LedTriks Controller Assembly Instructions
Background
While there are a myriad of computer based controller hardware available that will run under the Vixen software for controlling Christmas lighting, there were no LED display panels that could be controlled thru Vixen. Robert Jordan decided that the Vixen community needed a LED sign and took it upon himself to design and prototype an LED scrolling board. While Robert had seen LED boards everywhere, he wanted on that allowed you to do text and animation. He envisaged a LED display board that could be your show sign and a place for animations during the show.
Why LEDTRIKs? When Robert first announced the concept of the board he was working on to the Vixen Forum, some suggested to Robert that the board would allow users to perform tricks with LEDs aka ‘LEDTRIKs’.
Circuit Diagram
The circuit Diagram for LEDTRIKS is linked below. The current version is 6.0.
The circuit is based on three MBI5027-GN-5027 16 Bit Constant current LED Sink Driver Integrated Circuits. The PC is connected to the LEDTRIKS via the RJ45 connector IN. You will need to assemble an interface cable to connect from the PC to the IN socket on the LEDTRIKS controller. The cable details are specified in the Building the Interface Cables section.
The board can be what every size you like. The LEDTRIKS Board can control a single 16 x 48 LED board and up to 4 boards can be connected together – side by side.
Shown above (TBI) - LEDTRIKS Board Configuration Examples are the standard configuration – 1 panel wired in a 16 x 48 LED pattern and one of the optional configurations – 2 panels and two controllers wired ix a 16 x 96 LED pattern. As the software is configured at the moment (pre-release), text and animation will be able to scroll across a 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, or 1x4 panel display.
1 Jun 2007. KC is looking into a change in the software to allow a 2 x 1, and up to 4 x 1 configurations.
The PCB design (version 6 – public BETA) is the current version of the LEDTRIKs design and has been configured for Vixen control and up to four boards can be cascaded.