#Phidget LED controller compatibility

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

sage summit
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Hi All, does anyone know if the Phidget LED 64 Advanced is compatible with mobi? Im assuming not. Also is it something it maybe worth a developer adding?

Thanks

rancid stump
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Explain what it is, what it does and what chip it has on board. Don't leave us guessing or go ogling for basic info. 🙂

stiff gust
sage summit
rancid stump
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Maybe in racing sim, not here. 🙂
I mean, there might be people using it but not with Mobiflight.
Mobiflight's main idea is to use widely available and cheap components so everyone can afford building both, very simple, generic panels as well as the entire cockpits 🙂

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It is however impossible to support high variety of the hardware and there is a simple reason for that. There are too many of them. 🙂

sage summit
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Yea I get there are so many options but how else do people control a large number of indicator lights? I did a project and used a large number or relays which cost about the same as just buying a phidget.
I may be wrong but would've thought that would be a usefull addition, control including brightness for a large number of leds?

stiff gust
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We already support output shift registers and there are plenty of LED driver chips out there that function as shift registers.

slate fableBOT
sage summit
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Ohhh I'm dumb how did I forget about shift registers 😂

thin basin
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and well, a mega has quite a few pins. Use the pwm pins for lights and others for switches, and use as many megas as you need. If you want more leds as there are more regular than owm-capable pins, then add shift registers.

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Dont limit your thinking into one Arduino. The idea is you can have as many arduinos as you need. There is no reason to try to stuff everything into one.

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you can also just regulate ground for all leds with a N-type FET since you likely want to dim all warning lights together.

sage summit
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I'm building a tornado and the cwp has like 80 lights itself, just seems a bit mad having like 10 arduinos for 1 panel, ofcoure reduced by shift registers but doesn't power output from the arduino become an issue?

vapid crown
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2xDM13A daisy chained x 6 chains = 192 Leds on one arduino board using up 18 pins.

sage summit
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A single arduino can power that?

vapid crown
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Of course not

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You need external power

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The DM13A is a constant current sink so all leds can receive external power and sink to GND via the led driver chip.

sage summit
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Presumably power is input into these chips at somepoint?

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Right OK I see, are wiring diagrams fairly common for this.

vapid crown
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The chips themselves can be powered by the arduino, but not the leds.

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I have seen several diagrams. The one from Simvim comes up frequently.

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You can get creative and for example increase the voltage to 7v and power two leds in series for any double led annunciator.

sage summit
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Oh right intersting, thanks

thin basin
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yeah that warning lights panel is kinda special case, and especially if you plan to light most of them up at the same time, you want external power, and a led driver makes lot of sense

sage summit
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Indeed, I shall do some research

vapid crown
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My biggest consideration for a Led driver like DM13A is not having to install a resistor in each led.