RGB Light Module

[Tom]

As per this discussion, I started working on a RGB Controller. I've got it running to cycle through colors normally or when connected to a serial port (via ttl-rs232 converter) it can be controlled from the computer. I finished the design on the module :



And I will be etching the boards tonight. I'll post some photos when I'm done.

Some Information:

- AVR Microcontroller : ATMega8
- 16Mhz Clock
- uart pinouts (communication)
- i2c pinouts (communication)
- analog inputs (to control the colors from analog sources)

More Information



- These boards are now available for beta - testing. Read this post for more information.
- You can find the partslist here
- Assembly instructions are available here

[Nishar]

Yoh....

I i might want one

[Tom]

Made the first board last night :



It's good that you want it, cos I'm hoping to convert it into a kit that you guys might wanna sell ....

Anyways, first need to sort out any problems and test it nicely.

[Nishar]

Yeah sure, stop by once youre done. I'm sure we can generate lots of interrest

[JacoV]

hi tom,

i made this little lamp for my girlfriend once...

perspex lamp.JPG (13.98 KiB) Viewed 3146 times

if you are interested i can design and built something similar (without the heart of course!) so that your RGB controller and LED fits inside to make a nice lamp? i think if one makes it out of frosted white perspex it will look great at night!

[Nishar]

U got some skills Jaco

[Tom]

Looks great Jaco, I'm sure a nice enclosure would work very well with this module, especially if you can make it really cool.

btw - got the first board/module up and running :



Check out the flickr page with notes on the photo to see what all the pins are for.



You'll notice that I'm already on revision 2. Thats due to a mistake I made the footprint of the AVR. Everything is up and running.

I'm currently also working on a bootloader for it. What that means is that you won't need to have an AVR programmer to update the firmare. It can be easily done over the serial port. No special hardware required, only a software download.

I'm planning on making 5-10 boards this weekend. What I would like to do is to sell these board to members of this forum. I'm only looking for people who are willing to beta test it and will give me feedback on it. The idea is to test them well before making any official kits. I will only sell the pcb and the avr. The rest of the components you would need to get from rabtron. I'll supply a full list of components with their rabtron partnumbers. Keep in mind that these are still under beta testing. I'd like to see you guys do some wacky stuff with them. I'll also be making more firmware available for various tasks.

If you are interested then please send me a pm. The board+avr should cost less than R100. I'm only making a maximum of 10 for now, so if you interested then let me know asap. Feel free to also make any other suggestions.

[Tom]

OK, the rgb boards are ready.

Features:
- 3 modes available:
-- communication: control from your computer
-- analog: control from an analog input (potentiometer or maybe even a temperature sensor)
-- cycle: will continuously cycle/fade between colours.

- ISP pins available for future firmware upgrades and writing your own programs.

Note: You will need to get the components separately from rabtron and solder it all together. The atmega8 is already programmed so you won't need to program it.

These are the options available :

- Main RGB Module Only Package

You will get an empty rgb module pcb with a pre-programmed atmega8.

R90

- Main RGB Module with Computer Connectivity

You will get two empty pcb's and a pre-programmed atmega8. One pcb is the rgb module and the other is a breakout board for rs232 level shift to connect it to a computer.

R110

If you are interested then pm me and I'll send you the banking details. All prices exclude shipping and postage. If your in the vaal triangle then we can arrange a pickup or if your further away then I can speedpost it to you. Also note that this is a beta test.

If you really want a unit, but you don't want to assemble it yourself then let me know. We can arrange something where you order the rest of the parts from rabtron. I'll get it from them, build it for you, (for a small fee ) and then send it to you.
--

In the next couple of days I will be posting a complete how to on putting these boards together along with a part list with part numbers for rabtron.

In the next two months alot of features will be added. These include:
- tutorial on connecting it to the internet to grab data and display via color (such as weather forecasts)
- tutorial on connecting it to a music source (have the colours change according to music)
- tutorial on changing the program to add more features
- a few tutorials on other great things you can do with the rgb module.

I'd like to get feedback on these boards on various ways that I can improve on it as well as your ideas on possible applications.

[Nishar]

Yes sir i'd like to see this baby in action

[Nishar]

Just had a brainstorm....
PC Case Modding...
I have a lekker case at home with a clear window.
It has Uv & Blue leds at the moment.
I'm thinking of incorporating it into my PC case, together
with functionality to change the colour through software.
TOM theres a potential goldmine here.