μPixels (microPixels)

Addressable RGB LED Strip controller for MicroPython enabled micro-controllers

Features
Changelog
Screenshot
Requirements
Dependencies
Schematic
Setup
Quick Start
REST API Reference
Documentation
Additional Resources
Tested On
Special Thanks

Features

Up and running in just three lines of code!
User-friendly interface hosted from the micro-controller itself!
Complete control over animations from delay time, color, brightness
Completely customizable animations and user interface which is written with just Python/HTML/CSS/JS!
Use with the user interface or programmatically using the Animations API
Call animations from the network!
Support for optional separate status indicator LED

### Out of the Box Animations:
- Rainbow
- Rainbow Chase
- Bounce
- Sparkle
- Wipe
- Chase
- RGB Fade
- Alternating Colors
- Random Fill
- Fill from Middle
- Fill from Sides
- Fill Strip
- Christmas

Changelog

| Release | Changes | Date | | :—–: | :————————————————————————– | :——-: | | v2.0 | <ul><li>Offical release of /execute API</li><li>add setStrip method</li><li>New rainbow chase + wipe + sparkle animations</li><li>Segment length on chase animation</li></ul> | 12/31/2020 | | v1.2 | <ul><li>New colors section</li><li>New Christmas lights animation</li></ul> | 3/22/2020 | | v1.1 | <ul><li>New status LED indicator</li><li>New startup animation</li></ul> | 9/2/2019 | | v1.0 | <ul><li>FIRST RELEASE!!</li></ul> | 8/12/2019 |

Screenshots

Animations screen

Colors screen

Requirements

Micro-controller that supports MicroPython(like the NodeMCU ESP8266)
WS2812 Individually Addressable RGB LEDs
3V3 to 5V Logic Level Shifter
A regular LED(optional)
270 ohm resistor
1000 μF capacitor
5V Power Supply(The amperage depends on your project. Each LED draws about 60mA @ full brightness/completely white)
Wi-Fi network for your micro-controller to connect to(if you want to use the controller interface)
USB cable to transfer files to your micro-controller(depending on your situation)
More info on materials: Adafruit, Sparkfun

Dependencies

uWeb (get it from my repo here) ### MicroPython Libraries:
- neopixel
- uos
- urandom
- ujson
- usocket

Schematic

The circuit diagram below is one possible configuration for μPixels.

schematic

Some Notes:

Depending on your board, you may not need the Logic Level Shifter. The NodeMCU ESP8266(which I used for testing) is a 3V3 board while the LED Strip is a 5V device so it is important that the 3V3 signal is converted to 5V so that everything works properly.
The power supply that you will need for your project will vary depending on the number of LEDS you want to drive(Rule of thumb: Each individual LED draws about 60mA @ full brightness/completely white). Refer to these resources to decide: Adafruit, Sparkfun
The capacitor between the terminals of the power supply helps to smooth the supply of power as power draw can change drastically.
It is important that all the grounds are connected together.
It is recommended to power the LED strip directly from the power source. Don’t power the strip from the board. Your board might not be able to supply the necessary current and it will blow up 💥.
You may power the LEDs directly from the board if you only want to drive a few LEDs.

Setup

Install MicroPython on your board if you have not already (ESP8266 installation)
Install μWeb by following the INSTALLATION instructions on my repo.
Head over to the releases tab on this repo. Download the source code for the latest version. Copy the μPixels project files to your board using the same method you used to copy the μWeb files. Make sure that you have transferred:
- uPixels.css
- uPixels.html
- uPixels.js
- uPixels.py
Construct the circuit above (or a variation of it, depending on your board). You may also follow these hookup guides: Adafruit, Sparkfun
Check out the Quick Start section for examples.
Make sure you also have a boot.py for the initial setup of your board(ie: connecting to wifi) and main.py for the μPixels code.
Power up your board.
Navigate to your board’s IP address on port 8000 using a web browser to access the UI(Ex: 192.168.100.48:8000)
Enjoy the light show!

Quick Start

Example application using the μPixels user interface:

from uPixels import uPixels

pixels = uPixels(4, 30) # init a μPixels object using Pin 4 and controlling a LED strip with 30 LEDS
pixels.startServer() # start the server that hosts the UI on port 8000

Example application using Animations API:

from uPixels import uPixels

pixels = uPixels(4, 30) # init a μPixels object on Pin 4 that is controlling a LED strip with 30 LEDS

for i in range(3):
    pixels.chase(ms=40, color=(100, 0, 0), direction='right') # do a chase animation three times with delay of 40ms, red color, going right.

pixels.randomFill(ms=150, color=None) # random fill animation with 150ms delay and random colors

See the docs below for usage of all the μPixels animations!

REST API Reference

After running uPixels.startServer(), the following routes will be available at the address and port set when uPixels was initialized(Default: 0.0.0.0:8000).

`GET /`

Response

Returns uPixels user interface(works best on a mobile browser)
Add this page to your phone’s homescreen using Chrome(Android) or Safari(iOS) for an app-like experience(tutorial)!
POST /execute
Run animations from the Animations API and other methods via a POST request to this route from any device connected on the same network as your microcontroller.
All animations from the Animations API can be called from here as well as the setStrip, setSegment, and clear methods.
BEWARE of infinite loop animations. Once you start them, they can’t be stopped unless you do a hard reset!

Parameters

This route takes a JSON body with an action and params to be passed to the action
Required:
- action - (string) name of function/animation to be run(name must be same as method names in documentation)
- params - (object) named params to be passed to the function(if no params, pass an empty object)
  - When color is needed, pass a color object with r, g, b values, such as ```JSON { … “color” : { “r”: 100, “g”: 100, “b”: 100, } }
  - NOTE: For the altColors animation, pass a firstColor and secondColor object

Ex: To run the rainbow animation(w/ params), send a JSON body like this:

{
	"action": "rainbow",
	"params": {
		"ms": 10,
		"iterations": 1
	}
}

Ex: To run setStrip, which takes a color, send a JSON body like this:

{
	"action": "setStrip",
	"params": {
		"color": {
			"r": 255,
			"g": 50,
			"b": 50
		}
	}
}

Ex: To run clear, which takes no params, send a JSON body like this:

{
	"action": "clear",
	"params": {}
}

Response

On success, the response will have a 200 status with no body.
On error, the response will have a 400 status and will return an error message. Check the MicroPython WebREPL for a more detailed error message!

Documentation

Objects

`uPixels.uPixels(pin, num_leds, address="0.0.0.0", port=8000)`

###### Description Initialize a uPixels object to control a LED strip with num_leds on pin. Address and port specifies where to host the UI.

###### Parameters

pin - (int) pin where the LED strip data line is connected
num_leds - (int) number of LEDS on strip
address - (str) address to listen on. Default: “0.0.0.0”
port - (int) port to listen on. Default: 8000

Attributes

uPixels.device_name - (str) name of device
uPixels.pin - (machine.Pin) pin object of board that LED is connected to
uPixels.np - (neopixel.NeoPixel) Neopixel object
uPixels.address - (str) address UI is hosted on
uPixels.port - (int) port UI is hosted on
uPixels.animation_map - (dict) mapping of animation names to their corresponding functions. Used when calling the animations from the UI.
uPixels.statusLED - (int) pin number of status LED indicator. Default: 5

Server Methods

`uPixels.setDeviceName(name)`

###### Description Sets name of device ###### Parameters

name - (str) device name

`uPixels.startServer()`

Description

Serves the UI using the uWeb server on specified address and port

`uPixels.app()`

###### Description Renders the UI template to client

`uPixels.execute()`

###### Description Runs when uPixels receives a POST request from the client and executes the animation from uPixels.animation_map

`uPixels.setStatusLED(pin)`

###### Description Set the pin number for the optional status LED indicator ###### Parameters

pin - (int) pin number where your LED is connected. NOTE: set this to False to disable the status LED indicator

`uPixels.toggleServerStatusLED(status=1)`

###### Description Toggle the status LED indicator ###### Parameters

status - (int) state of the LED to set; 0 = off, 1 = on. Default: 1.

Animations API

`uPixels.startupAnimation()`

###### Description Default startup animation played when uPixels is first initialized. Override this method to set a custom animation.

`uPixels.chase(ms=20, color=None, segment_length=5, direction='right')`

###### Description Chase animation going left or right ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 20
color - (tuple) RGB color for animation in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)
segment_length - (int) number of LEDs to be used. Default: 5
direction - (str) direction of animation; ‘left’ or ‘right’. Default: ‘right’

`uPixels.fillStrip(ms=25, color=None)`

###### Description Fill strip animation starting from the first LED ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 25
color - (tuple) RGB color for animation in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)

`uPixels.fillFromMiddle(ms=40, color=None)`

###### Description Fill strip animation starting from the middle of the strip ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 40
color - (tuple) RGB color for animation in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)

`uPixels.fillFromSides(ms=40, color=None)`

###### Description Fill strip animation starting from both ends ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 40
color - (tuple) RGB color for animation in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)

`uPixels.randomFill(ms=150, color=None)`

###### Description Random filling of strip one LED at a time ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 150
color - (tuple) RGB color for animation in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)

`uPixels.altColors(ms=125, firstColor=None, secondColor=None)`

###### Description Alternating colors every other LED on strip ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 125
firstColor - (tuple) RGB color for first color in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)
secondColor - (tuple) RGB color for second color in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)

`uPixels.bounce(ms=20, color=False)`

###### Description Bouncing animation of one LED from left to right and back ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 20
color - (tuple) RGB color for animation in the format (r, g, b). Default: False(random color)

`uPixels.rgbFade(ms=20)`

###### Description Fade of RGB values on whole strip ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 20

`uPixels.rainbow(ms=20, iterations=2)`

###### Description Cycle of colors in rainbow over entire strip ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 20
iterations - (int) repetitions of animation

`uPixels.rainbowChase(ms=50)`

###### Description Rainbow chase animation ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 50

`uPixels.wipe(ms=20, color=None)`

###### Description Wipe animation ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 20
color - (tuple) RGB color for animation in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)

`uPixels.sparkle(ms=10, color=None)`

###### Description Sparkle animation ###### Parameters

ms - (int) delay time in milliseconds. Default: 10
color - (tuple) RGB color for animation in the format (r, g, b). Default: None(random color)

`uPixels.clear()`

###### Description Clears entire strip

Helper Methods

`uPixels.setStrip(color)`

###### Description Set entire strip to a color ###### Parameters

color - (tuple) RGB color in the format (r, g, b).

`uPixels.setSegment(segment_of_leds, color)`

###### Description Set specified segments of LEDS to a color ###### Parameters

segment_of_leds - (list) positions of each individual LED to be set(Ex: [1, 4, 10] will set LEDS @ index 1, 4, and 10 to the color).
color - (tuple) RGB color in the format (r, g, b).

`uPixels.randInt(lower, upper)`

###### Description Returns a random number between lower and upper(not including upper) ###### Parameters

lower - (int) lower bound
upper - (int) upper bound(this value is not included in the function) ###### Returns
(int) integer between lower and upper not including upper

`uPixels.randColor()`

###### Description Return a random RGB tuple ###### Returns

(tuple) RGB tuple in form (r, g, b). Min: 0, Max: 255

`uPixels.wheel(pos)`

###### Description Rainbow wheel function used in the rainbow animations ###### Parameters

pos - (int) position in wheel ###### Returns
(tuple) RGB tuple representing the position of the wheel

Additional Resources

Tested on

NodeMCU v3 (ESP8266)
WS2812b Individually Addressable RGB LEDs

Special Thanks

MaterializeCSS
Google Material Design Icons
Spectrum.js
noUiSlider.js
MicroPython
jQuery
jgarff - rpi_ws281x

μPixels (microPixels)

Addressable RGB LED Strip controller for MicroPython enabled micro-controllers

Contents

Features

Changelog

Screenshots

Requirements

Dependencies

Schematic

The circuit diagram below is one possible configuration for μPixels.

Some Notes:

Setup

Quick Start

Example application using the μPixels user interface:

Example application using Animations API:

See the docs below for usage of all the μPixels animations!

REST API Reference

GET /

Response

POST /execute

Parameters

Response

Documentation

Objects

uPixels.uPixels(pin, num_leds, address="0.0.0.0", port=8000)

Attributes

Server Methods

uPixels.setDeviceName(name)

uPixels.startServer()

Description

uPixels.app()

uPixels.execute()

uPixels.setStatusLED(pin)

uPixels.toggleServerStatusLED(status=1)

Animations API

uPixels.startupAnimation()

uPixels.chase(ms=20, color=None, segment_length=5, direction='right')

uPixels.fillStrip(ms=25, color=None)

uPixels.fillFromMiddle(ms=40, color=None)

uPixels.fillFromSides(ms=40, color=None)

uPixels.randomFill(ms=150, color=None)

uPixels.altColors(ms=125, firstColor=None, secondColor=None)

uPixels.bounce(ms=20, color=False)

uPixels.rgbFade(ms=20)

uPixels.rainbow(ms=20, iterations=2)

uPixels.rainbowChase(ms=50)

uPixels.wipe(ms=20, color=None)

uPixels.sparkle(ms=10, color=None)

uPixels.clear()

Helper Methods

uPixels.setStrip(color)

uPixels.setSegment(segment_of_leds, color)

uPixels.randInt(lower, upper)

uPixels.randColor()

uPixels.wheel(pos)

Additional Resources

Tested on

Special Thanks

`GET /`

`POST /execute`

`uPixels.uPixels(pin, num_leds, address="0.0.0.0", port=8000)`

`uPixels.setDeviceName(name)`

`uPixels.startServer()`

`uPixels.app()`

`uPixels.execute()`

`uPixels.setStatusLED(pin)`

`uPixels.toggleServerStatusLED(status=1)`

`uPixels.startupAnimation()`

`uPixels.chase(ms=20, color=None, segment_length=5, direction='right')`

`uPixels.fillStrip(ms=25, color=None)`

`uPixels.fillFromMiddle(ms=40, color=None)`

`uPixels.fillFromSides(ms=40, color=None)`

`uPixels.randomFill(ms=150, color=None)`

`uPixels.altColors(ms=125, firstColor=None, secondColor=None)`

`uPixels.bounce(ms=20, color=False)`

`uPixels.rgbFade(ms=20)`

`uPixels.rainbow(ms=20, iterations=2)`

`uPixels.rainbowChase(ms=50)`

`uPixels.wipe(ms=20, color=None)`

`uPixels.sparkle(ms=10, color=None)`

`uPixels.clear()`

`uPixels.setStrip(color)`

`uPixels.setSegment(segment_of_leds, color)`

`uPixels.randInt(lower, upper)`

`uPixels.randColor()`

`uPixels.wheel(pos)`