LED Effects- Random colors

Hi all, 

I am brand new to LEDs, and this is my first time trying to program them. I have been asked to do the lighting for a school dance (which I have done in the past), but this time all of our lights were in show mode and could not be moved. I am borrowing 8 LEDs from the music department, and am trying to use this design to make the case to the theater department that we should get LEDs. I am trying to make a cool effect that will not get boring. My concept is I will have four LEDs on either side, and I will have the side on the right start at one end of the theater and the side on the left start on the other and then switch. However, I want to add something that only LEDs can do and switch colors randomly as it does that. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. Also if anyone has a better idea of an effect let me know.

 

All help is appreciated,

 Jacob B

p.s. I am sorry if this is an ignorant question as I said above I am new at this



added tags
[edited by: JacobBlumberg at 9:49 AM (GMT -6) on Sun, Jan 7 2018]
  • John728
    You can't make them switch colors randomly. You have to program an effect with enough variation that it looks random.
  • RickR

    In reply to John728:

    Well I've done random.

    An step based effect, using palettes instead of levels (pro tip)

    Here is what it looks like

  • JacobBlumberg

    In reply to RickR:

    Thank you. I look forward to using this.
  • Mike A

    In reply to RickR:

    You might want to swap the time and the dwell over depending on the effect you want, the time is the transition time and the dwell is how long it stays. So the effect as per the screen shot is a fade from one colour to another and then onto the next. You might want it to switch from one to another so you would set time to zero and dwell to how long it stays on the colour.

    As an aside probably going through 11 colours in one second is a bit of a quick sequence, so you probably want to change the cycle time to something larger

    BTW when creating the effect if you just key 1 as the time or dwell on each line its easier than keying 0.09 and then when you set the cycle time or the beat per minute it scales the times itself (maybe that was how this was created but just mentioning it if you are going to copy this)
  • RickR

    In reply to Mike A:

    16,532 ways to make the same effect or at least very similar ones.

    Yes that's very fast. I use it with an effects rate fader, so the effect has to be as fast as you ever want, rate=100%= disco dance party. Scaling the cycle time is exactly how I got there, "looks good, oh max rate is too slow"

    FYI this in one of a series of rainbow effects in my standard show file. All based on the same palettes, they run the sequence forward, reverse, all together, individual, grouped (dig into this!) and this one that's random. Certain shows have needed further tweaking due to fixture specs or just wanting a warmer/ cooler feeling. I don't think I've ever done a version with a dwell, but rather than changing this one I'd just copy it and have a new tool on hand.
  • John728

    In reply to RickR:

    I stand corrected. But that's actually an absolute effect in your picture.
  • RickR

    In reply to John728:

    Well I'm corrected now, but didn't see that you said anything wrong. I just piled on to emphasis how flexible and simple the effects engine can be.
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