I want to mention a project I’m thinking about…
I have a small truck camper. Maybe 6.5’ feet (about 2 meters) wide.
I’m thinking about putting perhaps 8 strips across the ceiling. Cool White, Warm White, Amber (WWA) strips.
I’d have a small ‘control panel’ with a couple pots and buttons. Adjust color temp, brightness, and a spots size and location.
So, you could turn up the spot size to full size, and the entire ceiling is lit. Or turn it all the way down to a single pixel. And be able to move that spot to any location. That way I can have a large spot over the table. Move it over the bed, and turn it down to a small light for a reading light. Move it over the sink.
Conserving power is a major consideration, so I always want the minimum light required.
The physical construction is no problem.
The code is over my head at the moment, but I’m catching on.
It’s a matrix (built out of strips), and so you can use the map to make it basically “steerable” by just changing the center spot location (you can cheat this with a picker, so it’s even graphic) and the radius/size of the light (so from one pixel to the entire map), and of course, brightness/etc. If you want two or three lights, just add more controls each.
The code is pretty trivial, look at the shape stuff in recent threads: it’s just a circle but you could fancier if you wished.
Build it and the code will happen with help from here.
I’ve already got a test setup… I built a similar version, but w/ RGB led’s, for my sons under-bed fort. I’ve got it wired through an output expander, and have it mapped. Have two pots on the sensor board (but not tested yet).
Existing 2d patterns play correctly on it.
But… It’s not ideal because at night when I have time to tinker, I can’t get to it. I might need to get another pixelblaze to play with.
But, I haven’t started on the code at all. I’m at the ‘looking at examples’ phase now.
I’ll look for the shape conversations, and check out the code Wizard posted. And I think I’ve seen someone mention a game in the patterns which is controlled by potentiometers.
Is it possible in the pixelblaze environment, to change the function of the potentiometers w/ the press of a button (or with a switch)? I was thinking about using just two pots. And have them do the x/y position. And press a button/flip a switch to change to color temp and brightness.