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Giant RGB LED screen? — Parallax Forums

Giant RGB LED screen?

Ok this might be fantasy, but I see $15 32x32 RBG LED panels at Sparkfun.
Says you need FPGA or high-speed processor to work it...


But I'm thinking that a 9x7 array of these would give the PacMan/Galaga resolution.
Be about 6' tall.

Cost is just shy of $1000...

Comments

  • That sounds like a fun project.

    You can also get 64x64 led panels from Aliexpress around the $25 mark, that'd halve your cost

    We had a fair the other weekend which prompted me to finish a P1 based "many-ws2812" hardware driver. It's basically a propeller activity board with the biggest 12v to 5v dc/dc converter I could find (Delta D12S400A, 400 watts) mounted on it. It's a good match for what ATX power supplies put out on their +12v rails, ~ 40 or 50 amps, or big SLA cells (105Ah). It should drive 1600 leds at full brightness, during testing we had 2200 leds running chasing patterns just fine. You could use one converter per row or column. The thing draws 750mA quiescent (!) and needs a fan to stop itself cooking. I think i'll add a second fan for backup...





  • jmgjmg Posts: 15,173
    Tubular wrote: »
    ... with the biggest 12v to 5v dc/dc converter I could find (Delta D12S400A, 400 watts) mounted on it.
    .. The thing draws 750mA quiescent (!) and needs a fan to stop itself cooking.
    I think i'll add a second fan for backup...
    Hehe, notice how those numbers make P2 look 'low power' ;) !!


  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,646
    Is Aliexpress reliable? Haven't ordered from those kind of places before, but have done eBay...

    I guess I need to decide on the scan. Sparkfun says they made a mistake when they ordered those 1/8 scan boards when most are 1/16 scan.
    1/8 scan seems better to me but maybe it doesn't make a difference for something slow.
    Also, it's a bit of a waste to do 64x64 as I'd not use 32 rows and 32 columns..
    But, that may be more economical.


    Also, the Aliexpress ones all look small at 6.3"x6.3". The Sparkfun ones have > 4x the area.
    Need to think about how giant I want the screen to be...
    Also, I need to figure out where in the house it could go...
  • cgraceycgracey Posts: 14,152
    Rayman wrote: »
    Is Aliexpress reliable? Haven't ordered from those kind of places before, but have done eBay...

    I guess I need to decide on the scan. Sparkfun says they made a mistake when they ordered those 1/8 scan boards when most are 1/16 scan.
    1/8 scan seems better to me but maybe it doesn't make a difference for something slow.
    Also, it's a bit of a waste to do 64x64 as I'd not use 32 rows and 32 columns..
    But, that may be more economical.


    Also, the Aliexpress ones all look small at 6.3"x6.3". The Sparkfun ones have > 4x the area.
    Need to think about how giant I want the screen to be...
    Also, I need to figure out where in the house it could go...

    In the P3, we will be able to input HDMI, so we can buffer screen information and relay it out through any mechanism, like to these pixel arrays.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    cgracey wrote: »
    Rayman wrote: »
    Is Aliexpress reliable? Haven't ordered from those kind of places before, but have done eBay...

    I guess I need to decide on the scan. Sparkfun says they made a mistake when they ordered those 1/8 scan boards when most are 1/16 scan.
    1/8 scan seems better to me but maybe it doesn't make a difference for something slow.
    Also, it's a bit of a waste to do 64x64 as I'd not use 32 rows and 32 columns..
    But, that may be more economical.


    Also, the Aliexpress ones all look small at 6.3"x6.3". The Sparkfun ones have > 4x the area.
    Need to think about how giant I want the screen to be...
    Also, I need to figure out where in the house it could go...

    In the P3, we will be able to input HDMI, so we can buffer screen information and relay it out through any mechanism, like to these pixel arrays.

    Wow, either you really love designing unique mpu's or you're a glutton for punishment. Either way I hope I can hang around long enough to see what you create.
  • kwinn wrote: »
    cgracey wrote: »
    Rayman wrote: »
    Is Aliexpress reliable? Haven't ordered from those kind of places before, but have done eBay...

    I guess I need to decide on the scan. Sparkfun says they made a mistake when they ordered those 1/8 scan boards when most are 1/16 scan.
    1/8 scan seems better to me but maybe it doesn't make a difference for something slow.
    Also, it's a bit of a waste to do 64x64 as I'd not use 32 rows and 32 columns..
    But, that may be more economical.


    Also, the Aliexpress ones all look small at 6.3"x6.3". The Sparkfun ones have > 4x the area.
    Need to think about how giant I want the screen to be...
    Also, I need to figure out where in the house it could go...

    In the P3, we will be able to input HDMI, so we can buffer screen information and relay it out through any mechanism, like to these pixel arrays.

    Wow, either you really love designing unique mpu's or you're a glutton for punishment. Either way I hope I can hang around long enough to see what you create.
    Maybe P3 is mostly just P2 done in a smaller process so it can run faster with more memory and COGs. That would certainly be cool.

  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,261
    edited 2018-10-21 18:44
    Oh no. :D You know smaller means more. Maybe an external MMU.

    Probably the most boring addition possible. But, with a shrink, comes speed, and with that, larger programs.

  • With a 1MB address space and half of that being empty, the P2 screams for an MMU so you can capture access requests and swap them in from external RAM.
  • pedward wrote: »
    With a 1MB address space and half of that being empty, the P2 screams for an MMU so you can capture access requests and swap them in from external RAM.

    Yeah, several of us noted that. I do think waiting for a shrink is a good move. What we got is awesome.

    Personally, I think a COG dedicated to this task, and programs written to signal it, will pack a big punch. Won't be automatic, but could be easy.
  • David BetzDavid Betz Posts: 14,516
    edited 2018-10-22 02:21
    I asked for a TLB in P2 but my request was rejected! :smile: Maybe it will make it into P3. Seriously, what is in P2 is amazing. I can't wait to try it out.
  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,261
    edited 2018-10-22 03:47
    I was telling chip just today, it seems like the Amiga of microcontrollers.
  • potatohead wrote: »
    it seems like the Amiga of microcontrollers.
    Does that make P1 the C64 of microcontrollers?

  • Luis DigitalLuis Digital Posts: 371
    edited 2018-10-22 05:10
    cgracey wrote: »
    In the P3, we will be able to input HDMI

    I love you.

    P.D.: Now I realized that it is not P2. :'(
  • Wuerfel_21 wrote: »
    potatohead wrote: »
    it seems like the Amiga of microcontrollers.
    Does that make P1 the C64 of microcontrollers?

    I don't know! Perhaps.
  • Rayman wrote: »
    Is Aliexpress reliable? Haven't ordered from those kind of places before, but have done eBay...

    I have never had an aliexpress buy go bad. Transactions are done in escrow so they don't get paid until after you receive and approve the goods.
  • Ahle2Ahle2 Posts: 1,179
    Wuerfel_21 wrote: »
    potatohead wrote: »
    it seems like the Amiga of microcontrollers.
    Does that make P1 the C64 of microcontrollers?

    Maybe more like the Atari 8 bit, since it was the first child of Jay Miner. (not counting the Atari VCS) I think Chip is the Jay of microcontrollers; Thinking outside the box and asking questions like "what if?", "why not?" and "why is this even the norm?".

    /Johannes
  • Ahle2 wrote: »
    not counting the Atari VCS
    VCS == BASIC Stamp?

  • Atari 2600, also known as Video Computer System
  • I know. I was saying that you could extend Ahle's idea to the BASIC Stamp (being the "predecessor" to the P1) being the VCS/2600 of microcontrollers.
  • Rayman wrote: »
    Ok this might be fantasy, but I see $15 32x32 RBG LED panels at Sparkfun.
    Says you need FPGA or high-speed processor to work it...


    But I'm thinking that a 9x7 array of these would give the PacMan/Galaga resolution.
    Be about 6' tall.

    Cost is just shy of $1000...

    I saw a space invaders machine in Lake Tahoe like that.
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 14,646
    edited 2018-10-22 22:42
    Maybe this one?
    I saw it at a laser tag place:
    https://www.libertygames.co.uk/store/video_arcade_machines/shooting_arcade_machines/space-invaders-frenzy/

    Looks like >$20k...

    I found galaga and pac man versions on youtube.
    Hammacher Schelmmer sells the pac man for $11k:
    https://www.hammacher.com/product/worlds-largest-pac-man

    Just think about all the money I can save doing it myself :)

  • Am I wrong if I say what P2 can read RCA video and VGA?
  • Rayman wrote: »
    Maybe this one?
    I saw it at a laser tag place:
    https://www.libertygames.co.uk/store/video_arcade_machines/shooting_arcade_machines/space-invaders-frenzy/

    Looks like >$20k...

    I found galaga and pac man versions on youtube.
    Hammacher Schelmmer sells the pac man for $11k:
    https://www.hammacher.com/product/worlds-largest-pac-man

    Just think about all the money I can save doing it myself :)

    My GF would say, "Just think about the money you can SPEND by doing it your self" and would then probably ask something like "Is that a 'want' or a 'need'".

    .... then I would do it anyway and we would get into that discussion about how I never listen to her and always just do what I want anyway and I think "I do what I want when Im right and your wrong" but bite my tongue.
  • I was looking at doing this but with 5 or 6 panels only.
    You can get small dedicated controllers for them and just send the data to it.
    Order individual modules and assemble yourself or get kits.

    My project was going to use super accurate RTC and be used for lap times, racer names, etc...

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