[DIY] Amblight project/guide - Hyperion - WS2801/ WS2812B / APA102 (4 Viewers)

[NicCo]

So I've tried with 256 buffer and all seems to be OK, you're the best
I've perhaps found a problem with a LED and all next LEDs don't work, I will try to replace it and I hope it will be OK...
I've also another problem, I check "No" for XBMC Menu on HyperCon but ambilight is on with XBMC menu. Perhaps a bug ?

Edit : On the first page, you've write Hyperion can be used with Linux/Windows, could you provide me more informations about Hyperion on Windows ?

 

[Rick164]

I've perhaps found a problem with a LED and all next LEDs don't work, I will try to replace it and I hope it will be OK...

Could be power issue, you can try full white and if you see it go to other colors further along you don't have enough power or it's too long and can't reach all the leds properly.
Depending on the power supply you can connect the 5V power line to the leds at both ends (beginning and end) and see if that resolves it, this will make sure the power reaches every led.

Had the same issue as after about 2/3 of the led rail it would turn yellow when sending full white color command and connecting power at both ends fixed it.

I've perhaps found a problem with a LED and all next LEDs don't work, I will try to replace it and I hope it will be OK...

Could be that XBMC is interferring somehow, disabled it myself as I only use the the Raspberry Pi for Hyperion and some domotica stuff.
You can disable XBMC / Kodi completely if you want by excecuting this comand in your ssh shell:

echo "touch /var/lock/xbmc.disabled" > /storage/.config/autostart.sh

If you reboot afterwards it should no longer start up with it, however it might be different on OpenElec 5.0 so it could be this command instead if you run 5.0:

echo "touch /var/lock/kodi.disabled" > /storage/.config/autostart.sh

Edit : On the first page, you've write Hyperion can be used with Linux/Windows, could you provide me more informations about Hyperion on Windows ?

Will add some more info for the Linux/Windows support in the first post , Windows support is supplied by their respected plugins (AtmoLight / Kodi) and more or less the same with Linux.

The reason is that to be able to drive the leds it requires a direct connection to the leds for the WS2801 leds and most normal machines can't do that as they have no easily accessible SPI option, for the WS2812 leds it should be possible to run it on any generic Linux machine depending on the module requirements.
Windows support on the other hand is left out because the developers either love Linux or some parts of their C++ code or external module requirements can't run under Windows (more likely), would be great if they do make an Windows version of Hyperion some day but development seems slow for some time now so doubt it will happen anytime soon

Without the plugins there's the Video Capture solution which runs independently on the Raspberry Pi however that one is harder to setup properly but can be done as well, end result is best with the plugins (AtmoLight in my case) as Video Capture can have some color offsets as the analog conversion slightly washes the colors

 

[NicCo]

For my LEDs problem, here are 2 pictures from my project :

On the picture, you can find arrows to indicate LEDs strip arrows, power supply begin from the center of the bottom, LEDs with blue line are allways power on since I've finished my project, LEDs with orange line stay off sometimes or if its work, sometime its stay in the same color and don't change. This morning when I start Arduino Uno all LEDs power on red, green, blue without problem. But I've restart 3 times Arduino Uno and 1 time all LEDs were red then instead of becoming all green, only LEDs with blue line have changed to green and all LEDs with orange line not (stay red).

On the picture, you can find again arrows and you can find 2 circles, one red and one blue. Yesterday evening, when my Hyperion worked without problem, all LEDs were OK until I have a problem. All LEDs was power on but not LED with red circle, it stayed off and so all next LEDs was in an unstable state (not true color). Blue circle indicates the beginning of the problem when it's present. All next LEDs stay off from this blue circle to the end.

Do you think it's a power supply problem ? Mine is 5V 10A. I can use the same power supply if I add a connector at the end ? I think it's a LED problem amho, but I'm not sure.

About Windows and Linux, if Hyperion works on OpenElec/RPi, it could work identicaly with OpenElec/HTPC ? Or Hyperion uses a hardware function of RPi ?

Thanks

 

[Rick164]

Do you think it's a power supply problem ? Mine is 5V 10A. I can use the same power supply if I add a connector at the end ? I think it's a LED problem amho, but I'm not sure.

The random color for that exact strip does look like a defective part as it can sometimes work so the Arduino is sending it correctly at least, normally with lack of power you would see a gradual color change and not be directly to one color to the other (like the orange indicated part).
It can't hurt to wire power both at the beginning and end of the led strip though but make sure you have an 400 Ohm (or higher) resistor on the data pins to prevent any led damage further along:

Connection schema

More info

http://www.tweaking4all.nl/hardware/arduino/arduino-ws2812-led/


The capacitor mentioned there is optional and mine runs without that but the resistor is highly recommended.

Every led needs about 60mA tops (20mA per RGB color internally) so that power supply of 10A should be more than enough as well, near every led there are little arrows that show the direction of how they need to be connected (for data input) so you could check that and see if you haven't accidentally turned them around.
Let me know how it goes

 

[NicCo]

Thanks !
I think I have found a 470 Ohms resistor (yellow purple brown color code) so I'll use it on my project.
I have found a multimeter to test and I'll tell you (arrows direction are OK, I've checked several times).

Another question : have you tried with 3D half SBS movie ? Is it OK for colors ? Thanks !

 

[Lightning303]

I have found a multimeter

Great, you should measure the voltage at your blue/red circle. My guess is that the voltage is just to low at that point. As Rick said 3 times now, connect power also at the end .

Another question : have you tried with 3D half SBS movie ? Is it OK for colors ? Thanks !

If you are using AtmoLight, there shouldnt be a problem. AtmoLight has an option for that in the context menu.

 

[NicCo]

Thanks

I don't think it's a voltage problem but a defective part like Rick said in his last post but I'll try with multimeter and I'll tell you !

Ok for 3D, I'll try it (I don't have MediaPortal at the moment). Anyway in an aside, does MediaPortal auto switch TV to 3D SBS ? I have never tried that. Thanks !

 

[NicCo]

So I don't know why to think
I have made several tests with my project, start is everytime OK (all red, all green, all blue) and when I'm playing a movie all seems to be OK but sometimes LEDs stay in a wrong state on my orange line (but not all the line). It seems when colors are wrong, I pause video, I wait and after few seconds LEDs welcome OK. I have noticed also sometimes there is a green flash anywhere on my orange line.
Example with Resident Evil : screen is red on 75% of the screen, right side (orange line) is off or very light purple color, I pause video and after 5s right side is red.
I don't know if it's a data wire problem, a data send problem, a power supply problem or a hardware problem

Edit : With multimeter I have 5V everywhere on the LEDs strip

 

[Rick164]

If all else fails you could try testing the right side separately and see if the leds themselves are defective or its a length issue, there have been reports of faulty or fake WS2812B leds from time to time so I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case.

 

[NicCo]

Yes it's possible but I don't know why all LEDs are OK when Arduino starts (all red, all green, all blue then rainbow effect), when movie starts but after a little moment right side doesn't work correctly. I don't cost me anymore to add a power connector at the end, I think I'll try this first...