Pixel calculation (please help me understand)

Jarrad

I find your lack of Pixels Disturbing
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
28
Location
Busselton WA
Now this is the part of school i wished i had paid attention a bit more,
im not getting the hang of calculating how many lights are in 100 nodes.
so lets have a look at s string of 100 Bullet pixels, is it 100 x 3 =300? so for argument sake a pixel tree of 16 strings would then be 100x3x16= 4800?
yes its a bit of a stupid question i know and it was covered elsewhere i just feel like im missing something in the calculations.
go nuts people and explain it to me if the above is wrong, help is always appreciated.
 

keithsw1111

Senior elf
Joined
Oct 11, 2012
Messages
933
Location
Kellyville, NSW
distinguish between pixels/nodes (which can be used interchangeably) and channels. There are 3 channels per pixel/node. Read the labels carefully because depending on the situation they ask for different things.
 

MD389

New elf
Joined
May 31, 2018
Messages
42
As @keithsw1111 mentioned pixels generally have 3 cahnnels per pixel / node. So in your example you would have 1600 pixels/nodes with a total of 4800 channels.
 

videoman3857

Full time elf
Joined
Apr 21, 2016
Messages
445
Location
Glass House Mountains
Not a stupid question and is confusing when you first start out.
Pixels are smart. Nodes are dumb.
There are RGB LEDS in a single light unit.
If you have 16 strings of nodes (dumb RGB) you have 16 strings x 3 channels (RGB) (48 Channels) The LEDS on each string all illuminate at the same time. - ie 100 x blue.
If you have 16 strings of pixels (smart RGB) you have 16 Strings x 3 channels x 100 "lights" (480 channels) Each "light" is programmable to be on , off, or whatever colour you want it to be.

The difference - Dumb RGB - The whole string illuminates the same colour. The whole string is either on or off
- Smart RGB - The whole string can be multiple colours throughout - can turn any of the 100 "lights" on or off.
 

algerdes

Al Gerdes
Joined
Nov 29, 2012
Messages
289
Location
Lebanon, Illinois
There is a real good reason to be asking this question right now. Our standard pixel, today, has 3 LEDs in the package. One red, one green, one blue. It takes a channel to control each of these colors. Hence the statement that it takes 3 channels per pixel/node.

As pixel/node technology gets farther down the road, we are starting to see some pixels that have 4, 5, 6 or more LEDs per pixel/node. Not only our current Red, Green, Blue, but also Violet, Amber, actual White (not the blended we do to make white) and others. For each of these LEDs that are added to the pixel/node package, another channel must be assigned. I have some pixels I'm using for some stage work where it takes 6 channels for each pixel/node. I don't see this coming to DIYC any time soon, but the R,G,B,W or R,G,B,A versions are just around the corner for some of us.
 
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