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WS2812 smartpin driver — Parallax Forums

WS2812 smartpin driver

Hi All

Here's a demo of a WS2812 driver using smartpins.

A table is generated in LUT of 24 bit patterns representing color byte waveforms.
A smartpin is configured in sync tx mode and fed with the LUT patterns.
The same sync tx smartpin gets its clock source from a neighbour smartpin configured in transition mode.

More "lanes" can easily be added(5 more of the same clock) by adding more sync tx smartpins.
{
Prop2 WS2812 demo using smartpins
Version 0.2
ozpropdev Feb 15th 2019
}

		sys_clk = 25_000_000
		us = sys_clk / 1_000_000
		ws2812_load = 51 * us
		_200ns = us * 200 / 1000

		num_leds = 64

		clk = 14
		ws2812 = 15

dat		org

		hubset	#0

		wrpin	#%1_00101_0,#clk	'transition mode
		wxpin	##_200ns,#clk
		dirh	#clk

		wrpin	##%1111 << 24 | %1_11100_0,#ws2812	'sync tx mode
		wxpin	#%1_00000 | 23,#ws2812
		dirh	#ws2812


'build ws812 waveform data into lut for each byte

'e.g. byte $8c becomes %001_001_011_011_001_001_001_011

		mov	index,#0
build		mov	count,#8		'number of bits
		mov	pa,index
		mov	pb,#0
.loop		testb	pa,#7 wc
		shl	pb,#3
		or	pb,#1			'0 = %100  (1/3 t)
	if_c	or	pb,#%10			'1 = %110  (2/3 t)
		shl	pa,#1
		djnz	count,#.loop
		shl	pb,#32-24
		rev	pb			'prepare for msb shifted first
		wrlut	pb,index
		incmod	index,#255 wz
	if_nz	jmp	#build


		getct	time
		addct1	time,delay


'Main loop

'send data to ws2812 devices

update_ws2812	loc	ptra,#@led_buffer	'iitialize pointer
		mov	leds,#num_leds
next_led	rdlong	rgb,ptra++		'get grb data
		mov	count,#3		'3 * 8 bits 
next_color	getbyte	pb,rgb,#2		'get color byte
		shl	rgb,#8
		rdlut	pa,pb			'convert to waveform
		wypin	pa,#ws2812		'load sync tx with 24 bit waveform
		wypin	#48,#clk		'start 48 clock transitions
busy		testp	#clk wc			'wait for smartpin completion
	if_nc	jmp	#busy
		rdpin	0,#clk			'clear smartpin
		djnz	count,#next_color
		djnz	leds,#next_led
		waitx	##ws2812_load		'data low for >50Us

'shift led pattern in led buffer

		pollct1	wc
	if_nc	jmp	#update_ws2812

		addct1	time,delay
		loc	ptra,#@led_buffer
		loc	ptrb,#@led_buffer+4
		rdlong	pb,ptra
		rep	#2,#63
		rdlong	pa,ptrb++
		wrlong	pa,ptra++
		wrlong	pb,ptra
		jmp	#update_ws2812

time		long	0
delay		long	sys_clk  / 20

count		long	0
index		long	0
rgb		long	0
leds		long	0
lut		long	0



		orgh	$400

led_buffer	
		long	$00_1f_00_00[4]	'green
		long	$00_00_1f_00[4]	'red
		long	$00_00_00_1f[4]	'blue
		long	$00_00_1f_1f[4]	'magenta
		long	$00_1f_00_1f[4]	'cyan
		long	$00_1f_1f_00[4]	'yellow
		long	$00_1f_1f_1f[4]	'yehite
		long	0[4]
		long	$00_1f_00_00[8]	'green
		long	$00_00_1f_00[8]	'red
		long	$00_00_00_1f[8]	'blue
		long	$00_00_1f_1f[8]	'magenta


1825 x 2061 - 1M

Comments

  • those smartpins are simply a bummer. They save so much code its fantastic.

    Enjoy!

    Mike
  • Here's an expanded version running 6 lanes(channels).
    Smartpins make this so easy. A single cog can control a huge amount of leds.

    BTW this is running in RCFAST mode with no problems.
  • Here's an updated version of my WS2812 smartpin driver now supporting up to 51 led strips with 1 cog.
    Included is a Spin2 demo driving 51 strips of 60 leds at 32MHz.

    Tested on a Eval board wuth PNut_v34o.
  • evanhevanh Posts: 15,126
    edited 2020-03-23 10:30
    Oh, just read this. A minor improvement can be had by eliminating the external clock pins. With sync serial smartpins, they can be internally clocked via OUT instead. Change each WRPIN to a fixed ##(%0100<<24)|%01_11100_0 then setup the streamer to generate the clocks for each data pin.

    Or, just use the streamer for data directly. It doesn't use any external clock source anyway. Would have to format the multi-pin interleaved data pattern into hubram though.
  • AribaAriba Posts: 2,682
    You can also use the Async-TX smartpin mode. This needs no clock pin. If you invert the output, the Startbit is the first high state, and the Stopbit is the last low state, in between are 22 additional data bits, for the full 24bit pattern.

    A Spin2 example is here: forums.parallax.com/discussion/comment/1492328/#Comment_1492328

    Andy
  • evanhevanh Posts: 15,126
    Cool trick! I hadn't realised just how basic the data frame is. Bit B0 becomes always zero but that's no biggie.

    And it kind of obeys another behaviour of async serial too - A required gap for identifying the frame start. UARTs can't detect the start bit in a gapless stream.

  • AribaAriba Posts: 2,682
    edited 2020-03-24 04:52
    evanh wrote: »
    .... Bit B0 becomes always zero but that's no biggie....

    Why do you think so? Here is a drawing that shows how the bits are encoded:
    WS_async.png
    581 x 212 - 6K
  • evanhevanh Posts: 15,126
    edited 2020-03-24 05:07
    Ah, okay, I was way off, I thought the 24 bits was all three colours. I haven't run any of the code.

    EDIT: BTW: Your diagram is so much easier to read than the datasheet I've downloaded.

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