Hello,

I'm really enjoying the two Octolively boards I purchased a few weeks ago. It's been fun coming up with ideas on how to make a bigger board and extend the sensitivity range of the LED sensors.

I would like to build a 120" x 120" platform for an upcoming aerial performance (I perform aerial circus as a hobby). I calculated the number of boards I would need and it was quite a bunch at 120"x120".

I've been looking at making bigger boards, using a different processor with more IO pins and multiplexing ICs, etc. It dawned on me that the Peggy 2 is a fairly similar design.

Do you think it would be possible to use a phototransistor and IR LED with a 10mm LED and cable out each group of three? Would this tax the processor too much or is the board not quite built for such a project (power requirements)?

Obviously some coding changes would be necessary. I'm juggling with how to build the system in an economical yet workable way. It'll be placed below me at an angle for the audience to watch the LEDs chase me through the performance. I tested two of the boards and they work quite well at a distance if I am lit from above properly.

Thanks again for any input!

A

The Peggy 2, the Peggy 2LE, Meggy Jr RGB, and Alpha Clock Five all share the same architecture: multiplexed LED arrays, driven one row at a time through high-performance PNP high-side drivers, with SPI LED driver chips on the columns. There is no direct connection between the microcontroller and the LED matrix.

Octolively is actually very different. The microcontroller directly drives the 16 LEDs, and reads in the signals from the 9 inputs. There is no "matrix"-- there are no high side drivers, and no LED driver chips. So, there's actually not much in common with the Peggy 2.

So, if you'd like to build a giant version of the Octolively, start with the Octolively architecture and extend it, not the other way around. (Also, Octolively tiles, so you can build this anyway.)

Do you think it would be possible to use a phototransistor and IR LED with a 10mm LED and cable out each group of three? Would this tax the processor too much or is the board not quite built for such a project (power requirements)?

I'm not sure which board you're talking about (Octolively or Peggy 2), but yes, these types of components can always be mounted on wire leads, so long as the leads aren't too thin or too long. Ethernet cable (24 gauge) is a good choice for most applications, and distances up to about 100 feet.

Hello,

Thanks for the information! I'll work on thinking up a way to make the Octolively larger and figure out what I need to order from you.

Thanks!

A

Hello,

Back again. Haha..

If I want to create an Octolively board that was 12" x 12" and incorporate several more LED/Photosensor/IR sections, do you think it would be possible to bump the processor up to a ATmega2561 and use the additional IO pins? Would your code with modifications be compatible with this processor?

If I put in an order for 600+ 10mm white diffused, can you handle that many LEDs for orders? Any ideas where I could purchase a 12" x 12" board for prototyping?

Thanks again for all the info!

A

Yes it would be possible, but at some point (more LEDs and sensors per processor) there are diminishing returns-- much of the CPU time is tied up with driving the LEDs and computing based on the sensor data. If you double the workload with twice as may sensors and LEDs, that might work, but you'll have to start thinking about it. One solution is to use a faster CPU. Another solution is to use more CPUs (and that's why the Octolively tile like this)-- which can even be located on a single PCB.

If I put in an order for 600+ 10mm white diffused, can you handle that many LEDs for orders? Any ideas where I could purchase a 12" x 12" board for prototyping?

Yes, our store handles these (and much larger) orders. The link is here. As for a big protoboard, it depends on the type that you're looking for. There *are* big perfboards out there, but they tend to be *very* expensive-- sometimes hundreds of dollars. A regular pegboard might be a better choice.

Awesome!

Thanks again for the info. A bit to think about and more to study.

Best!

A