) “off” and turn off whatever the active light is. Listen for “up” and brighten the active light. Listen for “blue” and change the active light to blue. Listen for “smooth” and change the active light to the next one and blink that light three times, etc.It’s still a programming task (albeit one that I’ll volunteer to do for you and open source for all).

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 12:16:51 pm
content: Quote from: thinkfat on June 26, 2019, 12:05:41 pmLooks promising... but how do I control use it using a remote? With raspberry pie + IR sensor?

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 12:22:40 pm
content: Quote from: sokoloff on June 26, 2019, 12:10:30 pmLet's go for it!So... Arduino Uno, Pixel led strip, and... can you advise on IR receiver? I prefer RF one - less aiming.May be I should get a led kit  and reuse the remote. WDYT?https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32979080770.html

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 12:35:43 pm
content: (Our messages crossed. Sounds like you've got it.)I would recommend the 4-wire LED strips (APA102 style) over the 3-wire WS2812 style.Pick a vendor. I bought mine fromthese guys, but the exact item that I bought is no longer available. It seems like the current listing that's similar isthis one.You can trim the strips at any number of LEDs and join them with 4 wire connectors of your choosing (or solder bare wires). You can run them all in a single string or have multiple strings. You can't really have strings that "branch" in the middle (you can, but don't, because then you can't control each branch independently).I also bought4-pin cableand the4-pin LED connectors(but you could use any 4-pin connector or no connector as above). The connectors are the hardest and most time-consuming part of the project (and are the most fiddly, especially in a costume scenario where people are moving and flexing everything).Then, get whatever Arduino suits your fancy. I usedNanos. I bought relatively expensiveIR receivers. The cheaper ones did work in testing as well, but those are the ones I used for the costumes.I find that the IR is plenty forgiving in terms of aiming. The kid(s) will handle it just fine. It's not like you need to be a sniper to hit it. Buy whatever IR remote control you want from whatever LED listing you want. They all work about the same.This oneis cheap [you're only using the remote portion of for this project].Do us both a favor and start out with the IR remote (because I know it works and have all the code already written and proven on my stick figure costumes and it's cheap). If that turns out to not work well enough, I'll try to get the RF to work in the project.You'll need a computer with the USB serial port driver and the Arduino software (free) installed and a cable to connect to the Arduino and a power supply to run the dollhouse. (A USB wall wart will work just fine.)That's about all I can think of for now. Fire away with any other questions. I try to get onto EEVblog every day except when I'm traveling.

author: thinkfat
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 01:29:01 pm
content: Quote from: haizaar on June 26, 2019, 12:16:51 pmYes, any single board computer that has USB host would do it. But I do like the idea of using an IR remote, so I guess you've now covered all your bases already. Good luck with the project, I'll try to follow this thread to see how you're doing!Have fun and I hope your little one will enjoy the new toy!Gesendet von meinem Nokia 6.1 mit Tapatalk

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 02:01:37 pm
content: Quote from: sokoloff on June 26, 2019, 12:35:43 pmI opened a github repo for this project:https://github.com/haizaar/doll-house-lightsPlease let me know your GH username and I'll add you as a member. Let's continue there so we can track issues though separate tickets to make things easier? We can report back to the thread once this project concludes (or if we get stuck)

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 02:28:03 pm
content: Sounds great!I’m jim-sokoloff on GitHub.We should probably give periodic updates on thread here, maybe at major milestones.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 02:56:14 pm
content: Great. I'll happily provide project summaries periodically.

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 03:41:18 pm
content: Reach outside the home and electronics area - try model trains. Woodland Scenics makes a system called the Just Plug light system with controllers, distribution blocks, and all sorts of stuff that "just ply" together. They sell prewired LEDs as well as scale signs, street lights, and structures which are compatible with this system (though not in the scale required for a dollhouse). The connectors aren;t really proprietary, so you cna wire your own LEDs to plug in.Traditionally, people stuffed a single light bulb up into a model structure, but with LEDs, people are getting fancier and dividing the structure into different rooms and having individual lights. Even very well done replication of a flickering TV screen, using Arduinos. My plan is to equip my structures with a small micro, like an ATTiny series, driving the lights in a believable pattern to make it look occupied. No reason this wouldn't work with something larger, like dollhouse size - it would just be easier to hide the circuit and the wiring.

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 26, 2019, 04:20:17 pm
content: I really like the flickering TV set idea!

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 27, 2019, 01:27:31 am
content: Quote from: rrinker on June 26, 2019, 03:41:18 pmThanks for that - their site has so many cute things! The light system looks very simple indeed. Unfortunately their controllers can only drive single-color leds, while I want to be able to change colors. Also the price is quite substantial for what I'm ready to invest in this project. I'm sure the quality is great and modularity will pay off for a serous modeler over time. However to plug 8 leds, which they sell $10/piece, I also need 2 light hubs and extension hub. Together with power supply it's $155 + $55 shipping to Oz. Auduino nano + led strip + IR receivers + IR remote is less than $20 delivered and that includes enough spare parts to build additional kits for just $5 (arduino + IR remote).Anyhow, I ordered parts as per list from sokoloff. I'll post an update once they arrive from China and I'll have something to fiddle with. Couple of weeks I guess.Thanks again for your help and ideas - you rock!

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 27, 2019, 02:32:33 am
content: That's why I'm building my own as well. The Just Plug stuff is just way too expensive for what it is, but it does offer a certain convenience for the non-electronic person. Of which there are MANY in model railroading - my other active forum participation is one of the model railroad forums and the number of people who don't grasp the concept of a complete circuit (never mind LEDs, dropping resistors, or any of that sort of thing) is just amazing.You can find some interesting Arduino sketches here:https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/blog/geoff-bunzaParticularly on the second page, SMA16 - Harry's TV Shop for the TV simulator.

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2019, 06:22:27 pm
content: I pushed a couple of very basic "make sure everything is working and connected right" sketches to the github repo.01-IR-test-codeis used to check that your IR receiver and IR remote are working together correctly.02-APA102-test-codeis used to check that your APA102 strands are working correctly [and that you know which of the various color orders are correct]Let me know if you have any issues with either. It's possible that I have a hacked up Adafruit_Dotstar library, because I did make some changes to that library to get my Halloween costumes to work the way I wanted. I don't think any of my changes will have a negative effect, but I don't want to blow them away before I figure out how to package them up as a pull request for the Adafruit repo.Tested on an Arduino Pro clone, using pins D2 for clock, D3 for data 1, D4 for data 2, D7 for IR output, D8 for IR Vcc, D9 for IR GND

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2019, 04:02:26 pm
content: 03-APA102-multi-strands-codecan be used to drive two APA102 strands at once.Tested on an Arduino Pro clone, using pins D2 for shared clock, D3 for data 1, D4 for data 2, D7 for IR output, D8 for IR Vcc, D9 for IR GND

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2019, 12:37:08 am
content: Good stuff. I'm eagerly waiting for HW to arrive and start tinkering. In a meanwhile I'll at least try to compile it locally to make sure my SW toolchain is working.Btw, kudos for talking me into APA102 instead of WS8212. After learning about PRM, its frequency, flickering, and POV I think I'd much appreciate APA's much higher PWM frequency (5-20khz vs ~500hz).

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2019, 01:09:11 am
content: The software drive is way more reliable as well. Very much timing insensitive; you can drive it with hacky code on any pair of pins you like, including sharing clock pins, very easily.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2019, 11:49:03 am
content: Project update - arduino and a led strip have arrived.I can't succeed in driving leds thoughThe details are herehttps://github.com/haizaar/doll-house-lights/issues/5If anyone can help with hints on how further to debug it, I'll be grateful.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2019, 03:02:10 pm
content: Eventually the first led was somehow broken and blocked the path towards the rest. Cutting it off and resoldering did the tick. Hooray!!!Now waiting for IR stuff to arrive.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2019, 02:40:22 pm
content: Here is SCRUM-style progress (sorry for the mess in the househttps://photos.app.goo.gl/LJ43Cp7cCqx1h2Va6https://photos.app.goo.gl/vRmkdq2oC7HZSFLf9https://photos.app.goo.gl/j2LyQtoV4fQSu8mJAI'll get some end-user feedback when she wakes upThe light looks bright on pictures, but in reality is not that strong. I though I'll get away with a single led per room, but I think I'll need about 4. Once my 30led/m strip arrives, I'll cut it in lengths or 4 and will make nice 12cm long "light fixtures" out of it.Also it turned out to be quite challenging to configure leds to produce something that looks like "warm white" light - I fiddles quite a lot with RGB/HSV, and even tried conversion tables  and still couldn't find that ~3500k warm white that my home (human home) LED globes produce.Does anyone have any ideas on this?http://planetpixelemporium.com/tutorialpages/light.html

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2019, 05:23:24 pm
content: Congratulations on getting it running!Adafruit has a lot of example code and tutorials for LED strips. Following this point might reduce the chance of first LED dieing again:Quote from: adafruithttps://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-dotstar-leds/power-and-connectionsIf you really want white or warm white, there are a variety of other LED strips:RGBWWhite yellow orangeWhite onlyWarm white only

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2019, 11:55:54 pm
content: Thanks pointing out about capacitor. I missed that.Can you comment on why is it a good idea as they say, what does it impact?As for other strips - yes, but they are not addressable, which is the whole point of the project. I though that if leds can reproduce any colour, then they should be capable producing warm white as well. Isn't it so?

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2019, 04:12:58 am
content: Why is a 1000uF electrolytic recommended for LED strips:Short answer = to dampen transient voltage spikes.Medium answer =Wires act like inductors, they resist changes in current.When all the LEDs are on, current is flowing through the wires to the strip and through the strip.Lets say you are driving the LED strip with 5V at I_load =1A. You could say the strip is a load of:R_load = V / IR_load = 5V / 1AR_load = 5 ohmsAt the instant the LEDs are turned off, R_load increases to about 100 kohm but I_load takes a bit of time to change because of the inductance so:V_load = I*RV_load = 1A * 100 kohmV_load = 100 kVThis is an over simplified example with rough numbers, you probably won't get 100,000 volts across your LED strip but you might get slightly more than the LEDs can handle.An electrolytic capacitor near the LEDs will give that transient current somewhere to go which will dampen the transient voltage spike when the load changes.You can also get spikes when connecting / disconnecting wires and when turning LEDs on. If you study transient voltage spikes, you should learn what is happening and why electrolytics (with higher ESR) are recommended over other capacitors.It can mostly be summed up by the rules a prof I had stated at least 100 times:Inductors resist change in current.Capacitors resist change in voltage./////////////////////// LED strip typesI'm pretty sure all the LED strips I listed are available with addressable LEDs.RGBWWhite yellow orangeWhite onlyWarm white onlyWhite only and warm white only here:https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-dotstar-leds/dotstar-stripswarm white, cool white, or amber here:https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13898(note this one uses the more difficult SK6812)

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2019, 11:16:40 am
content: Thanks for the detailed explanation! Now I get it.Looking at another 30led/m strip that has just arrived, I see that it has two elements soldered on the PCB on the 1st and 15th led (where power boost solder points are). Are these capacitors as well??https://photos.app.goo.gl/LA2coMS1JfbQVBFH9. The strip is sealed, so I can't test it. I thought if they were capacitors soldered between + and -, I'd would be able to measure them through led +/- wires, but my DMM shows nothing.About the warm light - it's interesting that they have white only pixel strips. I guess you can even mix and match RGB and white ones in the same strip and drive them the way you like! Listening to the lady in the product description video I understand that it's indeed not quite possible to get pure white colors with RGB leds and that's a particular reason they made white only leds.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2019, 05:54:07 pm
content: Those look like 27 ohm resistors. Probably in series with the data lines.That is often recommended for the older 3 wire strips like this:https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide/best-practicesIt is discussed more here:https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/177019/why-does-a-resistor-in-my-neopixel-data-line-work-at-allOn stackexchange someone mentions internal esd diodes. Dave gives a great explaination in this video:EEVblog #831 - Power A Micro With No Power Pin!////////////// my version:2 reasons:1 - limit current through LEDs internal ESD diodes if user makes mistake of powering the data / clk line(s) when Vcc is not powered.Voltage across resistor:5V - 0.7V ~= 4.3VCurrent through resistor and ESD diode:4.3V / 27 ohms ~= 160mA2 -Round off the square data signals akaFilter higher harmonics of the noise emitted by the data signals.This is done in consumer electronics to help pass EMC testing. The resistor in series combined with parasitic capacitors to GND and Vcc in the LED (and elsewhere) create an LPF (low pass filter).- Edited to change 270 ohm to 27 ohm.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2019, 06:33:09 pm
content: Just in case you aren't aware, you can get WS2812 (RGB) in circular PCBs with 1 (10mm), 3 (17mm), or 7 (22mm) LEDs per PCB; and SK6812 (RGBW) in round 10mm circular PCBs. I'd think round PCBs are easier to form into light fixtures than tape is. They behave just like strips, and you can chain them together (although you'll need to use a different library than for APA102s).

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2019, 12:06:34 pm
content: Quote from: Kasper on July 19, 2019, 05:54:07 pmThese are 27 (not 270) ohm resistors indeed in series with data lines. So, they are there protect data lines from accidental high current, right (caused by electromagnetic noise, etc)?Any idea why they are 27ohm while the stamp says 270ohm? I mean, is it some special marking, marking bug, or a plain forgery?

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2019, 12:57:46 pm
content: Quote from: haizaar on July 23, 2019, 12:06:34 pmNothing nefarious like that. SMD resistors are marked such that that code is interpreted as 27 * 100= 27. 270 ohm would be marked as 271 (27 * 101), 2.7K marked as 272, etc.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2019, 01:02:48 pm
content: IntriguingI guess I'll better instrument those 27 ohm resistor into the short strips I'm making, right?P.S. Started to fabricate 4-led light "fixtures":https://photos.app.goo.gl/xEbySGH1Q4VeHtP77The "terminator" board is growing

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2019, 01:07:53 pm
content: Btw, will these do?https://www.jaycar.com.au/27-ohm-0-5-watt-metal-film-resistors-pack-of-8/p/RR05340.5w should be plenty right for data wires, right?

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2019, 01:19:55 pm
content: I didn't bother with the LED stick figure costumes that we built for Halloween and everything worked just fine. It's probably good practice to do so (and if I'd have thought about it, I'd have put them on the PCBs I made, but I didn't...)1/8 of a watt would be WAY MORE than enough of a power rating on the resistor you're contemplating adding. If you dead short an ideal 5V supply across a 27 ohm resistor, it will draw almost a Watt of power, but these are in series with the data lines and not easily able to short across the power rails.One other tip I might suggest is to buy an assortment of Dupont connector housings and put all the random loose Dupont connectors into a single plastic housing. You can use a small pick to unlock and remove the existing "1x1" Dupont plastic and insert that wire with the existing crimp into a "1x3" or "1x4" housing which will make the breadboard a little more tidy and less susceptible to plugging wires in incorrectly if something gets jostled.

author: Kasper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2019, 03:55:10 pm
content: Quote from: haizaar on July 23, 2019, 12:06:34 pmMy mistake, sorry, I have't used readable resistors in a while.270: 27 ohms271: 270 ohms273: 27,000 ohmsThe 2 reasons I gave for series resistors are for separate cases.1 - over current protection. This only applies when user makes mistake. And doesnt really apply with only 27 ohms. That isnt going to help much. But Daves video about internal ESD diodes is still worth a watch.2 - Noise reduction for EMC compliance. This is for anytime data is flowing through the strip. It reduces the chance your LED strips will cause your wifi or any other wireless systems nearby to stop working.3 - There could be other reasons, some maybe a combination of 1 and 2.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2019, 02:52:44 am
content: Hey guys,Here are some news.I finished wiring LED strips to USB cables:https://photos.app.goo.gl/dZjtXW4ToEKpfA5c7https://photos.app.goo.gl/2kHXXaeAgmgFQT9L6https://photos.app.goo.gl/VMGrkWdFiDpt55yW8https://photos.app.goo.gl/YpXCkbzdoggaAhg47https://photos.app.goo.gl/iT9oEZN6atRxBM4J7Soldering is quite addictive... May be that's because I do not have a fume extractor and there is something in those fumesI also prepared distribution "boards" for mounting into jiffy box:https://photos.app.goo.gl/eDvtzrg6QCMA2DPY9Now the bunch of cables is ready:https://photos.app.goo.gl/6F4A6Eq7e1Z88UgXAEventually I ended up having 6 strip X 4 LEDs for rooms and another 40 LEDs strip for eaves. 64 LEDs total can consume up to 64*.06A = 3.84A. Hence I decided to power it through two USB warts.In practice however on full power they only consume 2.78A:https://photos.app.goo.gl/2KmdkYNnaYqivFqk9I tried removing some channels and the rest of LEDs didn't become any brighter, meaning they consume all they need. The long 40 LED strip (60led/m) is just a tiny bit dimmer though. Probably because they recommend to solder in additional power lines every 50cm and I didn't do that. Also my USB cable that powers it is 3m long and has about 0.3Ohm resistance meaning it will get to 1.1V drop on 2.4A that this strip can consume.Current-per-wart is split not exactly 50/50 for some reason: 1.26A vs 1.52A (https://photos.app.goo.gl/ebmsT88hvD5tk2sm9vshttps://photos.app.goo.gl/eANxm6hR9BXx922C6)I tried both standard 5V 2.1A warts and QC3 warts that should be capable of 5V 3A. However it seems that to get 3A from QC3 wart, you need to negotiate it, because when powered through single QC3 wart, it didn't give more than 2.4A.I did smoke tests running all lights on max to see if anything gets too hot. All cables remained cool, may be a tiny bit warmer than room temperature (I use 22awg cables in distribution boards).2.1A warts got quite hot, though they were well within their spec'ed amps - after 30 minutes they got to above 50C. I didn't want to take any chances and switched to QC3 warts that got to 41C and stayed there stable for 2 hours. So I'll use QC3 warts for my final installation.That's all for now. Too bad there is nothing more to solderIR remotes have arrived and through my phone cam I see they do emit something when I press buttons. Still waiting for IR receivers though. Probably will buy one locally since this is the only part the left and it's blocker.

author: haizaar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2023, 05:28:30 am
content: Better later than never - the project was concluded successfully and my daughter was very happy to play with it for several years. Now she grew out of it and I'll be selling the thing and I wanted to share how it all looked like in the end.Here is the working demo of it all assembled(and here are just the guts of the system:)And here is the code again:https://github.com/zarmory/doll-house-lightsThanks again for everyone's help back in the days - I wouldn't have embarked on this amazing adventure without your support and encouragement.

author: sokoloff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2023, 03:35:04 pm
content: Thanks for the follow-up of how it turned out. That's often the least "fun" part of the project.Glad your daughter enjoyed it and hope the next family does as well.I laughed when you talked about her playing with the bare LEDs for a long time on the bench. That tracks with my experience with the kids as well.