Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Ultravanillasmurf on January 05, 2025, 07:52:24 PM
-
Having read the description of lighting a cave with a flickering LED in https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=141862.msg1892945#msg1892945 (https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=141862.msg1892945#msg1892945)
I thought the Pimoroni TinyFX might be of interest.
It comes in two variants, one with wifi/Bluetooth and one without.
https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/tiny-fx-w?variant=53485434798459 (https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/tiny-fx-w?variant=53485434798459)
https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/tinyfx?variant=42086044827731 (https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/tinyfx?variant=42086044827731)
It has six sockets to control single colour LEDs and one to control RGB LEDs, a socket for a speaker, a socket for connecting a range of input and sensors (I2C interface) and a socket for a sensor. It can be powered by either a USB-C cable or a 5V socket.
Did I mention the sockets? It is fully assembled and requires no soldering.
They have a range of LEDs all either pre-wired with a suitable plug or with sockets to take cables with suitable plugs.
Originally designed for lighting Lego models there are spot LEDs that fit in the Lego studs.
There are also LED strips that can be daisychained together.
Their range of associated items https://shop.pimoroni.com/collections/tiny-fx (https://shop.pimoroni.com/collections/tiny-fx)
The board does need to be programmed, but there are plenty of examples available.
I have one that I intend to use to light a Sarissa Supermarket
-
Of interest and thanks for posting. But 5V is a very odd voltage here in the US - is the market dominantly in the UK for this product?
I will explore more later.
-
5 Volts is a USB thing I think (rather than batteries) so will be easily supplied by any standard USB power adapter (eg one for a phone)
-
But 5V is a very odd voltage here in the US - is the market dominantly in the UK for this product?
I will explore more later.
5 Volts is a USB thing I think (rather than batteries) so will be easily supplied by any standard USB power adapter (eg one for a phone)
5V is an Neopixel thing (rather than 3.3V) , (there is a suitable 3xAAA battery pack in the starter set).
As Fred says, USB supply by default, battery as option.
[Edit it is RGB not Neopixel]
-
5V has been traditional for microcontrollers for years especially within the Arduino boards as both voltage in (Vin) and data pin voltage (both in and out) and it's only 'upstarts' like the ESP range, Pi and Pico boards (and 'look-a-likes') that have accelerated the move to 3v3 - the Arduino guys are now releasing boards with this as the primary I/O pin voltage.
5v power from USB or even up to 12v via barrel jack is normally regulated onboard by simple one-chip regulators giving power to the on-board circuits and external devices but more complex chips (such as the Pi) require multiple voltages (e.g. 1.8v) with phased provision during boot up in some cases. This has lead to programable power chips that are small microprocessors themselves (though very dumb ones TBH).
Assuming 'USB' is only 5v is dangerous as the newer standards (USB PD) allow for 48V at 5A to power / charge devices. This is the main reason you should not buy a cheap 'charger' or cable and I always pay extra for a good brand - one simple error in the chip that controls the power delivery or incorrect cabling and you can have a dead device (or fire in the house)! Unfortunately the standard committee have renamed USB so many times its very very easy to confuse the connector type 'USB-C' with the actual data / power configuration and it gets a mess when HDMI / Audio / Thunderbolt get thrown into the mix and they are all over the same connector with a plain cable and sometimes work and sometimes do not :-(
This complexity comes with a cost - I've seen fried boards where the wrong sensor / actuator was used or projects fail where the connected devices do not work as they have not got the right voltage for the inputs. Level converters are available (traditionally 3v3 to 5v) BUT these can be too slow or electrically noisy for some applications so always check everything is compatible before plugging power in - releasing the 'black magic smoke*' from inside components stops things working very quickly.
* This is the secret ingredient found in all circuit components (all we see is the prison) that make them work - the wrong voltage is used to break out like a sledge hammer :-) :-)