It also uses a client/server architecture, meaning the tasks of rendering animation and communicating with the Fadecandy USB boards can take place on separate machines on a network (or on the same system, if you’d prefer).
With tiny and super-affordable Linux systems like the Raspberry Pi, it’s not unthinkable to dedicate a whole machine to the server task. Linked to a wireless network, it accepts connections from other systems and forwards data to the Fadecandy USB hardware.
This all means…
- The server-side hardware can be assembled into a tidy package with just a single power cord protruding…no visible rat’s nest of wires…you don’t even need to run a USB or Ethernet cable to the outside.
- You can kick back with your favorite laptop and write animation code without being tethered to the Fadecandy hardware. How cool is that?