So what happened as a small idea for adding directional lights on my funwheel grew to something bigger and better. Together with thankthemaker, who did an awesome job on the firmware, we created a plug and play add on for vesc based projects to add front and backlights which changes with the direction you are going, gives you audible feedback for various warnings, etc.
Check the website to learn more about it.
Specs:
7.5v to 76v INPUT
5v OUTPUT
1A max output
WS28… Digital strip output for front and back light
Check the documentation on the hardware page. It is all written there.
We recommend using adafruit neopixels but any ws28… ledstrip will work. But the neopixel has the best quality. You can add as much as you want untill you reach 1amp. That is the max.
1A is pretty low for front, rear, and battery monitoring strips.
Worst case scenario (max brightness, 60mA each pixel) that’s only 16 pixels with no overhead. That’s about one 10.5" (26cm) long strip at 60 pixels/meter.
I have 18 of the neopixel skinny in the front and 9 in the back. I had also 18 in the back but i shorted it accidentinatly It worked perfect. If you use full white on max brightness then you have to measure how much you use offcourse but 1 amp for front and back is enough.
For diy onewheelers you have the option to use the odd/even pattern that fades on the direction you are going which is only consuming even less.
Maybe we can do that indeed but as this is a hobby where we got carried away and we focus on the pcb and firmware first. We are not a company but just 2 guys with a love for diying
But it’s definatly a good idea to take it into account and maybe provide an option to sell the neopixel and wires.
No of course, if you’re not at full brightness, you’ll draw less than that. 60mA is an extreme safety number.
But i’ll bet someone buys your product and immediately tries to max full brightness on every pixel. Especially if you’re marketing this as useful for driving lights (all white).
Well yes, but this is an esk8 forum, so longboards have a lot more real estate for LED strands. It’s quite commmon to have a 28" wheelbase. Someone’s going to try to put 2 strip of 28" long LEDs on either side of their enclosure (~ 84 LEDs) and burn out your board.
I’ll stop here. Just saying, 1A is very low for esk8
You can say your concern offcourse, no problem
People will have to see for themselfs if the 1 amp would be enough or not. It is something on our list for the next rev for sure. We are focusing on diyers so i hope they count the leds
I read now that you think there turn signals but that is not the case.
Front and backlight changes on the direction you are going. Like for onewheels for example if they change direction the leds will follow.
Here is a video when i start my onewheel. Who recognizes it?
In this example i picked a startup sequence for my LED’s and a tune. These things can be adjusted via our layout in the blynk app.
Also i used the odd/even pattern for the leds but they can be full too. On an longboard the front would stay white and the back red or any other color you like.
Some people are familiar with flashing an ESP32 mini and/or even own one allready. It’s very commonly used. They can buy the pcb and provide there own. For People not familiar with it they can buy a flashed esp32 and just click it on the pcb.
The esp32 is the brain of the project so it doesn’t work without. Without it you would just have a stepdown regulator
