Hi  As a very new Arduino and fastLed user I would like some help

Hi
As a very new Arduino and fastLed user I would like some help please, if possible with some examples to connect multiple ( around 5) strings to an Arduino. tried working with the examples but need now to go further using WS2801s planning to use five strings each approx: with 450 LEDs per string with a total of 2250 LEDs. can this be done? at the moment I have three srtings (50 on each)connected, Data to 3,5,6 and clock to 2,4,7 only managed get one LEd to push through each sting, but not at the same time. String one first then the second and the third last.
This is where I need some expert help to know how to get all the lines working at the same time with different pexels with different colors.

Hi Chithru.
Can you post your code to pastebin or gist?
Have you been able to make things light up properly with just one string? I just want to confirm that is working before moving on to multiple strings.
What Arduino board (or other MCU) are you using?

Hi Marc
Thanks for the reply, yes I managed to get one line do most things with the great examples and codes available and working with them. I managed to get three strings to work on one UNO board. to have one led pushing down the line on each sting one at a time. tried to use the example code for color palette and modified to work in three 50 led strings, but it compiled with our errors. but nothing happens when run in the Uno with three Ws2801 strings. sorry don’t know how to post the code
yet will try and do it.
thanks again.

managed to get it on https://gist.github.com/Mihiripenna/5943856ba07147f97f3c

Looks like you might have deleted this line in the FillLEDsFromPaletteColors function:

leds[i] = ColorFromPalette( currentPalette, colorIndex, brightness, currentBlending);

This is not looping

https://gist.github.com/Mihiripenna/ff556b04ef9418d66c3f

[edited. I think the error is just this]
This line:
for(int x = 0; x < NUM_LEDS_PER_STRIP; x++) {

should have NUM_STRIPS (instead of NUM_LEDS_PER_STRIP).

if I Keep the line below

leds[i] = ColorFromPalette( currentPalette, colorIndex, brightness, currentBlending);

it comes up wit an error “X” was not declared in the scope

tried so many ways, but no luck, any examples if you know I could have a look at the structure and see where I am going wrong.

thank you .

Are you going back to the first example you posted now? Just stick with second simpler one you posted and get that one working first. :stuck_out_tongue:

Ok let me first get the one which is not looping fixed, then i will think of the more advance ones. working on it as we speak. do you know what i need to do to get all three lines to work at the same time Please.

YEAH!!! the three stings are looping now.
what a happy feeling. cant thank you enough.
so will you tell me how and what do I have to do to get all three strings to work at the same time please. Need a Glass of wine. wish I could share with you.

Cool, cheers!

Do you mean have all three strips update together at the same time? To do that you can swap those two “for” loops. Put the loop that goes through the number of pixels first, and put the loop that goes through the number of strips inside that loop. That way it will pick a pixel number to operate on, then set that for each of the strips, and then show it for all three together. Then it will increment to the next pixel to operate on, set all three, show, etc.

Hi Marc
I have not manged to get the three strips to run together.
its still one after another.
trying so hard can’t get my head around. Are there any examples?
tried could not find any.
thanks

Thanks for the Advise Mark Got all three lines running at the same time.

Hi
Could some one be kind enough to see why I’m getting an error at the end of the code when I compile please.
code is here.

thank you.

error I get is as follows
expected ‘}’ at end of input

Every place where there’s a { starting a section will need a } to close that section. You must have one of them is missing somewhere, thus that error. Check all your if statements, for loops, main void loop(), etc. to make sure they all have an open and corresponding close brace.

Tip: Many editors, including the Arduino IDE, will highlight in some fashion the matching { or } if you put your cursor just after it. So if you put your cursor just after one and you don’t see a matching one highlighted as you’d expect, there’s one missing (or an extra one) somewhere.