LED - Light Controller #2 - Hardware Buildout for Light Controller Box

The idea for a Light Controller Box is from the old idea of an internet controlled switch.  You have some type of control that sets or unsets a relay so that power is turned on/off at a plug.  Normally these things are in racks of equipment and are used for emergency shutdown and reducing power in a network room when a server is not needed.  The idea suits my needs because I want to be able to switch a string of lights on and off.  This is the basis for many of the light shows that you can find videos from on YouTube.

First off, I wanted something to keep the equipment dry and at the same time be able to run the power cables as necessary.  At first, I thought about using a cheap toolbox and cutting out holes for the power ports and switches.  One other thing that I was going to have to do was to figure out some sort of seal around the lid and some way to waterproof the connections going into the toolbox.  However, after thinking about it, I decided that this was too much work on my part for what I was getting.  I wanted something that I could buy and quickly setup as necessary since I was going to need a couple of these.  So I settled on the idea of a DriBox which is a plastic box that has openings for power cables so that you can put say a power strip in it and plug cables into it.  The cables are put into slots in the box that have grommets that fit around the power cables when the lid is put back on.  It is not completely waterproof, but you can run a hose on it and it does keep the contents dry.

Next, I figured that I could take the electronics and put them on a piece of Plexiglas with standoffs that could be screwed into the Plexiglas along with some "feet" on the other side.  That way, I could put everything together, check it out and then put it into the box quickly.  That would save a lot of time for repairs.  I could also re-purpose the electronics to another project later by simply removing the Plexiglas board from the DriBox and unscrewing the power lines.  I also chose to put the 16 port io extenders on a full size Adafruit perma-proto board with connectors pointing up so that this could be reused as well.  Prototyping of the whole circuit can be done on a regular breadboard and then moved over to the perma-proto board because the connections are identical.  There is even space on the board for the connector to the Raspberry Pi.

The next post will have a circuit diagram for the 16 port extension.  I might even invest in a RPi hat that has the same characteristics if I can find one.

LED - Light Controller #1 - Introduction and Idea

I have been thinking about next Christmas season and I have decided to get my act together and put together a LED Strip Controller Helix and Light Switching Box.  I want it to be RPi/Arduino controlled and interfaced to my home network.

The requirements for Light Switching Box are as follows:

1. Circuit A and B, with inputs A and B from mains
2. 8 individually switched circuits - one socket per
3. Main switch toggles off, circuit A or circuit A+B - real switch
4. Fuses on incoming?
5. One socket always connected to circuit A for RPi, always powered when A is plugged in
6. Connection to RPi through I2C, 16 port ic through level shift
7. 8 ports used for 8-port relay, remaining 8 ports for switch and led functions?
8. RGB led for boot up/armed function, RGB led for other indication
9. Triple LED strip controller PCM (WS2812B)

The requirements for the LED Strip Controller Helix are as follows:

1. Base the light on a helical strip wrapped around a 4 inch pvc pipe.  I can get about 4.5 inches in between each coil on a four foot section and make use of the controls in each
2. Cap the top so that water cant get in
3. Place an Arduino and power supply, for the LED strip, inside the pipe to keep it out of the weather.  If the Arduino can be controlled wirelessly, I can communicate with it to send update commands with my home network.
4. Four wire line (for power and i2c data/clock) in the case of a non wirelessly controlled Arduino or, a Two wire line (for power) in the case of a wirelessly controlled Arduino controller.  Power only going into the box is obviously preferred.
5. Communicate from the Light Switching Box to each Helix to relay commands and synchronize the light show.