I mentioned in the last update that I wanted to work on streaming video to SmartLED Shield for Teensy 4 over USB, and I was able to make some good progress over the last week. After looking at what open source options exist for streaming video to LEDs over USB, Fadecandy seemed like the best project to use as a starting point, and I figured out how to add support for streaming to the Teensy 4 to Fadecandy. It’s working quite well, and is able to drive a huge 128 x 64 panel at 60 FPS over USB. Here’s a quick demo:

A little background: "Fadecandy is a tool for creating interactive light art using addressable LED lighting" designed by Micah Elizabeth Scott (scanlime), and was made to drive WS2811 "Neopixel" addressable LEDs over USB with higher color depth and smoother interpolation than they normally have. I’m a fan of the high quality fades and colors that can be made with Fadecandy.

Fadecandy is designed to work with multiple types of controllers in parallel, so you can have a project that uses a mix of WS2811 LEDs using a Fadecandy Controller, and HUB75 and APA102 LEDs using a SmartLED Shield for Teensy 4, and just add more controllers to drive larger displays.

I’ll post another update when the Fadecandy changes are complete and up on GitHub.

Campaign Update

We’re at the midway point of the campaign, with 75% of the goal already raised! Thanks again for backing and sharing this project and helping make it a success.