Please help me design a controller for this :(

[kmiller8]

After 2 and a half hours of streaming, this is what I got!



A pretty decent RGB matrix, but no controller

Reference of how each switch/LED is laid out.



Pretty much, the switch and the Red, Blue, and Green anodes are all on a row, while they all share a common ground. So I need something capable of sinking the current along each row (6 LEDs?) at any given time, which properly maintained shouldn't be more than 100mA, no?

Also, I need some sort of chip, I was thinking of using the same chip in the Teensy++ (AT90USB1286) since I already have schematics for how to lay it out on a board, and it has enough I/O to handle the entire matrix (42 pins) http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/schematic.html If someone knows of a better solution (easier to layout, less parts) please let me know, I am not attached to any programming language.

Soooooo. Things I need. Something that can source 100mA x 18 (one for each column?), and a go-ahead for the controller.

Guys, lets make the GHTK-RGB together <3

[engicoder]

If you just want to have all the leds lit as a group, you just need to add the appropriate drive transistors, etc. and use a few PWM outputs from the AVR ( I believe the AT90USB1286 has 9 available) to drive the color and brightness. If you plan to have individual control of the leds, you probably need to add one or more common cathode drivers such as the MAX7219 (in addition to you controller).

[kmiller8]

Ok so! I've been thinking about this thing all day, and I realized how stupid I was with my diode/LED configuration, The config I have posted makes it impossible to both sink the current required for the LEDs and detect if a switch is activated. So I have effectively "flipped" everything around, where the ground rail will now become a voltage source for a common anode for the RGB LED and the Diodes, which will allow me to sink each current individually on each LED rail!

I'll do up some drawings later, I'm just thinking out loud, for whoever is listening...

[kmiller8]

This is just.... too beautiful, I cannot believe I created this.



E: It's the Teensy++ Schematic, fit under the microcontroller used in the Teensy++ SUPER MICRO!!!

[__red__]

Time for you to set up a github and start publishing your designs :-)

[kmiller8]

Time for you to set up a github and start publishing your designs :-)

eh. maybe once I make something decent I'll release it

Here's a slightly revised micro-AT90, I pushed the USB resistors to the port, to allow for more room under the chip, and tried to make a "common-ground" circle thing on the inside. Only thing I don't like is the mass vias (7) in the lower left :/ I need to find a way to either spread them out, or remove them entirely.

[__red__]

The whole principle behind open source is "release early, release often".

The earlier you get feedback, bug reports and patches, the less work you have to do later to correct them.

[kmiller8]

The whole principle behind open source is "release early, release often".

The earlier you get feedback, bug reports and patches, the less work you have to do later to correct them.

Don't I need to attach some kind of license to this so that noone can just take it and use it as their own? That's one thing that kinda worries me if I put this out. Someone taking what I've done and using it in their own designs without any knowledge of mine :s

[__red__]

So, are you happy for people to use it and modify it for their own projects as long as they provide attribution to you for the original design?

(Although I will point out you may be in breach of the teensy++ license anyways as it is NOT an open hardware project).

[kmiller8]

So, are you happy for people to use it and modify it for their own projects as long as they provide attribution to you for the original design?

(Although I will point out you may be in breach of the teensy++ license anyways as it is NOT an open hardware project).

Hmm... that's interesting, of course I'd be fine with modifying and what-not just not commercial things without my approval :s

As for the teensy++ license, I'm not seeing anything explicit on their site, should I contact them about using their schematic? and if I did, what would I say "I've taken your schematic for a AT90USB and re-laid it out to my specifications, and now I want to licence that design"?

Thanks for your help

[alaricljs]

Be a bit more specific, such as whether or not you intend it as a breakout/project board in competition to the teensy (which I gather is not the point).  Also be specific about your intentions regarding free/commercial/open source.

[kmiller8]

Be a bit more specific, such as whether or not you intend it as a breakout/project board in competition to the teensy (which I gather is not the point).  Also be specific about your intentions regarding free/commercial/open source.

Right, I do not plan for it to be a breakout board, I was talking more about the entire board design, not just the controller part.

What would be the difference between the three, I'm assuming a commercial license would require payment of some kind to use the board design, which I don't want. Open source I'm assuming is like what ___red________ mentioned, where anyone can use it and modify it, assuming they credit me in some way. Free is the one that's confusing me :s and how it would differ from Open.

Like I somewhat mentioned, the big thing is that I don't want someone to be able to take any of my designs, and sell them without contacting me and asking permission. Do I even need some kind of licensing for that?

[alaricljs]

Free is that you will not charge, but that it won't be 'Open'... mostly this is valid for software, not hardware.

So in your case free might mean you'd require people to request the project files from you and maintain dictatorship control over their usage of it.

[kmiller8]

Free is that you will not charge, but that it won't be 'Open'... mostly this is valid for software, not hardware.

So in your case free might mean you'd require people to request the project files from you and maintain dictatorship control over their usage of it.

ok, so I'd probably want to do some sort of Open license, and just put everything on github like ___________orange_____ said. Is there something specific I need to do? Also, I stole these libraries from bpiphany, I should ask him for permission to use them before doing anything more serious than screenshots, right?

[alaricljs]

bp posted his libs and his intention for people to use them.  I've got them too and never found a license, so you're good there.

As to pjrc's schematic... it's awful similar to the adafruit http://www.adafruit.com/products/296 breakout.  No license that I can find there either.

[bpiphany]

Feel free to use anything I published. I don't know anything about the license jungle. If I did I may have attached something saying the same thing =)

Those capacitors for your clock crystal, aren't they going to end up inside the crystal?.. That looks like a pretty large crystal. I'm not sure even the other caps there are safe..

[kmiller8]

bp posted his libs and his intention for people to use them.  I've got them too and never found a license, so you're good there.

As to pjrc's schematic... it's awful similar to the adafruit http://www.adafruit.com/products/296 breakout.  No license that I can find there either.

Ok cool, I was kinda assuming these Atmega schematics are put out by Atmel themselves, but I can't find anything complete, just schematics related to the crystal and USB port.

I'll look into perhaps modifying it more closely to the AT90's datasheet (they have some different cap values)

Feel free to use anything I published. I don't know anything about the license jungle. If I did I may have attached something saying the same thing =)

Those capacitors for your clock crystal, aren't they going to end up inside the crystal?.. That looks like a pretty large crystal. I'm not sure even the other caps there are safe..

Thanks bpiphany, I'll still include your name somewhere <3, and holy poop yes, I'm severely underestimating the size of that crystal. Maybe I should switch over to a SMD one. I guess this is why I'll need to open source all this stuff, for you guys to help me out

[kmiller8]

SCREW IT. Licensing too confusing

https://github.com/TheKirkMiller/TK-RGB

I've tried, but it's ok.