Synthiam with Adafruit NeoPixel Mini

Question

Dear Ez-Robot Profs :-)

I found only extrem old threads for NeoPixel Leds. now NeoPixel is integraded in ARC Software but since two years.. no new products by Ez-Robot are aviable.

I want to use this for my project: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1612

But I dont know how I cannect this led-board to my EZB and how I change the led-colors with ARC.

BlinkM was the best but not aviable since two years. I want a RGB Led-Boad for my Robot eyes but I dont want to use servo Ports from the EZB for changing led-colors.. servo ports are for my servos.

I also need small LED-Boad like BlinkM or Neo Pixel Mini (link above)

I hope someone can help me ?

regards Asimo

Jeremie · Answer

Hello @Asmio  There are a couple ways to control Neopixels with ARC. You can use an Arduino or the Neopixel blaster.  Check out this thread that is discussing it just recently: https://synthiam.com/Community/Questions/neo-pixel-control-18613

robo rad · Answer

Wow I watched the youtube video on this,very impressive,so EZ Robot still selling this blaster?

Asimo · Answer

@Jeremie not the best way to use a Arduino. a Neopixel blaster ist not available, in "Coming Soon" status since two years on ez-robot webpage. and a selfmade Neopixel Blaster is nothing for me. Im just a kid and not a IT specialist do you think its nice that EZ-robot has at the moment no easy way to use RGB-Leds for robots? I mean all robots want RGB-Leds. cheers

Jeremie · Answer

My recommendation would to be to use a very small and affordable arduino (mini, micro, nano, digispark, etc) to drive addressable RGB LEDs. They are very popular these days and are a very low cost. If you'd like to use regular RGB LEDs just use 3 of the 24 I/O ports on the EZ-Bv4 and use PWM signals to drive the RGB LED's Red, Green, and Blue pins to make any color. I made an RGB LED tutorial at the end of this live Hack if you're interested.

Asimo · Answer

Dear Jeremie, thank you for the video and help. but I cannot use Servo-Ports, because I use all 24 ports for servos. and for arduino min boards I find no video, how to control the arduino RGB-Leds with the EZ-Robot-Software and Controller. I hope one day ez-robots new neo pixel products coming out.

Jeremie · Answer

Hello again @Asimo, Looks like I2C is a good idea then, I found this video that may help you make your own I2C slave device:  You can then communicate with the EZ-Bv4 connected to the Arduino with I2C (with some pull-up resistors on the SDA and SCL Lines). The EZ-Bv4 I2C lines are 5V tolerant so you don't need a level shifter.

Asimo · Answer

thank you Jeremie :-) but this is another big board, the most small boards have no I2C ports.. and then I need a second energy source for two differnt boards with an Lipo Battery and I need the place for two boards on my robot. its the same like using two EZ-Boards, the big and tiny together.. then can I control color-leds with the servo ports of tiny.. but for me is EZ-Robot "all in one" If I need other mainboards to control lights.. EZ-Robot is not the future anymore. at the beginnig of ez-robot you needed one board for all functions, only - the future. I dont like Andoino, thats why I bought EZ-Robot. I will not closed this thread as "solved" till we have a EZ-Robot solution. I want to connect a led-board like BlinkM to EZB and will control the lights. that was perferct a few years ago. you plan NeoPixel in future and for this you need a blaster.. not so cool.. you need a second hardware. why ez-robot produce not own BlinkM Boards ? :-))

Jeremie · Answer

Naw, that’s not completely true, the small Arduino boards also have analog 4 and 5 broken out (which are I2C pins). Even Digisparks have I2C pins, you just need to look at the alternate pin functions. EZ-Robot doesn’t have a hardware designer any longer, as I am at Synthiam now. Synthiam doesn’t manufacture hardware but we encourage others to make our designs like the neopixel blaster. If you and others from our community approached some maker companies you might be able to persuade them to manufacture our designs. Companies like to know there’s a demand for something before they take the risk of manufacturing it. I posted the link to making your own Arduino based I2C slave device because that’s what I would do. Sometimes it’s faster and more economical to use an Arduino as a slave device than to develop a custom piece of hardware. Times have certainly changed.  Just this past week I found out that our local PCB manufacturer has closed it’s doors and completely shut down because they can’t compete with China’s prices. It’s very sad. The whole electronics industry has been rapidly changing for sometime now.