Hm. In the end, I guess the use of xbee isn’t entirely necessary. I guess what I should explain what it was for in the first place.
How well do you know clubs? As a human being with ears that can communicate with other humans, I’d imagine you have a basic understanding, as most, and I’m sure you know the music just fine.
Keeping that in mind, the basic truth of the dance music in clubs is that it’s mixed right on the fly, which means predicting it is nearly impossible. Of course, I can use several sequences for the suit to try and match what the music is doing, but then, that seems a bit inaccurate. What I had been planning was to have the dancer not worry about what was going on, and have him simply dance, while I handled the light show.
True, this is a tad bit overkill. But what it really is is a show, right?
If it’s really so difficult to do, I can overlook it for now, and
perhaps come back with more experience, and that’s probably what’s best, right?
Mstaffa81:
Keeping that in mind, the basic truth of the dance music in clubs is that it’s mixed right on the fly, which means predicting it is nearly impossible. Of course, I can use several sequences for the suit to try and match what the music is doing, but then, that seems a bit inaccurate. What I had been planning was to have the dancer not worry about what was going on, and have him simply dance, while I handled the light show.
I agree that starting w/something simple and then building on that base, extending it's capabilities as you learn is a good way to go. The above makes me wonder ... perhaps the suit should listen to the music and react in some fashion ? This, again, may be more complex that is needed at first.
So I guess you have to decide where to start and if the EL_S is that starting point.
I think I might at least manage a microphone embedded in the suit, would that work?
Mstaffa81:
I think I might at least manage a microphone embedded in the suit, would that work?
A mic would need some additional circuitry to turn the volume into an easily useful commodity, aka a voltage proportional to the sound intensity. More info (ie - frequency content) would require more circuitry. Here's some perhaps marginally useful links ...
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12642
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10468
But, if I’m getting your original concept right, perhaps it makes more sense to make the “smarts” stay near the mixer table (or where-ever) and relay it’s analysis and commands to the EL suit. That way the suit is “light” in terms of processing power, battery power needed and weight and complexity. I’m liking your concept more and more. Heck, that’s why the X-mas lighting guys do it the way they do. A PC does all the heavy lifting (computationally) and just relays the instructions over a “simple” radio link to some “marginally smart” light controller and lights.
Alas I’m not an XBee guy. I would only know what I would read.
Perhaps another thread posted in the wireless forum with a link back to this would be in order?
Mstaffa81:
Perhaps another thread posted in the wireless forum with a link back to this would be in order?
Perhaps but I suspect a lot of the responses would be to point you toward some tutorial type links. :?
Most of which I’ve likely already tried to read
Also, I’ve discovered the previous forum thread and have been reading through it. Also, I’ve been playing with the Vixen program, and I do like it, but I wonder if there’s a better option such as Isadoras DMX output or something similar
Mstaffa81:
Also, I’ve discovered the previous forum thread and have been reading through it. Also, I’ve been playing with the Vixen program, and I do like it, but I wonder if there’s a better option such as Isadoras DMX output or something similar
DMX is The Standard but, IIRC, it requires a higher bit rate than most low cost radios can provide.
Low cost radios such as the xbee pro series 2? I don’t remember it’s rare off the top of my head. I know it can do 9600 easily, but the higher up speeds were a stretch for it I think
http://www.thedmxwiki.com/dmx_definitions/dmx512
DMX512 data is sent using RS-485 voltage levels and cabling practices. The DMX specification refers the reader to RS-485 for information about the electrical signal. Data are transmitted serially at 250 kbit/s and is grouped into packets of up to 513 bytes, called ‘slots’ in DMX512-A. Data are sent with 1 start bit and 2 stop bits, LSB first. The start of a packet is signified by a break of at least 88 uS followed by a “Mark After Break” (MAB), of at least 8uS (The 1986 version of the standard required a 4 uS MAB, this was extended to 8 uS in 1990). When receivers detect the break they restart their receiving code. Then up to 513 bytes are sent. The first byte is always the “Start code” byte. This tells receivers which kinds of data are being sent. For normal dimmer/level data, a start code of zero is used. Other start codes are used for Text packets or the System Information Packet (SIP), proprietary systems, or for the RDM extension to DMX.
The remaining bytes make up the actual level data. Up to 512 bytes can be sent, and it is the job of the receiver to count the bytes to keep track of the channels. As there is no error detection or correction in DMX, it is vitally important for receivers not to miss bytes, and to discard packets if framing or buffer overflow errors are detected.
A full packet takes approximately 23 mS to send, corresponding to a refresh rate of about 44 Hz. For higher refresh rates, fewer channels can be sent. This is accomplished by simply starting a new packet before all 512 channels have been sent. The minimum packet length is equivalent to 24 channels. Most transmitters send all 512 channels though, as many receivers have trouble with shorter packets.
And there you have it. No dmx for me then 
I’ve been looking more at Vixen, and I think it would be possible per your suggestions from that thread to get the suit running on that through the general serial connection. I can probably trim the transmission like you suggested, but I don’t know a lot about it to be completely honest. Also, I really don’t need the level of synchronization that the people in that thread were seeking as I’m working with a single suit, not 7 choreographed suits.
SO. Just a bit of an update (assuming anyone cares).
I succeeded in getting the program Vixen to communicate via serial connection with one of my Arduino units, and control a few LEDs in time to applied music. I know know, this isn’t terribly exciting to you advanced users, but to someone with limited coding knowledge, I gotta say it’s pretty great!
Anyway, the next step would obviously be extending that connection over the wireless serial connection via Xbee, which will likely come later, as soon as the EL sequencer is in and I can use it 
Woo!
Mstaffa81:
I succeeded in getting the program Vixen to communicate via serial connection with one of my Arduino units, and control a few LEDs in time to applied music.
And that's where I left off some time ago. But if the EL_S works as it should, that should also work for EL wire. Taking a shot at linking a PC and EL_S via XBees some time down the road should be a do-able step.
Excellent :3 I already spent a bit of time setting the channels to on and off positions in correspondence to a song (Fortune Days from Daftpunk) using a regular Arduino Uno and a prototyping breadboard to control LEDS instead of El wireless (as the sequencer hasn’t arrived yet)
I’ll be interested to hear how well the code works on when loaded on an EL_S, compared to the LEDs on an Uno. You’ll be breaking new ground as far as I’m concerned.
ps - Are you using Vixen 2.0 or 3.0 or ??
Orlly? Cool! I imagine it’ll work much the same way seeing as the arduino boot loader sees each el switch(?) As a digital pin which can read the on/off signals presented by Vixen. Also, I started off using Vixen 3, but I switched to 2 because that’s what most of the tutorials are using as an example.
Mstaffa81:
Orlly? Cool! I imagine it’ll work much the same way seeing as the arduino boot loader sees each el switch(?) As a digital pin which can read the on/off signals presented by Vixen.
Exactly ! But waaaaay too many years o experience has informed me to wait'n'see before declaring success.
paranoid … naahhhhhhhhh :mrgreen:
Oh no you’re certainly right sir. I won’t celebrate before success ^~^ I plan on testing the connection over regular serial first, and then hopefully expand to xbee serial communication (which I’m still trying to understand)
Hmm, I seem to have hit a snag. The el sequencer uses a certain type of port for all its connections. This is all well and good, but I can’t find these connectors anywhere around me, and online I’m probably looking in the wrong places or for the wrong thing.
I don’t care about soldering the new connectors on it, that’s not an issue. Just need to find some of those.
The battery, el wire strips, and inverter all need to have these connectors