I’d like to start off by saying that I’m new to the electronics scene. What I want to do is have about 200 LEDs that fade in and out randomly (preferably several at time). That was the simple part; I'd also like the LEDs fade in and out rate to increase as processor load increases. Eg. 15% CPU load slow fade 10% CPU load fast fade Can anyone out there help me out?
a guy that got banned from CaseModGod did it, builtfordtough. use a parrelell connection and one of those basioc electronic LED kits. looks cool, but in the long run it might not be worth it, depending on what it's going in.
This sounds like a post for Animus or Hazer. They like PICs. You'll surely need a PIC to pull this off, maybe even more than one. I will tell you this: to get the CPU load will require interfacing with either the serial or parallel ports. Serial most likely, since speed is not an issue, and you're only trying to get one thing from it. But you'll need software to grab the CPU load from another program such as MBM or get it on its own and send it through either port in the right manner. Or you can dummy it. Use two thermistors, one measuring the ambient temperature, and the other measuring CPU temp as close to the core as possible. The difference of the two represents the "load" the CPU is under. It is by no means accurate, not by a long shot, but now you won't have to interface with the computer. And are you REALLY sure you want 200 LEDs? The last project I remember seeing with 200 LEDs was Project Anemone, but that was a 10-band spectrum analyzer, so it's not like you could have one without 200 LEDs.
I'm useing a com port and a rather crude vb program to do something like that. It simply drives the led's on my processor fan. it outputs 12v pulses that increase in speed with my cpu load.
I’m building the case out of carbon fiber. A thin piece of fine weave Red/Black carbon will be the "base." then 20mm hexagons (a total of 153 hexagons across the front, top, and sides of the case) will be laser cut out of a thicker sheet of fine weave Black/Black carbon fiber, the same pattern will be cut into a thin sheet of acrylic (so as to mimic the black carbon). The red sheet will be epoxied to the case, then the "hex-web" plexiglass will be epoxied to the red, lastly the black carbon will be attached to the plexi. This will give a black red honey-comb look, with a hidden plexiglass layer. At random joining sections of the hex-web I want to put an LED that will illuminate the surrounding Hexagons, so it will need roughly 50LEDs (200 was my original rough estimate). Does this make sense? I can imagine it being hard to picture. As for the CPU load, that was an after thought and isn’t completely necessary but I do need to know the bet way to implement the fading on and off LED lighting effect.
I know jack about programming PICs, but here's what I'd imagine. First, drop 1 LED. This will make sense in a bit. Next, picture the 49 in a 7*7 square (you don't have to position them like this, but it makes what I'm about to say a lot clearer). Going down the columns, wire the cathodes together, and going across the rows, wire all the anodes together (and put resistors on the ends of either the columns or rows). Now, you'll need a PIC w/ at least 14 I/O lines capable of sinking/sourcing +20mA per pin. 7 of those lines will be used to drive the columns, the other 7 for the rows. Now you need to program the PIC so that the row I/O lines are kept LOW and the cathode I/O lines are kept HIGH by default (those are logic states BTW), unless randomly selected (and here we venture in that area where I barely know what I'm talking about), then switch status. The fading action you may be able to program in the PIC, or you can use an external RC circuit. This would be a much better explanation if I knew a damn thing about PICs, but since I don't, this is what you get.
Thanks alot that should be of much help. If anyone out there has the courtesy to give me a circuit/schematic it would be much appreciated.
Im sure someone can help with the circuit, but I would like you to try something first: I see a big problem with the 200 LEDs. I have a picture in my head of what you described. Every so many interstections get an LED and a random-fading effect will be used so that each polygon will ight up. These polygons are in fact a sheet of plexi behind a carbon lattice. So for one side of the case, there will be one peice of plexi. I want you to take a thick peice of papaer (like the side of a cereal box) and cut the pattern you wish to use. Then place it over a sheet of acrylic. Now stick like 6 LEDs around it. Control them with switches or something. You will notice that those 6 LEDs will give the whole entire sheet of plexi a glow. You might notice a slight difference as you change from 6 to 3 LEDs lit at once. Im going to promise you this: if you put more than 15 LEDs on that sheet of plexi, you can change how many are lit and for how long till your blue in the face, and you wont see any visual effect. The whole thing will glow just the same. Add 200, and its worse. If you want LED patterns to light up the plexi, you need to find a way to sperate the polygons. Your idea is original and worthy, So test out how the lighting will work before you go and make a circuit for it. You may find a better way without buying 200 LEDs and getting into a large circuit.
Like I said in my second post the 200 was an extreme rough estimate 50 should more than suffice. Also from what I gather from your post you seem to have a flawed image in you head. The plexi will also have a "lattice" pattern, if everything works out you won’t even be able to tell that it is there.
Does anyone have any idea to what is involved in this mod? I want an effect that hasn't been done before but I bont have the knowledge to put it into effect.
Jesse... What might help people here is some graphics of what you are expecting to do. You're question is a bit too vague for everyone to conceptualize, and I think that is preventing anyone from answering your question to your satisfaction. If you can provide us with some crude drawings of what you want to do, we might be able to handle devising a circuit plan for you.
Now seriously, why should someone pass up the chance to become famous in the modding community, possibly even make some money, by telling you and everybody else first?
