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Hacking a Tree Dazzler — Parallax Forums

Hacking a Tree Dazzler

sonic0021sonic0021 Posts: 22
in General Discussion
Hey there, everyone!

I have an idea for a hack to do on Christmas. I am planning on hacking one of those Tree Dazzler things that you might find at some stores during the season. I am using an Arduino Uno board. I haven't written any code yet, but when I find out about how to hook the Arduino board up (if I can), I will figure out the code. So, if possible, I would appreciate any help you could give me.

P.S. I am not new here. I used to be signed in under the name Chip_McCallahan, but the forums wouldn't let me log back in.

Comments

  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    Curious why you come to the Parallax Forums for Arduino code. Would not the Arduino Forums have much more information?
  • sonic0021sonic0021 Posts: 22
    Publison wrote: »
    Curious why you come to the Parallax Forums for Arduino code. Would not the Arduino Forums have much more information?

    I thought that Parallax sold Arduino products. If not, I apologize for any inconvenience.
  • sonic0021sonic0021 Posts: 22
    Just one question: Is the Arduino Uno similar to the Propeller ASC++?
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,185
    No.
    Completely dissimilar.
    The Propeller ASC++ is a board containing a Prop part plus support hardware, in the format described by that board. In fact the Prop processor is completely open source as is the source code available to program it.

    Oddly enough only the programming tools for the Ard** are open source, the hardware has yet to be. if you have a Propeller ASC++ where you are, you could indeed do everything much better then with the Uno.

    Say Publison, if I grabbed your chance to explain the obvious, then sorry, I felt I should provide both, the incredibly obvious, the differences, and the merely obvious, that the Propeller is better at it then the Uno.
  • GenetixGenetix Posts: 1,754
    sonic0021,

    Parallax sells the Shield Bot which is an Arduino-based version of the BS2-based BOE-Bot.
    Some of the sensors and other items have Arduino code on the Parallax website.

    The Propeller ASC+ is a Propeller microcontroller board that can be used with Arduino shields, but it doesn't use Arduino code or the IDE.

    Since the Arduino uses C some of the C experts may be able to help you with the code.
    There are others who may not know the Arduino but can assist with "hacking" the hardware.

    There may be a few Arduino users on here so just be patient.

    It would help if you explained what you already and what you would like to do.

    I just recently purchased some Arduino parts but I am more familiar with the BS2 and Propeller as are most people on here.
  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,102
    edited 2018-12-07 15:45
    Just one question: Is the Arduino Uno similar to the Propeller ASC++?
    Only mechanically. ASC standards for "Arduino Shield Compatible" which is to say that it will mechanically attach to Arduino shields. That's were it ends. The Propeller has eight, 32-bit cores. It's native language is Spin, though you can program it in C, BASIC, and even Forth. I'm biased because of my long relationship with Parallax (I was even employed there for a time), but I would take the Propeller any day. It's easier to program (if you're a programmer, not just a copy-paste warrior), and far more flexible.

    Recent case in point: I was asked to monitor the output from a commercial RFID reader that uses Wiegand protocol. A colleague suggested some code for the Arduino which I ran, but found it complete garbage for actual use. I spent less time writing a custom driver in Propeller Assembly than I did trying to get the silly Arduino code to be functionally useful. On the positive side for the Arduino, there's a lot of code floating around the Internet that you can use. The question is -- as I learned the hard way -- can you trust it to be useful?

    Try the Propeller. You'll get great help in these forums. On your project, there is a good chance that the device uses the WS28xx or APA102C protocols. Both are easily handled by the Propeller (I sometimes consult in the movie business and have written drivers for both). If you can crack open the controller it should be pretty easy to determine. If there are three wires (power, ground, signal) then it's probably a WS28xx string; with four wires it's probably an APA102C string. After determining the protocol and mapping the strings (each bulb will have a unique address) you'll have complete control.

    I'm presently working on a custom light controller for these: http://www.holidaycoro.com/Brilliant-Bulb-p/709.htm. I'm using the Propeller-powered HC-8+ from EFX-TEK (I co-designed) with a BLE radio module so that the lights can be controlled from a phone. The program listens fro a string from the BLE and acts accordingly. The program understands a bunch of colors, and a few effects. After looking up the device you mention I'm going to add SHIMMER to my command list.

  • sonic0021sonic0021 Posts: 22
    Genetix wrote: »
    sonic0021,

    Parallax sells the Shield Bot which is an Arduino-based version of the BS2-based BOE-Bot.
    Some of the sensors and other items have Arduino code on the Parallax website.

    The Propeller ASC+ is a Propeller microcontroller board that can be used with Arduino shields, but it doesn't use Arduino code or the IDE.

    Since the Arduino uses C some of the C experts may be able to help you with the code.
    There are others who may not know the Arduino but can assist with "hacking" the hardware.

    There may be a few Arduino users on here so just be patient.

    It would help if you explained what you already and what you would like to do.

    I just recently purchased some Arduino parts but I am more familiar with the BS2 and Propeller as are most people on here.

    I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. All I really need help with is figuring out how to wire the Arduino Uno to the Tree Dazzler which is why I asked about the Propeller ASC++. I understand that the ASC++ doesn't use the Arduino programming language, so I can figure the code out after I get the Arduino Uno hooked up to the Tree Dazzler. I have some experience with the Arduino language, so it shouldn't be too much trouble to figure out the code after wiring everything up.
  • sonic0021sonic0021 Posts: 22
    JonnyMac wrote: »
    Just one question: Is the Arduino Uno similar to the Propeller ASC++?
    Only mechanically. ASC standards for "Arduino Shield Compatible" which is to say that it will mechanically attach to Arduino shields. That's were it ends. The Propeller has eight, 32-bit cores. It's native language is Spin, though you can program it in C, BASIC, and even Forth. I'm biased because of my long relationship with Parallax (I was even employed there for a time), but I would take the Propeller any day. It's easier to program (if you're a programmer, not just a copy-paste warrior), and far more flexible.

    Recent case in point: I was asked to monitor the output from a commercial RFID reader that uses Wiegand protocol. A colleague suggested some code for the Arduino which I ran, but found it complete garbage for actual use. I spent less time writing a custom driver in Propeller Assembly than I did trying to get the silly Arduino code to be functionally useful. On the positive side for the Arduino, there's a lot of code floating around the Internet that you can use. The question is -- as I learned the hard way -- can you trust it to be useful?

    Try the Propeller. You'll get great help in these forums. On your project, there is a good chance that the device uses the WS28xx or APA102C protocols. Both are easily handled by the Propeller (I sometimes consult in the movie business and have written drivers for both). If you can crack open the controller it should be pretty easy to determine. If there are three wires (power, ground, signal) then it's probably a WS28xx string; with four wires it's probably an APA102C string. After determining the protocol and mapping the strings (each bulb will have a unique address) you'll have complete control.

    I'm presently working on a custom light controller for these: http://www.holidaycoro.com/Brilliant-Bulb-p/709.htm. I'm using the Propeller-powered HC-8+ from EFX-TEK (I co-designed) with a BLE radio module so that the lights can be controlled from a phone. The program listens fro a string from the BLE and acts accordingly. The program understands a bunch of colors, and a few effects. After looking up the device you mention I'm going to add SHIMMER to my command list.

    Sure, I do have some experience with Propeller C, but I don't have an ASC++. All I have related to the Propeller C language is the ActivityBot, but the board is way too big for my needs. All I really need to do is have the Arduino Uno wired up to the Tree Dazzler (which, by the way, is one of those things that has a bunch of lights hanging from a ring which slips over the top of the tree) in a way that it will synchronize the lights to music. I can figure out the code after I get the thing wired up. If you have any coding suggestions, I will keep them in mind.
  • JonnyMacJonnyMac Posts: 9,102
    I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. All I really need help with is figuring out how to wire the Arduino Uno to the Tree Dazzler
    Seems like an Arduino forum would be the appropriate place to ask for help.
  • EE351EE351 Posts: 81
    If you are dead set on hacking a tree dazzler, it can be don but it will require extra components to drive the strings as they are rgb lights. I would recommend hacking one of these:

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/GeekMyTree-GlowFlakes/192736211581?hash=item2cdff9327d:g:bSYAAOSwC8pb-cT3:rk:2:pf:0

    These use a ws2811 chip which can be easily controlled by a propeller by connecting one of the GPIO pins directly to the first string in the set.
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