Rainbowduino firmware v3.0 - Cannot enable more than 64 leds

End-Of-Life Products & Services Tech support before 2012
#1

Hi all.

I am using the 3.0 version of the rainbowduino firmware and I cannot turn on more than 64 leds at one time. Could someone explain to me what I am doing wrong?

In more detail, I am using 4 rainbowduinos to control an led board that has 21x32 single colour leds. If we ignore the other three rainbowduinos here is what I have observed:

1 rainbowduino maps to 6 columns of 32 leds. I can turn on 2 columns of 32 leds. If I instruct the device to turn a few columns on, then it will only enable the last two. Here is a code snippet:

void ColumnOn(byte col, byte brightness)
{
byte Addr = AR1;

if(col<6)
Addr = AR1;
else if (col>=6 && col<12)
Addr = AR2;
else if (col>=12 && col<18)
Addr = AR3;
else
Addr = AR4;

byte ardCol = col%6;
if(ardCol < 2)
sendCMD(Addr, CMD_SET_INK, brightness, 0x0, 0x0);
else if(ardCol==2 || ardCol==3)
sendCMD(Addr, CMD_SET_INK, 0x0, brightness, 0x0);
else
sendCMD(Addr, CMD_SET_INK, 0x0, 0x0, brightness);

byte sInd = col%2 * 4;
byte eInd = sInd + 4;
for (byte pin = sInd; pin < eInd; pin++)
{

   sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(0)); 
   sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(1)); 
   sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(2)); 
   sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(3)); 
   sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(4)); 
   sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(5)); 
   sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(6)); 
   sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(7));
}

}

I am sure that the device is capable of turning all rows on at the same time but I just cant figure out how to fix this issue.
Any advice would be very very appreciated.

thanks

#2

With all the experts out there, no-one can suggest a solution? :frowning:

#3

problem solved and I can now turn all the lights on at the same time.

the reason I could only display two columns at a time is because of the way functions map in the application runing on the rainbowduino. each pair of colums is actually controlled by either the red or green or blue pins.

sendCMD(Addr, CMD_DRAW_PIXEL, toByte(pin), toByte(0)); is actually reseting previously set values.

dohhh.