So now that I have everything working correctly currently, I have noticed some issues when using the web interface.
I see that the site will intermittently show that my device is disconnected and will continue to toggle back and forth between connected and disconnected states; this happens until I reset the device and rediscover the PixelBlaze and setup wifi all over again. Not sure if this is an issue with my wifi, but I tend to think not because I have AP’s throughout the house.
Sometimes, during a lighting sequence, the PixelBlaze appears to freeze, and all LEDs become static. Sometimes it recovers, and other times it doesn’t. Sometimes the led’s go into a strange flashing sequence that doesn’t correspond to what I’ve selected. At this point, I have to disconnect the LEDs and power and reconnect.
Is there a way to use the PixelBlaze without needing a connection to wifi or the web interface. I would like to run everything off of a Raspberry Pi Zero.
Overall, I am really enjoying working with Ben’s PixelBlaze by far it is one of the easiest ways to enjoy using and experiment with LED’s
Sorry for the late reply. In addition to the captain’s good point about power supply, there are two other situations I’m aware of where this can happen:
Poor WiFi signal (either crowded 2.4Ghz environment or medium-long range from the associated AP)
Certain routers seem to just do poorly with ESP8266 (if you search the forums for ‘router’, you’ll find several people who swapped routers and found their problems went away).
Other than getting closer or a new router, there are two other things you can try:
Configure the Pixelblaze’s WiFi settings to create it’s own wireless network, and therefore not attempt to join the network causing issues. You can do this by holding down the button on your Pixelblaze for 5 seconds. It will keep your patterns but restart in WiFi setup mode, where you can select to “Configure AP”. When you want to work on it, you’ll need to join your client (laptop / mobile) to the WiFi network the Pixelblaze board is now creating.
Reduce the data it needs to send. The primary way to do this is by disabling the live pixel telemetry bar that spans the top of the Pixelblaze IDE. You can also disable the variable watcher and make sure you only have a single tab connected to the Pixelblaze (these last two suggestions are more mysticism / maybes. Disabling the pixel preview bar in low signal situations is consistently helpful).
