Installation
Before you install the software for this project you'll need to make sure you're running the latest Arduino IDE 1.6.x version. In addition you'll need to install the Adafruit NeoPixel library using either the library manager (recommended) or a manual installation.
Once you have the Arduino IDE and NeoPixel library setup, click the button below to download the Arduino sketches for this project from their home on GitHub:
You can download these three Arduino sketches:
- Techno_Tiki_No_Remote_Control - This sketch is for a hardware setup that does not use the IR receiver and remote control.
- Techno_Tiki_With_Remote_Control - This sketch is for a hardware setup that uses the IR receiver and remote control.
- Techno_Tiki_Circuit_Playground_Express - This sketch is for a hardware setup using the Circuit Playground Express board. Be sure to follow the Circuit Playground Express guide to setup the Arduino IDE to load the board and install the necessary Circuit Playground library first!
Open the appropriate sketch in the Arduino IDE.
Configuration
If you're using a remote control there are some configuration settings you can change at the top of the Techno_Tiki_With_Remote_Control sketch:
// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2018 Tony DiCola for Adafruit Industries
// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2020 Erin St. Blaine for Adafruit Industries
//
// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
// Techno-Tiki RGB LED Torch with IR Remote Control
// Created by Tony DiCola
//
// See guide at: https://learn.adafruit.com/techno-tiki-rgb-led-torch/overview
//
// Released under a MIT license: http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
#include <avr/power.h>
#include <avr/sleep.h>
#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>
// Sketch configuration:
#define PIXEL_PIN 1 // Pin connected to the NeoPixel strip.
#define PIXEL_COUNT 6 // Number of NeoPixels. At most only about 100 pixels
// can be used at a time before it will take too long
// to update the pixels and IR remote codes might be
// missed.
#define PIXEL_TYPE NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800 // Type of NeoPixel. Keep this the default
// if unsure. See the NeoPixel library examples
// for more explanation and other possible values.
#define IR_PIN 2 // Pin connected to the IR receiver.
// Adafruit IR Remote Codes:
// Button Code Button Code
// ----------- ------ ------ -----
// VOL-: 0x0000 0/10+: 0x000C
// Play/Pause: 0x0001 1: 0x0010
// VOL+: 0x0002 2: 0x0011
// SETUP: 0x0004 3: 0x0012
// STOP/MODE: 0x0006 4: 0x0014
// UP: 0x0005 5: 0x0015
// DOWN: 0x000D 6: 0x0016
// LEFT: 0x0008 7: 0x0018
// RIGHT: 0x000A 8: 0x0019
// ENTER/SAVE: 0x0009 9: 0x001A
// Back: 0x000E
#define COLOR_CHANGE 0x000A // Button that cycles through color animations.
#define ANIMATION_CHANGE 0x0008 // Button that cycles through animation types (only two supported).
#define SPEED_CHANGE 0x0005 // Button that cycles through speed choices.
#define POWER_OFF 0x0000 // Button that turns off/sleeps the pixels.
#define POWER_ON 0x0002 // Button that turns on the pixels. Must be pressed twice to register!
// Build lookup table/palette for the color animations so they aren't computed at runtime.
// The colorPalette two-dimensional array below has a row for each color animation and a column
// for each step within the animation. Each value is a 24-bit RGB color. By looping through
// the columns of a row the colors of pixels will animate.
const int colorSteps = 8; // Number of rows/animations.
const int colorCount = 24; // Number of columns/steps.
const uint32_t colorPalette[colorCount][colorSteps] PROGMEM = {
// Complimentary colors
{ 0xFF0000, 0xDA2424, 0xB64848, 0x916D6D, 0x6D9191, 0x48B6B6, 0x24DADA, 0x00FFFF }, // Red-cyan
{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDADA24, 0xB6B648, 0x91916D, 0x6D6D91, 0x4848B6, 0x2424DA, 0x0000FF }, // Yellow-blue
{ 0x00FF00, 0x24DA24, 0x48B648, 0x6D916D, 0x916D91, 0xB648B6, 0xDA24DA, 0xFF00FF }, // Green-magenta
// Adjacent colors (on color wheel).
{ 0xFF0000, 0xFF2400, 0xFF4800, 0xFF6D00, 0xFF9100, 0xFFB600, 0xFFDA00, 0xFFFF00 }, // Red-yellow
{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDAFF00, 0xB6FF00, 0x91FF00, 0x6DFF00, 0x48FF00, 0x24FF00, 0x00FF00 }, // Yellow-green
{ 0x00FF00, 0x00FF24, 0x00FF48, 0x00FF6D, 0x00FF91, 0x00FFB6, 0x00FFDA, 0x00FFFF }, // Green-cyan
{ 0x00FFFF, 0x00DAFF, 0x00B6FF, 0x0091FF, 0x006DFF, 0x0048FF, 0x0024FF, 0x0000FF }, // Cyan-blue
{ 0x0000FF, 0x2400FF, 0x4800FF, 0x6D00FF, 0x9100FF, 0xB600FF, 0xDA00FF, 0xFF00FF }, // Blue-magenta
{ 0xFF00FF, 0xFF00DA, 0xFF00B6, 0xFF0091, 0xFF006D, 0xFF0048, 0xFF0024, 0xFF0000 }, // Magenta-red
// Other combos.
{ 0xFF0000, 0xDA2400, 0xB64800, 0x916D00, 0x6D9100, 0x48B600, 0x24DA00, 0x00FF00 }, // Red-green
{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDAFF24, 0xB6FF48, 0x91FF6D, 0x6DFF91, 0x48FFB6, 0x24FFDA, 0x00FFFF }, // Yellow-cyan
{ 0x00FF00, 0x00DA24, 0x00B648, 0x00916D, 0x006D91, 0x0048B6, 0x0024DA, 0x0000FF }, // Green-blue
{ 0x00FFFF, 0x24DAFF, 0x48B6FF, 0x6D91FF, 0x916DFF, 0xB648FF, 0xDA24FF, 0xFF00FF }, // Cyan-magenta
{ 0x0000FF, 0x2400DA, 0x4800B6, 0x6D0091, 0x91006D, 0xB60048, 0xDA0024, 0xFF0000 }, // Blue-red
{ 0xFF00FF, 0xFF24DA, 0xFF48B6, 0xFF6D91, 0xFF916D, 0xFFB648, 0xFFDA24, 0xFFFF00 }, // Magenta-yellow
// Solid colors fading to dark.
{ 0xFF0000, 0xDF0000, 0xBF0000, 0x9F0000, 0x7F0000, 0x5F0000, 0x3F0000, 0x1F0000 }, // Red
{ 0xFF9900, 0xDF8500, 0xBF7200, 0x9F5F00, 0x7F4C00, 0x5F3900, 0x3F2600, 0x1F1300 }, // Orange
{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDFDF00, 0xBFBF00, 0x9F9F00, 0x7F7F00, 0x5F5F00, 0x3F3F00, 0x1F1F00 }, // Yellow
{ 0x00FF00, 0x00DF00, 0x00BF00, 0x009F00, 0x007F00, 0x005F00, 0x003F00, 0x001F00 }, // Green
{ 0x0000FF, 0x0000DF, 0x0000BF, 0x00009F, 0x00007F, 0x00005F, 0x00003F, 0x00001F }, // Blue
{ 0x4B0082, 0x410071, 0x380061, 0x2E0051, 0x250041, 0x1C0030, 0x120020, 0x090010 }, // Indigo
{ 0x8B00FF, 0x7900DF, 0x6800BF, 0x56009F, 0x45007F, 0x34005F, 0x22003F, 0x11001F }, // Violet
{ 0xFFFFFF, 0xDFDFDF, 0xBFBFBF, 0x9F9F9F, 0x7F7F7F, 0x5F5F5F, 0x3F3F3F, 0x1F1F1F }, // White
// Rainbow colors.
{ 0xFF0000, 0xFF9900, 0xFFFF00, 0x00FF00, 0x0000FF, 0x4B0082, 0x8B00FF, 0xFFFFFF }
};
// List of animations speeds (in milliseconds). This is how long an animation spends before
// changing to the next step. Higher values are slower.
const uint16_t speeds[5] = { 400, 200, 100, 50, 25 };
// Global state used by the sketch:
Adafruit_NeoPixel strip = Adafruit_NeoPixel(PIXEL_COUNT, PIXEL_PIN, PIXEL_TYPE);
volatile bool receiverFell = false;
uint8_t colorIndex = 0;
uint8_t animationIndex = 0;
uint8_t speedIndex = 2;
void setup(void) {
// Setup IR receiver pin as an input.
pinMode(IR_PIN, INPUT);
// Initialize and clear the NeoPixel strip.
strip.begin();
strip.clear();
strip.show(); // Initialize all pixels to 'off'
// Enable an interrupt that's called when the IR receiver pin signal falls
// from high to low. This indicates a remote control code being received.
attachInterrupt(0, receiverFalling, FALLING);
}
void loop(void) {
// Main loop will first update all the pixels based on the current animation.
for (int i = 0; i < PIXEL_COUNT; ++i) {
switch (animationIndex) {
case 0:
{
// Animation 0, solid color pulse of all pixels.
uint8_t currentStep = (millis()/speeds[speedIndex])%(colorSteps*2-2);
if (currentStep >= colorSteps) {
currentStep = colorSteps-(currentStep-(colorSteps-2));
}
// Note that colors are stored in flash memory so they need to be read
// using the pgmspace.h functions.
uint32_t color = pgm_read_dword_near(&colorPalette[colorIndex][currentStep]);
strip.setPixelColor(i, color);
break;
}
case 1:
{
// Animation 1, moving color pulse. Use position to change brightness.
uint8_t currentStep = (millis()/speeds[speedIndex]+i)%(colorSteps*2-2);
if (currentStep >= colorSteps) {
currentStep = colorSteps-(currentStep-(colorSteps-2));
}
// Note that colors are stored in flash memory so they need to be read
// using the pgmspace.h functions.
uint32_t color = pgm_read_dword_near(&colorPalette[colorIndex][currentStep]);
strip.setPixelColor(i, color);
break;
}
}
}
// Next check for any IR remote commands.
handleRemote();
// Show the updated pixels.
strip.show();
// Again check for IR remote commands.
handleRemote();
}
void receiverFalling() {
// Interrupt function that's called when the IR receiver pin falls from high to
// low and indicates the start of an IR command being received. Note that
// interrupts need to be very fast and perform as little processing as possible.
// This just sets a global variable which the main loop will periodically check
// and perform appropriate IR command decoding when necessary.
receiverFell = true;
}
bool readNEC(uint16_t* result) {
// Check if a NEC IR remote command can be read and decoded from the IR receiver.
// If the command is decoded then the result is stored in the provided pointer and
// true is returned. Otherwise if the command was not decoded then false is returned.
// First check that a falling signal was detected and start reading pulses.
if (!receiverFell) {
return false;
}
// Read the first pulse with a large timeout since it's 9ms long, then
// read subsequent pulses with a shorter 2ms timeout.
uint32_t durations[33];
durations[0] = pulseIn(IR_PIN, HIGH, 20000);
for (uint8_t i = 1; i < 33; ++i) {
durations[i] = pulseIn(IR_PIN, HIGH, 5000);
}
// Reset any state changed by the interrupt.
receiverFell = false;
// Check the received pulses are in a NEC format.
// First verify the initial pulse is around 4.5ms long.
if ((durations[0] < 4000) || (durations[1] > 5000)) {
return false;
}
// Now read the bits from subsequent pulses. Stop if any were a timeout (0 value).
uint8_t data[4] = {0};
for (uint8_t i=0; i<32; ++i) {
if (durations[1+i] == 0) {
return false; // Timeout
}
uint8_t b = durations[1+i] < 1000 ? 0 : 1;
data[i/8] |= b << (i%8);
}
// Verify bytes and their inverse match. Use the same two checks as the NEC IR remote
// library here: https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-NEC-remote-control-library
if ((data[0] == (~data[1] & 0xFF)) && (data[2] == (~data[3] & 0xFF))) {
*result = data[0] << 8 | data[2];
return true;
}
else if ((data[0] == 0) && (data[1] == 0xBF) && (data[2] == (~data[3] & 0xFF))) {
*result = data[2];
return true;
}
else {
// Something didn't match, fail!
return false;
}
}
void handleRemote() {
// Check if an IR remote code was received and perform the appropriate action.
// First read a code.
uint16_t irCode;
if (!readNEC(&irCode)) {
return;
}
switch(irCode) {
case COLOR_CHANGE:
// Color change command, increment the current color animation and wrap
// back to zero when past the end.
colorIndex = (colorIndex+1)%colorCount;
break;
case ANIMATION_CHANGE:
// Animation change command, increment the current animation type and wrap
// back to zero when past the end.
animationIndex = (animationIndex+1)%2;
break;
case SPEED_CHANGE:
// Speed change command, increment the current speed and wrap back to zero
// when past the end.
speedIndex = (speedIndex+1)%5;
break;
case POWER_OFF:
// Enter full power down sleep mode.
// First turn off the NeoPixels.
strip.clear();
strip.show();
while (true) {
// Next disable the current falling interrupt and enable a low value interrupt.
// This is required because the ATtiny85 can't wake from a falling interrupt
// and instead can only wake from a high or low value interrupt.
detachInterrupt(0);
attachInterrupt(0, receiverFalling, LOW);
// Now enter full power down sleep mode.
power_all_disable();
set_sleep_mode(SLEEP_MODE_PWR_DOWN);
sleep_mode();
// Processor is currently asleep and will wake up when the IR receiver pin
// is at a low value (i.e. when a IR command is received).
// Sleep resumes here. When awake power everything back up.
power_all_enable();
// Re-enable the falling interrupt.
detachInterrupt(0);
attachInterrupt(0, receiverFalling, FALLING);
// Now wait up to 1 second for a second power on command to be received.
// This is necessary because the first power on command will wake up the CPU
// but happens a little too quickly to be reliably read.
for (int i=0; i<200; ++i) {
uint16_t irCode;
if ((readNEC(&irCode) == 1) && (irCode == POWER_ON)) {
// Second power on command was received, jump out of the power on loop and
// return to normal operation.
return;
}
delay(5);
}
// If no power on command was received within 1 second of awaking then the
// code will loop back to the top and go to sleep again.
}
}
}
In particular change the PIXEL_COUNT value from 6 to the appropriate number of NeoPixels used in your hardware (like 10, etc.).
Notice you can change which remote control buttons control the sketch by adjusting the COLOR_CHANGE, ANIMATION_CHANGE, SPEED_CHANGE, POWER_OFF, and POWER_ON values at the bottom. For now keep the default values but be aware you can change them based on the remote codes in the comments above.
If you're not using a remote control there's a different set of configuration values you can change in the Techno_Tiki_No_Remote_Control sketch:
Change the PIXEL_COUNT value from 6 to the number of pixels used in your hardware (like 10, etc).
In addition you can adjust the speed and type of animation by changing the SPEED_MS and ANIMATION values. Read the comments to see how these values will change the animation behavior. Remember there is no remote control so the only way to change animation is by adjusting the sketch and uploading it to the hardware again.
You can also choose the animation color in this part of the sketch:
// Color animation values. Each value is a 24-bit RGB color value that will be displayed
// at that current step in the animation. Make sure only ONE row is uncommented below!
const int colorSteps = 8; // Number of steps in the animation.
const uint32_t colorAnimation[colorSteps] PROGMEM =
// Complimentary colors
//{ 0xFF0000, 0xDA2424, 0xB64848, 0x916D6D, 0x6D9191, 0x48B6B6, 0x24DADA, 0x00FFFF }; // Red-cyan
//{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDADA24, 0xB6B648, 0x91916D, 0x6D6D91, 0x4848B6, 0x2424DA, 0x0000FF }; // Yellow-blue
//{ 0x00FF00, 0x24DA24, 0x48B648, 0x6D916D, 0x916D91, 0xB648B6, 0xDA24DA, 0xFF00FF }; // Green-magenta
// Adjacent colors (on color wheel).
{ 0xFF0000, 0xFF2400, 0xFF4800, 0xFF6D00, 0xFF9100, 0xFFB600, 0xFFDA00, 0xFFFF00 }; // Red-yellow
//{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDAFF00, 0xB6FF00, 0x91FF00, 0x6DFF00, 0x48FF00, 0x24FF00, 0x00FF00 }; // Yellow-green
//{ 0x00FF00, 0x00FF24, 0x00FF48, 0x00FF6D, 0x00FF91, 0x00FFB6, 0x00FFDA, 0x00FFFF }; // Green-cyan
//{ 0x00FFFF, 0x00DAFF, 0x00B6FF, 0x0091FF, 0x006DFF, 0x0048FF, 0x0024FF, 0x0000FF }; // Cyan-blue
//{ 0x0000FF, 0x2400FF, 0x4800FF, 0x6D00FF, 0x9100FF, 0xB600FF, 0xDA00FF, 0xFF00FF }; // Blue-magenta
//{ 0xFF00FF, 0xFF00DA, 0xFF00B6, 0xFF0091, 0xFF006D, 0xFF0048, 0xFF0024, 0xFF0000 }; // Magenta-red
// Other combos.
//{ 0xFF0000, 0xDA2400, 0xB64800, 0x916D00, 0x6D9100, 0x48B600, 0x24DA00, 0x00FF00 }; // Red-green
//{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDAFF24, 0xB6FF48, 0x91FF6D, 0x6DFF91, 0x48FFB6, 0x24FFDA, 0x00FFFF }; // Yellow-cyan
//{ 0x00FF00, 0x00DA24, 0x00B648, 0x00916D, 0x006D91, 0x0048B6, 0x0024DA, 0x0000FF }; // Green-blue
//{ 0x00FFFF, 0x24DAFF, 0x48B6FF, 0x6D91FF, 0x916DFF, 0xB648FF, 0xDA24FF, 0xFF00FF }; // Cyan-magenta
//{ 0x0000FF, 0x2400DA, 0x4800B6, 0x6D0091, 0x91006D, 0xB60048, 0xDA0024, 0xFF0000 }; // Blue-red
//{ 0xFF00FF, 0xFF24DA, 0xFF48B6, 0xFF6D91, 0xFF916D, 0xFFB648, 0xFFDA24, 0xFFFF00 }; // Magenta-yellow
// Solid colors fading to dark.
//{ 0xFF0000, 0xDF0000, 0xBF0000, 0x9F0000, 0x7F0000, 0x5F0000, 0x3F0000, 0x1F0000 }; // Red
//{ 0xFF9900, 0xDF8500, 0xBF7200, 0x9F5F00, 0x7F4C00, 0x5F3900, 0x3F2600, 0x1F1300 }; // Orange
//{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDFDF00, 0xBFBF00, 0x9F9F00, 0x7F7F00, 0x5F5F00, 0x3F3F00, 0x1F1F00 }; // Yellow
//{ 0x00FF00, 0x00DF00, 0x00BF00, 0x009F00, 0x007F00, 0x005F00, 0x003F00, 0x001F00 }; // Green
//{ 0x0000FF, 0x0000DF, 0x0000BF, 0x00009F, 0x00007F, 0x00005F, 0x00003F, 0x00001F }; // Blue
//{ 0x4B0082, 0x410071, 0x380061, 0x2E0051, 0x250041, 0x1C0030, 0x120020, 0x090010 }; // Indigo
//{ 0x8B00FF, 0x7900DF, 0x6800BF, 0x56009F, 0x45007F, 0x34005F, 0x22003F, 0x11001F }; // Violet
//{ 0xFFFFFF, 0xDFDFDF, 0xBFBFBF, 0x9F9F9F, 0x7F7F7F, 0x5F5F5F, 0x3F3F3F, 0x1F1F1F }; // White
// Rainbow colors.
//{ 0xFF0000, 0xFF9900, 0xFFFF00, 0x00FF00, 0x0000FF, 0x4B0082, 0x8B00FF, 0xFFFFFF };
By default a red-yellow animation will be used with the sketch. However you can comment the red-yellow line and uncomment a different line to change the animation. Remember only one line should be uncommented! If you have multiple lines uncommented then you'll receive an error trying to compile the sketch.
For example to change to the rainbow color animation at the end you would change the section to look like:
// Color animation values. Each value is a 24-bit RGB color value that will be displayed
// at that current step in the animation. Make sure only ONE row is uncommented below!
const int colorSteps = 8; // Number of steps in the animation.
const uint32_t colorAnimation[colorSteps] PROGMEM =
// Complimentary colors
//{ 0xFF0000, 0xDA2424, 0xB64848, 0x916D6D, 0x6D9191, 0x48B6B6, 0x24DADA, 0x00FFFF }; // Red-cyan
//{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDADA24, 0xB6B648, 0x91916D, 0x6D6D91, 0x4848B6, 0x2424DA, 0x0000FF }; // Yellow-blue
//{ 0x00FF00, 0x24DA24, 0x48B648, 0x6D916D, 0x916D91, 0xB648B6, 0xDA24DA, 0xFF00FF }; // Green-magenta
// Adjacent colors (on color wheel).
//{ 0xFF0000, 0xFF2400, 0xFF4800, 0xFF6D00, 0xFF9100, 0xFFB600, 0xFFDA00, 0xFFFF00 }; // Red-yellow
//{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDAFF00, 0xB6FF00, 0x91FF00, 0x6DFF00, 0x48FF00, 0x24FF00, 0x00FF00 }; // Yellow-green
//{ 0x00FF00, 0x00FF24, 0x00FF48, 0x00FF6D, 0x00FF91, 0x00FFB6, 0x00FFDA, 0x00FFFF }; // Green-cyan
//{ 0x00FFFF, 0x00DAFF, 0x00B6FF, 0x0091FF, 0x006DFF, 0x0048FF, 0x0024FF, 0x0000FF }; // Cyan-blue
//{ 0x0000FF, 0x2400FF, 0x4800FF, 0x6D00FF, 0x9100FF, 0xB600FF, 0xDA00FF, 0xFF00FF }; // Blue-magenta
//{ 0xFF00FF, 0xFF00DA, 0xFF00B6, 0xFF0091, 0xFF006D, 0xFF0048, 0xFF0024, 0xFF0000 }; // Magenta-red
// Other combos.
//{ 0xFF0000, 0xDA2400, 0xB64800, 0x916D00, 0x6D9100, 0x48B600, 0x24DA00, 0x00FF00 }; // Red-green
//{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDAFF24, 0xB6FF48, 0x91FF6D, 0x6DFF91, 0x48FFB6, 0x24FFDA, 0x00FFFF }; // Yellow-cyan
//{ 0x00FF00, 0x00DA24, 0x00B648, 0x00916D, 0x006D91, 0x0048B6, 0x0024DA, 0x0000FF }; // Green-blue
//{ 0x00FFFF, 0x24DAFF, 0x48B6FF, 0x6D91FF, 0x916DFF, 0xB648FF, 0xDA24FF, 0xFF00FF }; // Cyan-magenta
//{ 0x0000FF, 0x2400DA, 0x4800B6, 0x6D0091, 0x91006D, 0xB60048, 0xDA0024, 0xFF0000 }; // Blue-red
//{ 0xFF00FF, 0xFF24DA, 0xFF48B6, 0xFF6D91, 0xFF916D, 0xFFB648, 0xFFDA24, 0xFFFF00 }; // Magenta-yellow
// Solid colors fading to dark.
//{ 0xFF0000, 0xDF0000, 0xBF0000, 0x9F0000, 0x7F0000, 0x5F0000, 0x3F0000, 0x1F0000 }; // Red
//{ 0xFF9900, 0xDF8500, 0xBF7200, 0x9F5F00, 0x7F4C00, 0x5F3900, 0x3F2600, 0x1F1300 }; // Orange
//{ 0xFFFF00, 0xDFDF00, 0xBFBF00, 0x9F9F00, 0x7F7F00, 0x5F5F00, 0x3F3F00, 0x1F1F00 }; // Yellow
//{ 0x00FF00, 0x00DF00, 0x00BF00, 0x009F00, 0x007F00, 0x005F00, 0x003F00, 0x001F00 }; // Green
//{ 0x0000FF, 0x0000DF, 0x0000BF, 0x00009F, 0x00007F, 0x00005F, 0x00003F, 0x00001F }; // Blue
//{ 0x4B0082, 0x410071, 0x380061, 0x2E0051, 0x250041, 0x1C0030, 0x120020, 0x090010 }; // Indigo
//{ 0x8B00FF, 0x7900DF, 0x6800BF, 0x56009F, 0x45007F, 0x34005F, 0x22003F, 0x11001F }; // Violet
//{ 0xFFFFFF, 0xDFDFDF, 0xBFBFBF, 0x9F9F9F, 0x7F7F7F, 0x5F5F5F, 0x3F3F3F, 0x1F1F1F }; // White
// Rainbow colors.
{ 0xFF0000, 0xFF9900, 0xFFFF00, 0x00FF00, 0x0000FF, 0x4B0082, 0x8B00FF, 0xFFFFFF };
Upload
Once you've configured the sketch for your hardware you're ready to upload it to the Gemma board. Before you upload make sure you've setup the Arduino IDE to program Gemma. In the Tools -> Board menu select the Arduino Gemma board (you can use this option even if you're using the Adafruit Gemma boards). Also in the Tools -> Programmer menu select the USBtinyISP option.
Make sure the Gemma's USB micro/mini connector is connected to your computer. If your Gemma board has an on/off switch slide it into the on position. Press the reset button on the Gemma and you should see its red light start pulsing as the bootloader waits for a sketch to be uploaded. In the Arduino IDE press the upload button or use the Sketch -> Upload command. After a few moments you should see the sketch uploaded to the hardware (on Linux systems you might see broken pipe errors that can be ignored).
If you receive an error be sure to read the Gemma guide and confirm you can upload a basic LED blinking sketch.
If you're using more than 6 LEDs you might not see them light up because they can draw more current than some USB ports provide. Unplug the Gemma from your computer and plug in the lithium ion battery. Ensure the Gemma on/off switch is in the on position (if your Gemma has a switch). Verify that the Gemma board turns on and after it waits a few seconds in the bootloader (with a pulsing red LED) it should turn on all the LEDs and start animating.
If you're using an IR receiver and remote control check that you can control the hardware behavior with the remote control. Point the remote control at the front of the IR receiver. By default the sketch is programmed to use these buttons on the remote:
- Vol- - This turns off the hardware and puts it into a low power sleep mode where it draws about 11mA of current (compared to ~200+ mA while animating pixels).
- Vol+ - When the hardware is in low power sleep mode press this button twice to turn it back on into full power mode. Remember you need to press the button twice.
- Up Arrow - This cycles through the animation speeds.
- Left Arrow - This cycles through the two different types of animation.
- Right Arrow - This cycles through the different colors of animation.
Try pressing the buttons and verify they work as expected. If the buttons aren't working make sure the remote control has a fresh battery and the plastic tab is removed which protects the battery during shipping. Also ensure the IR receiver is correctly connected to the Gemma (its signal line must be on pin D2). Note that with Circuit Playground Express you need to hold the remote control very close to the board as its IR receiver sensitivity through the glass beads/vase filler isn't as good as a stand-alone sensor.
Once your hardware is working you're ready to move on to finish assembling the project.
Page last edited January 22, 2025
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