ECE434 Project- LED Matrix Information Board
Embedded Linux Class by Mark A. Yoder
Team members: Andrew Weger
Contents
Grading Template
I'm using the following template to grade. Each slot is 10 points. 0 = Missing, 5=OK, 10=Wow!
00 Executive Summary 00 Packaging 00 Installation Instructions 00 User Instructions 00 Highlights 00 Theory of Operation 00 Work Breakdown 00 Future Work/Conclusions 00 Hackster.io 00 Demo/Poster 00 Not Late Score: --/100
Executive Summary
In this project, I took my BeagleBone Black and a LED matrix from Adafruit and created a clock that shows the current temperature outside.
Packaging
If you have hardware, consider Small Build, Big Execuition for ideas on the final packaging.
Installation Instructions
GitHub: The repository for this project can be found here. BBB_Led_Matrix_Info_Board
Hardware: Below are the following products used to complete this project.
- BeagleBone Black
- Micro SD Card
- LED Matrix
- 5V 4A Power Supply
- DC Power adapter - 2.1mm jack to screw terminal block
- 8cm Prototype PCB
- PCB Headers
- 22 Gauge Wire
Installation Start off by going to the link here Falcon Christmas Player and download the BeagleBone Black image. Next follow the instructions on on the following page to get the Beagle set up and connected to the internet. Out of the Box, Bone Note: When following Mark A. Yoder's instructions the Falcon Christmas Image doesn't have the same username and password as the one in Out of the Box, Bone. The username and password are as follows:
- username: fpp
- password: falcon
Note: Every time you type debian in the setup, it needs to be replaced with fpp.
With that done and out of the way, if you wish to run the program completely on the bone, you can ssh into it and clone the repo at this time. You can also run the program on a host computer as well without being connected by ssh, so if you wish to run it this way go ahead and clone the repo to your host computer now Next we need to work on the hardware part of this project before we continue with the software.
Cape Construction It is possible to connect the LED matrix to the beagle with breadboard wires, but if you don't want to worry about wiring it wrong, or will want to unplug it often it is nice to have a cape for this. If you wish to not continue with cape construction, continue to the wiring diagram below. To start off constructing the cape, take one of the 8cm proto boards from the link above and cut off one end of the board that has the surface mount pads; cut all the way to the to the exposed copper of the first row of holes.(See photo of completed cape for a better idea of where to cut) Next, take four rows of 26 header pins and solder them in place so that they will go into the P8 and P9 headers of the beagle.
Note: the cut side of the PCB needs to be towards the side of the board with the USB and ethernet ports.
Once completed take two rows of 8 header pins, stick them into the top of the cape and solder them from the underneath side, we will solder wires to these next.
Next, continue soldering the connections as seen in the picture to the right.
Note: I soldered the pins with the P8_7 and P8_8 pins of the connector at the cut end of the PCB because I wanted the matrix to the right of my beagle.
Power Cord Preparation My matrix came with a cord with two connectors on it, if you plan on adding another matrix to the setup later, skip the next part about splitting the cable into two. I cut the power cord above and below the solder joints the re-soldered the cable with one connector and one positive/negative wire. Whether you decided to split the cable into two or not, cut the terminal ends off of the cable, twist the ends and apply solder to create a better connection with the terminal block adapter. Once soldered, insert the wires into the terminal block connector.
Putting it all Together When attaching all of the components, be sure to always connect the components in this order.
- Connect the LED matrix to the power cord.
- Connect the matrix to the beagle with the data cable provided. (Keep in mind the position of the notch, black rectangle in wiring diagram)
- Connect the beagle to your host computer.
Configuring Falcon Player
On your host computer open up a web browser and navigate to the Falcon Player interface, "192.168.7.2" by default.
User Instructions
Once everything is installed, how do you use the program? Give details here, so if you have a long user manual, link to it here.
Consider making it autostart for full credit.
Highlights
Here is where you brag about what your project can do.
Include a YouTube demo the audio description.
Theory of Operation
Give a high level overview of the structure of your software. Are you using GStreamer? Show a diagram of the pipeline. Are you running multiple tasks? Show what they do and how they interact.
Work Breakdown
List the major tasks in your project and who did what.
Also list here what doesn't work yet and when you think it will be finished and who is finishing it.
Future Work
Suggest addition things that could be done with this project.
Conclusions
Give some concluding thoughts about the project. Suggest some future additions that could make it even more interesting.
Embedded Linux Class by Mark A. Yoder