Neopixel Led not working

ArduCopter
1

Hello,

I am trying to use NeoPixel LEDs on my Cube Orange+ mini, but none of them are working.

Setup:

  • Flight Controller: Cube Orange+ mini

  • LEDs: 4 separate strips (each strip has 2 LEDs)

  • Each strip is connected independently to:

    • MAIN OUT 5

    • MAIN OUT 6

    • MAIN OUT 7

    • MAIN OUT 8

Each LED strip has:

  • Signal → DIN

  • 5V → 5V

  • GND → GND

Parameters:
SERVO5_FUNCTION = 120
SERVO6_FUNCTION = 120
SERVO7_FUNCTION = 120
SERVO8_FUNCTION = 120

NTF_LED_TYPES = 3
NTF_LED_LEN = 2

Also i have connected 5v bec in main 4 so that main can get 5v.

I rebooted after setting parameters.

Problem:

None of the LEDs turn on.

I also tested with a single LED connected to MAIN OUT 6 only, but that also did not work.

2

Is it on the same timer group as the motors?
Maybe try aux outs if motors are on main

3

And in the messages screen of Mission Planner if you don’t see “NeoP” assigned to the outputs you are using it won’t work. Here they are assigned to channels 9-12 (Aux 1-4)

RCout

Suggest you configure this way as @Ishitbh suggested.

4

But does Cube orange+ mini have aux channels?

And yes i have main 1 to 8 main out in cube plus wher I’m using 1 to 4 for motors and 5to8 for leds.

5

Sure it does. Use them for NeoPixel. You can find this kind of info all over the place:

Mini
Mini384×265 27.4 KB

6

But it’s just signal I think so i have to provide seprate power 5v to all leds from bec?

7

You have to in any case.

8

the cube wont provide 5v on the entire rail.
fif you got BEC in the ESCs, just connect one of them to the rail, and leave others unconnected. this will provide 5v on the rail, needed by the leds.
Also, some weird led strips need 12v so just check the specs before, it is always to try the lower voltage first to prevent magic smoke.

9

How do I select colour for each arm now because they are blinking in diffrent colours?

10

Did you try NeopixalRGB for Types as the Wiki states?

Nevermind, I don’t think this answers that question.

11

there is probably a way to fix it, but you could try lua scripting from ardupilot/libraries/AP_Scripting/examples at master · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

allows you to fully configure according to your needs

As much as i know, ardupilot software just writes everyled to the same color, as stated by LEDs Meaning — Copter documentation, in the bottom ‘RGB Led’ section

12

Yes, you can control the colours of the LEDs by lua. In fact if you’re new to lua scripts, controlling LEDs is a great gateway.