The Synchron

[callouscade]

Attention HeliFreak users! Here is a video of the Synchron LED control unit. It's a system I am designing and testing extensively that can be programmed to be in sync with the music. This video is just a stationary sneak peak of what is coming. A flight video will be coming later on as well as some specs on the unit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zqn...DJA9haReITbluA

Thanks
Cade

[EKron]

That's amazing!

[Skidpad]

It's like those Christmas light controllers, but way cooler. Please keep posting

[setishock]

Flying color organ. Interesting idea.

[callouscade]

Sorry the video isn't the greatest in the world, I don't have the highest quality film equipment. But here it is... The Synchron in flight on my Trex 700E.

Synchron Flight (4 min 43 sec)

[Mxracer3651]

Copy of Bobby watts Dalcon unit.. when will it be available..

[callouscade]

Not a copy of the Dalcon... An improved Dalcon!

Availability I can not determine yet. I just change processors to one with much more capability. Will keep you all posted when the system with the new processor is up and running!

Cade

[aterren]

Very nice!

[sewerfly]

Looking good

[callouscade]

I just had an epiphany!

I figured out how to use a different channel driver. The circuit on the left was what used to drive each individual channel. Now I can drive each channel with the circuit on the right for 43% of the cost of the old circuit, and 1/5th of the space!

Happy Holidays!!
Cade

[prototype3a]

This looks similar to what I was working on a while back. Unfortunately, I discovered the PCA9685 which makes the TLC5940 I was using look like garbage.

Then I saw NeoPixels and FadeCandy. Unfortunately, FadeCandy requires a powerful computer like an Odroid to run it.

Fadecandy "rings" example (1 min 53 sec)

The massively dissapointing thing about DALCON was that it could not fade/dim the LEDs. It could only turn them on and off. It also only has 8 channels, IIRC.

[callouscade]

Originally Posted by prototype3a

The massively dissapointing thing about DALCON was that it could not fade/dim the LEDs. It could only turn them on and off. It also only has 8 channels, IIRC.

I agree with that 100%. That's why I designed the Synchron to be able to dim, and has 12 channels. With the new controller however, I believe I can upgrade to 14 channels!

Thanks
Cade

[prototype3a]

Here's what I was working on...

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=377261

[aterren]

Originally Posted by callouscade

I just had an epiphany!

I figured out how to use a different channel driver. The circuit on the left was what used to drive each individual channel. Now I can drive each channel with the circuit on the right for 43% of the cost of the old circuit, and 1/5th of the space!

Happy Holidays!!
Cade

Hi, would you be willing to share some info on the driver to the right?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[callouscade]

Not gonna disclose all that much info about it... it's obviously smaller. It's rated for a little under 1A at 5.0V but I have a way of boosting voltage to 12V very easily with no additional weight or space.
It actually allows for a lower brightness of the LEDs than my old controller. The old one would be moderately bright and cut off after a certain voltage. This controller will allow the strings to go as dim as the diodes begin to actually flicker.
They're SMALL. Which is GREAT for being on a heli!!

Thanks
Cade

[aterren]

are you planning on this being a comercial project/product?

[callouscade]

Not sure Id call my plans commercial... But I plan to make units available to people.

Cade

[Commodore8888]

Similar to what I've been playing with over winter break to maintain sanity.

Getting LEDs to work was the semi easy part. As was parsing the PWM input from an RX (thought about trying to snag multiple channels from a spekky Sat, but that's for later).

Biggest beef I ran into was memory for the flight data. Trying to stay cheap and small going with a ATMega328, but while the code fits no problem, the data for the lights is another issue. Say 5 minutes worth at 5ms intervals is 120kb with only binary on/off which isn't particularly bad, but still over what most uCs have for nonvolatile.

Dimming, you'd probably want at least 16 levels, so 4 bits now for each interval.

Looks like I'm off to look for serial/I2C mem

[callouscade]

For dimming capabilities, I have found an extremely precise way to control the brightness of the LEDs, which can be control from 0 (off) to 167 (FULL) so there is 167 levels of brightness for each channel.

Currently I'm studying my brains out learning an AP Physics course that I have yet to take in school for the SAT Subject test Jan 24, as part of my application to MIT. On page 200... 800 pages to go. Development will continue Jan 25 with a shipment of a LOT of channel controllers to wire up and test, and the beginning of me programming my GUI which I HOPE will be done at the end of February.

Thanks
Cade

[Commodore8888]

If I can find some decent memory, I'll have plenty of room to store each interval as bytes for dimming. Just a matter of digging up datasheets at this point. FRAM sounds really cool, while regular old flash memory is plan B. Seeing as Atmel has some really nice SPI stuff already done, I'll likely go that route for comms.


Good luck on your Physics exams. Favorite subject in college after all the EE stuff.