I didn’t want to get out a soldering iron and wire up some LEDs to my Pi, so I decided to go down the LightPack route and hope I could get it to work to enjoy Boblight on XBMC – and I did!
[EDIT] Ive moved on to Hyperion and a WS2801 LED strip if you’d like to read how to do this – Click here
Here’s how to do it….
Shopping List:
- 1 Raspberry Pi
- 1 LightPack
- and….. THATS IT!
If you have some cash left feel free to 
1. Buy a LightPack
2. Install Raspbmc
3. Install and Configure Boblight
4. Understanding the Config file
5. Placing the lights on your TV
1 – Buy a LightPack
2 – Install Raspbmc
See http://www.raspbmc.com/download/ for instructions.
3 – Install and Configure Boblight
This is really easy now thanks to Sam Nazarko and Raspbmc – Sam has incorporated all you need to get going other than a config file. Ive based this bit for testing so I suggest doing all of this before jumping in and sticking the lights on the TV.
- Go into the Raspbmc settings add on under programs
- Go to System Configuration
- Scroll down to Service Management
- Select Boblight Support
- Click OK
Now you need a configuration file. Ive done one up so this too should be pretty easy. these instructions are based on using a windows PC for management. You need a few things before you can copy the file to the Pi.
- Download this configuration file
- Install WinSCP – Download Link
- Install PuTTy – Download Link
Ok so now we need to set up root access on the Pi – this is needed so we can copy the config file to the \etc location on the Pi. First we need to find out the Pi’s IP address
- On the Pi go to Settings -> System Info
- Note the IP address down
Next we need to SSH to the Pi and set root access
- Follow this guide to establish SSH access for the first time
- Follow this guide to set up root access
Now we can copy the config file
- Connect to your pi using WinSCP, logging in as root and using the IP address you used above.
- navigate to /etc
- copy the boblight.conf file from above to this location
Reboot your Pi and you should be good to go! The lights can take a brief moment to start but they should come on and be active for both the XBMC interface and any media you play.
If you are happy with a set and forget, you can stop reading here…..
Understanding the Config file
The Config file I have made up is designed for use with Speedy’s boblight daemon and the LightPack – you shouldn’t need to change much, and it should work as-is.
Here’s a great link to generic info on the config file but I thought I might help with some LightPack specifics.
[device] Section
[device]
name LP1
channels 30
type lightpack
interval 20000
#bus 1
#address 6
#debug true
Speedy’s boblight daemon uses optimised string searching and it is important that three letters are used for most things
This can be any three letter name and is used to match the [Light] section to the device as boblight can be used with multiple devices
LightPack has 10 strips, each of these, no matter how many LEDs change colour at the same time, so the number of channels calculates to the number of LED strips x 3 colours (red, green and blue), therefore, if for some reason you only wanted to use say 8 strips, this would equate to 24 channels
This must remain as lightpack, so that the software knows what’s plugged in
This specifies the update interval in microseconds. 20000 equates to an update 50 times per second.
#address 6
#debug> true
These lines are commented out (# at the front of a line makes it a comment) but the first two lines are used to define the USB bus and USB address of the device. You can find these out starting up the boblight daemon from a command prompt, but this is only really needed if you want to run more than one device.The debug line I haven’t yet worked out how to get the output of, but also haven’t really needed to either.
[color] Section
[color]
name red
rgb FF0000
gamma 1.6
adjust 1.0
blacklevel 0.0
There are three color sections each for red, green and blue – you need to modify each one individually.
This is the name of the color and must be three letters as well.
This is the HEX color code for each color. You can tweak these if you want to get really good color matching if you want (there are some other ways of tweaking below as well)
This is optional but I made this 1.6 it affects the luminescence of the color a bit. If you don’t include this it gets set to 1.0 by default and the setting can more or less than this value.
This is also optional and I have got it in there as the default but can go down to 0.0. It is a multiplier for the color. I didn’t find this made much difference playing with it.
I don’t really know what this does, the documentation refers to it ranging from 0.0 to 1.0 but I didn’t find it did much playing with it and only in there to make it easy to fiddle for people.
[light] Section
[light]
name L01
color red LP1 1
color blu LP1 2
color grn LP1 3
hscan 0 33
vscan 0 20
There will be 10 [light] sections, one for each of the LED strips for the LightPack
This is the name of the strip and must be three letters. I found it useful to name them sequentially so they were easy to identify which strip was which for tweaking their position. See the Placing your lights on your TV for more info on this.
color red LP1 1
OK so now it starts to all come together, each strip has all three colors and these use the names you defined in the [color] section above. The next part of this is the name you defined in the [device] section. The last is a number for the channel (remember 3 colours with 10 strips = 30 channels that you also defined in the [device] section). The channel needs to be unique (so the next [light] section for the second LED strip will have the same 3 colors, the same device name, but will be channel number 4,5 and 6)
This is the horizontal scan range this LED strip will sample of the TV. The first number is the start range, the second is the end range. For my TV, I have 3 LED strips across the top. This hscan example is for LED strip 1 which is in the top left corner of my TV, so the scan starts at 0 (the very left) and goes in 33% (therefore strip 2 that is in the top middle is 33 – 66, strip 3 in the top right is 66-100)
This is the vertical scan range this LED strip will sample of the TV. The first number is the start range, the second is the end range. It’s basically how far in to the picture to sample the image. A finish value of 20 will cater for black bar movies (just).
Obviously the hscan and the vscan work the opposite way when you are working with the LEDs on the sides of the TV. The config file is designed to start LED strip 1 at the top left of your TV with 1,2,3 across the top (left to right) , 4 and 5 down the right, 6,7,8 across the bottom (right to left) and finally 9,10 up the left.
Heres as diagram I started showing the hscan and vscan units to try and help if you are a bit stuck.
If you make any changes to this file, it is only read when the boblight daemons are started – I could work out a way to stop and start the two daemons so I rebooted the Pi after each change.
The adjustments I have made to the colors I found OK – far from a perfect match but this is where I have got to so far. To help calibrate, I created some videos to use. The first three are pure red, pure green and pure blue, and then the last one has some movement of color with some pauses to help you with hscan and vscan on each strip (thanks to a YouTube publisher for this).
Feel free to download these, add them to your movie library and play them to see your results (and have a laugh at what the movie scraper uses from IMDB)
Link to calibration file (95mb)
Placing the lights on your TV
So once you have tested and configured everything, its time to put the lights on your TV – this can be a bit tricky as for my LightPack, the sequence of strips didn’t logically go down one side and up the other. What I did was to change the boblight.config file to have just 3 channels. This meant that only one LED strip would light up.
Heres the config file in full:
[global]
[device]
name LP1
channels 3
type lightpack
interval 20000
#bus 1
#address 6
#debug true
[color]
name red
rgb FF0000
gamma 1.6
adjust 1.0
[color]
name blu
rgb 00FF00
gamma 1.6
adjust 1.0
[color]
name grn
rgb 0000FF
gamma 1.6
adjust 1.0
[light]
name L01
color red LP1 1
color grn LP1 2
color blu LP1 3
hscan 0 33
vscan 0 20
I then rebooted the Pi and watched what LED strip came on. when it did, I marked L01 on the ribbon cable with a sharpie. I then just added 3 to the channel, added the next [light] section for L02 and rebooted. The next strip lights up – I then mark that ribbon cable with a sharpie L02. Do this for all 10 and you know which strip matches which [light] section in your config file.
Next I stuck the LED strips round my TV with Blue tack and ran the calibration video and of course, the avatar torch scene to test. Once I was happy, I stuck down the LED strips and tidied up the cables and I was done.
I’m yet to find a nice add on that will turn my lights on and off – the best I have found is called boblight switch which works for turning them off, but I have to reboot to turn them back on.
I hope this helps anyone exploring a LightPack option for Raspbmc.
Hi A.J! The only tutorial that got me doing the right things even though I am far away from being skilled in that kind of stuff. Thanks a lot!
Just two things:
1. I had to have a fresh raspbmc installation. When I tried it on an “used” versions the lightpack turned off when starting a film.
2. Now, the film stops after about 3 min as if I would have pushed the “stop”button.
To put it all in a nutshell:raspbmc is working really slow when I manover through addons…and film stop after a short while. Anyone an idea? If I turn boblight off there is no problem on raspbmc and the films work fine. ..Thanks!
Hi hope I helped with the guide. What version of raspbmc are you using?
Hi, thanks for the tutorial! I finelly got to ssh my pi, but how do I copy the boblight file and can’t find /etc… This is where I’m stuck. Thanks alot! marc
Should be off the root are you running raspbmc or something else?
October update, Git:20131101-0536b03 i got the update yesterday
It seems as if the pi would be heavily overloaded while streaming
You would think do but I run 1080p with them on fine – you could try changing down the interval setting (see blog for this setting) ae you streaming over wifi?
Hmm, no I am connected via cable and we got a 100MB fast internet connection. Let me try to explain what exactly happens a bit more precisely:
Boblight turned off:
->video addons work fine, quick manovering through channels work quickly.
Then, boblight server on,reboot:
->lightpack turns on, ->watching your calibration video,- spot on, it works great!
->going on addons – > manovering through channels – > rather slow, sometimes with error message (some addon failure message you would get when it takes too long)
->watching videos i.e. from youtube, after about 10 sec the video freezes, and eventually stops as if you´d press the stop-button.
Internetconnection is fast enough
the lightpack is obviously working good (saying from 10 sec vdeo sequence and the calibration video).
Might there be a conflict between boblight and any other addon? would it make sense to download the boblight addon? some people write in some forums that you would need to change a dispmanx data or something like that, could that be something to look at? Cheers Andrew!
The boblight addon won’t work – are u using a lightpack from sasha from eBay? I’m a bit confused if the test file works but nothing else does?
Raspbmc October is using dispmanx already so shouldn’t be that
When you say slow through channels do you mean live tv? I haven’t tried that
Yes, that’s what confuses me. The calibration video works perfectly! But videos that I stream from the Internet wont work for longer than approximately 10sec – 1 min . By saying “slow through channels” I meant the responsiveness is getting worse as I manover within addons. I.e it takes a lot longer to search for a video when the backlight is switched on than it would take without (i.e keyword search on YouTube). Yes, I bought my lightpack from eBay shipped from Israel. I think it is from the same seller as yours. It is a pity, I know that the kit works perfect (thanks again to you) but not on the Internet. …that really seems to be a raspbmc software problem…or would you have any idea? Thanks!
Ok I haven’t really tried the lights with streams but I had a couple of ideas that might help. Turn off the I light support option and reboot If you putty into your pi (see blog if needed) and type boblightd it should start up the daemon (you won’t get lights though). And look at the output – see if it connects to the lightpack and stays connected….
thats the output I got:
can’t open /dev/mem
Sorry man, now I made it , that is the output I got:
The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.
Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent
permitted by applicable law.
root@raspbmc:~# boblightd
SPI mapped from 0x0x20204000 to 0x0x17f4000
Boblightd 2.0 (optimized version for raspberry) (c) 2013 Speedy1985 and Heven)
(InitLog) start of log /root/.boblight/boblightd.log
(PrintFlags) starting boblightd
(CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
(CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
(CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
(CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
(main) starting devices
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening TcpSocket on *:19333
(CDevice::Process) LP1: starting
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 1 address 4
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: Lightpack is initialized, bus 1 device address 4
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setup succeeded
^C(SignalHandler) caught SIGINT
(CClientsHandler::GetReadableFd)select() Interrupted system call
(main) signaling devices to stop
(CClientsHandler::Cleanup) disconnecting clients
(CClientsHandler::Cleanup) closing listening socket
(CClientsHandler::Cleanup) clients handler stopped
(main) waiting for devices to stop
(CDevice::Process) LP1: closed
(CDevice::Process) LP1: stopped
(main) exiting
(CClientsHandler::Process) 127.0.0.1:39142 connected
(CClientsHandler::ParseMessage) 127.0.0.1:39142 said hello
(CClientsHandler::ParseSet) 127.0.0.1:39142 priority set to 100
this is what I get when I did put in boblihgtd and then turned on the boblight daemon….
but still freezes after approx 1 min video watching on the internet (by the way, I´ve watched ❤ hrs via USB HDD videos without any problems and lightpack did a great job!!!)
Sam Nazarko just sent me an email referring to Hyperion, which is another alternative (should use a lot less cpu, and is perfectly done for Pi´s.) Have you heard about that? https://github.com/tvdzwan/hyperion/wiki Obviously, no lightpack support yet…but maybe we could do something on that.
That was going to be my closing comment to you. Looks like your USB bus and address are ok you could add them into your config file. I run 2 lightpacks the the address jumped around thought maybe you might have that issue. You could turn on debugging in the system options and run up a YouTube video and watch the osd to see what your CPU is doing. If its high then that is your prob and Hyperion might be the answer – ironically I just asked the dev last night if he could add lightpack support and volunteered to be a tester
There’s two votes for Hyperion lightpack support feel free to add a further request http://forum.stmlabs.com/showthread.php?tid=11053&pid=87259#pid87259
🙂 guess who is the second one below yours! I left my comment there as well and also sent the dev a mail. I won’t have time during the next 7 days (travelling) but when I get back next week I will try the debugging thing that you recommended! Thanks again!
Hi Andrew, could we use this tutorial on http://lightpack.tv with link on original article?
Sure can!
Hey Andrew, I’ve tried following your guide, but I keep getting the following error in the log.
12:12:36.395582 (InitLog) start of log /storage/.boblight/boblightd.log
12:12:36.396062 (PrintFlags) starting boblightd -c /storage/.xbmc/userdata/addon_data/service.multimedia.boblightd/boblight.conf
12:12:36.396163 (CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /storage/.xbmc/userdata/addon_data/service.multimedia.boblightd/boblight.conf
12:12:36.400113 (CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
12:12:36.404912 (CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
12:12:36.405026 (CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
12:12:36.412328 (CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
12:12:36.412473 (main) starting devices
12:12:36.412710 (CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on 127.0.0.1:19333
12:12:36.412893 (CDevice::Process) device1: starting with output “/dev/ttyACM0”
12:12:36.413016 (CDevice::Process) device1: setting up
12:12:36.413224 (CDeviceRS232::OpenSerialPort) ERROR: device1: /dev/ttyACM0: open() No such file or directory
12:12:36.413316 (CDevice::Process) ERROR: device1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
Do you have any advice? Do I need to change what channel it is looking for?
Comment out the line that says dev/tty
Actually not sure you should have that in your config did you copy the one in the blog? If so, send me your device section
Yep, I’m using the one from the blog.
[device]
name LP1
channels 30
type lightpack
interval 20000
#bus 1
#address 6
#debug true
Although, since I’m using OpenELEC proper, I’m not able to access the /etc directory to put the .conf in there.
Ok log says its using boblight.conf from .xbmc folder you need to copy to etc folder and perhaps check it has enough permissions
Ok yep I’m afraid you are on your own with OpenELEC apparently people have done it or the alternate Hyperion method – just go Raspbmc would be my advice good luck
Yeah, the permissions thing is snagging me up. Thanks for your help though!
Well this is just a stab but you could try putting the conf file where your log is telling you where it is reading it from this should be accessible over samba I think then try again
It’s definitely in the folder that the log file is accessing. 😦
You copied the one from blog into /storage/.xbmc/userdata/addon_data/service.multimedia.boblightd/boblight.conf?
Oh, wait. It’s in:
OpenELEC:~/.xbmc/addons/service.multimedia.boblightd/config # ls
boblight.X11.sample boblight.conf boblight.conf.sample
Should it be up a directory?
It shouldn’t on raspbmc but OpenELEC is different try backing up that boblight.conf file and then putting the one from blog in
That’s the one that is from your blog.
Ok maybe it’s just too different
as i understand boblight reads config from /storage/.xbmc/userdata/addon_data/service.multimedia.boblightd/boblight.conf. Did you try to put your configuration there? If so what that config in ~/.xbmc/addons/service.multimedia.boblightd/config for?
That is how openelec shows /storage
Hi, AJ
I try your tutorial with boblight successfully but after the buzz of Hyperion I wanna give a try but I can’t get it work. I got no LEDs ON, no lights. So i’m wondering if you can make a tutorial with Hyperion if you use it of course.
I check the “Hyperion – an ambilight clone” thread on stm Labs forum (Raspbmc) but I didn’t found someone using LightPack even if this one officially supported.
To be clear I don’t press you in any kind, just asking for help! You already do a good job with boblight my setup is fully playable.
Hi I haven’t created a tutorial cos it’s very easy and the guys who developed it has a good wiki – have you configured thru hypercon (I have swapped to Hyperion as well)
Have you disabled boblight?
I do install Hyperion on a other setup, a fresh install of Raspbmc on a other SD card.
I do use hypercon with 10 LEDs / strips
I strictly do the tutorial on the wiki, but I got no lights not even one breath on boot or on plug
I read the Hyperion’s thread and some people talk about “TCP jsonrpc for remote” I’m gonna check this way.
If you got some advice on the setup I will be happy to take them
Please can you share your hypercon config the json … Conf… Thing !
Re
You were right installation of Hyperion is simple, I needed root access to install the script.
And I finally found why I get no light, it was hypercon file, in “device” we can read something like “/dev/2…” Because of this the script can found the lightpack after let ” “device” blanked boom swirly light appears.
Everything work now
Question! I read on Hyperion’s thread that you got a new set of LEDs a “WS…”, why are change? This a personal purpose or you find this set better than the lightpack set, if it is can you tell why
Although lightpack is easy to use the strips make it less awesome the other leds are individually addressable – each one fires with its own color – my TV also is too big for the 10 strips to go all the way round
Hi guys,
I’ve receive mine today, upgrade it then install it.
But I’ve got some problem:
First, evethring was fine:
Jan 10 22:23:40 raspbmc kernel: usb 1-1.3: Manufacturer: lightpack.googlecode.com
Jan 10 22:23:40 raspbmc kernel: hid-generic 0003:1D50:6022.0001: hiddev0: USB HID v1.11 Device [lightpack.googlecode.com Lightpack] on usb-bcm2708_usb-1.3/input0
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 1d50:6022 OpenMoko, Inc.
But, when I lauche boblightd
Boblightd 2.0 (optimized version for raspberry) (c) 2013 Speedy1985 and Heven)
(InitLog) start of log /root/.boblight/boblightd.log
(PrintFlags) starting boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
(CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
(CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
(CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
(main) starting devices
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening TcpSocket on *:19333
(CDevice::Process) LP1: starting
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: no Lightpack device with vid 03eb and pid 204f found at bus 1, address 8
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
I saw this somewhere on Github:
https://github.com/Atarity/Lightpack/blob/master/CommonHeaders/USB_ID.h
/* earlier version of Lightpack used to use Atmel’s VID:PID pair */
/* find it in GenericHID demo from LUFA project */
#define USB_OLD_VENDOR_ID 0x03EB
#define USB_OLD_PRODUCT_ID 0x204F
/* Openmoko’s free VID:PID http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/USB_Product_IDs */
#define USB_VENDOR_ID 0x1D50
#define USB_PRODUCT_ID 0x6022
I don’t why I’ve got this error, can you help me ?? Thx
I have the same error, see not reason why it doesn’t work.
Also tried hyperion, which says:
“Found a lightpack device. Retrieving more information…
Lightpack device found: bus=1 address=8 serial=95230303231351C032D1
No Lightpack device has been found”
Ok send me the top of your Hyperion config
hyperdion config (generated by hyperion):
{
“device” :
{
“name” : “MyPi”,
“type” : “lightpack”,
“output” : “/dev/spidev0.0”,
“rate” : 250000,
“colorOrder” : “rgb”
},
I also tried with /dev/spidev0.1 which also exists, but there I directly get “No Lightpack device has been found”
Ok output needs to be blank – try it I hope this is the key!!
That was it, thanks!
Sorry, wrong config (bus & address) but still the same:
Boblightd 2.0 (optimized version for raspberry) (c) 2013 Speedy1985 and Heven)
(InitLog) start of log /root/.boblight/boblightd.log
(PrintFlags) starting boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
(CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
(CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
(CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
(main) starting devices
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening TcpSocket on *:19333
(CDevice::Process) LP1: starting
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: no Lightpack device with vid 03eb and pid 204f found
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
Did you update the lightpack firmware by chance?
Yep, upgraded firmware before install the device but it work now. I’ve compil Boblight from source and no problem to detect it. Then, I have config 3 channel by 3 channel same as you because your configuration didn’t work well. Now everything work fine and I love this device. You can find my configuration here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7iAf6VKdm4YaWVxTkRpLW5iWnc/edit?usp=sharing
Thans for your help 😀
Ok yes you can get it to work on later version but speedy boblight never got added in that’s why you didn’t get config working is my guess. Good to see you worked it out – I have moved to ws2801 strip with Hyperion which is even better!!!
I saw Hyperion but why is so better.? I’ve didn’t find any comparaion and boblihht work great for me, but sometime with high speed light change I see the lag… Hyperion fix this?
Yes very configurable and much less CPU intensive – there is a GUI configuration tool, effects engine, android app and basic web app
You were right! Hyperion is better, less light lag. But configuration is not very easy B-) Thanks for the advise
Hi config not easy? I hope you found he config tool hypercon? Can’t be easier?!?
Yes, because you can’t change LED order. I have to disconect some cable on my Lightpack. I will try WS2801 when I bought a new TV, Lightpack work fine 🙂
Ok you mean rgb order or LED strip order – you can change rgb and you might be able to change in config file – if not rearrange lightpack strips on tv?
Amazing! This got me set up great.
BUT! I think your provided .conf file has blue and green reversed. The 00FF00 0000FF.
Yep mine was reversed good pickup
can you tell me how to set up the config tool lights .im confused i have 10 strips with 9 leds on them .2 on esch side 4 on the top 4 on the bottom.the pic of the tv and led count on hyperion config is confusing
Consider each strip 1 led so you should have 10 set in the config
Thanks a lot for sharing this 😉
Hi Andrew, as I have seen you have changed to ws2801 string (which I may do as well). I just thought Lightpack is easier to install (because its connected via USB). The ws2801 I´d need to connect via GPIO right? Have you got any good tutorial around? Cheers!
Hi Andrew, as I have seen you have changed to ws2801 string (which I may do as well). I just thought Lightpack is easier to install (because its connected via USB). The ws2801 I´d need to connect via GPIO right? Have you got any good tutorial around? Cheers!
Hi I did exactly the same thing but found that the 10 strips didn’t quite cover my tv enough. The Hyperion option is quite easy and there are a few tutorials around on ws2801 but I might do one up with another shopping list so people reading this blog can choose – stay tuned
Hi. I just got Lightpack yesterday, and since I use OpenELEC I need to use the Boblight addon and service for OpenELEC and XBMC. I found this post, and it really helped to get it to work.
I used one of the default placing of the lights recommended from Lightpack, and then I used your way to find out that light that was number one and so on.
Just one question: Your placing, when you say “TV upper left”, is that seen from the back or front? I need to know if h 0-33 means, upper left from the front or from the back. =)
Thanks again.
Hi I cant help you with OpenELEC but I can answer your question about position – TV Upper Left is as if you were watching TV, from the front – not behind.
Your gamma settings, and blacklevel settings you set in the .conf, how does that then play with the addon it self in XBMC?
Do they override settings, or just giving another staring value? In the Boblight addon there are manual settings to be set, besides of just “fast” and “slow”.
Hi you don’t use an add on for raspbmc I’m afraid I can’t help with that one
But, since you use the same Lightpack as I, from lightpack.tv, maybe we can share some info about the color settings? Also, maybe the raspxbmc use the same kind of addon to control Boblight when watching a movie?
From what I’ve read, there are first som kind of calibration done in the .conf, to get a great basic start that match the kind of leds you use, and then in XBMC there are settings done (speed, autospeed, brightness, saturation) that calibrates the kind of feeling you want on your movies?
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Hey Guys,
I followed the instructions to the word 3 times. I have even reinstalled Raspbmc from scratch again and still aren’t getting anything from the lights 😦
Is there something I’m missing here? Do I need to update the lightpack or something?
Hi quite the opposite don’t update your lightpack unless you want to compile the latest boblightd
Let’s try some basic troubleshooting – can you try the lightpack in your pc and use the prismatic software that should have come with it? This wil confirm the hardware is working
Hi Andrew,
I have plugged the lightpack into my mac with the official software and it works fine. Still nothing from the Pi. 😦
Hi Gareth check the last few post replies I have suggested next steps to try
You also need to install boblight dispmanx. As that is the client for boblightd. It’s what was keeping my openELEC from working at first, when following this guide
Well you are on your with OpenELEC as it’s all installed as part of raspbmc
Hi Andrew
I am running into the same issue as Gareth (@frogstew), the following are the things I have tried:
– (Your suggestion) Ran the lightpack using my pc and Prismatic, worked fine.
– Checked the boblight.conf file exists at ‘/etc’.
– Checked the parameters of the boblight.conf file match the examples given.
– Checked that boblight is enabled in my RPi settings.
The lightpack is fresh out of the box so I haven’t ran a firmware update, and Raspbmc is a fresh install.
Can you think of any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
Ok you can try running boblight from the command line and setting the colour specifically – have you tried this?
No I haven’t tried that, is that via the putty CLI?
Can I be cheeky to ask for an example or link?
Hi yes log in to your pi via putty and they this command first
Stop boblight
Then
Start boblight
See what the command line gives you and any errors post it here
Then try
boblight-constant 00FF00
That should light up everything one color
You will need to do this as root or the preference is to log in as pi and add sudo to the front of the commands
Hi everybody,
I do the procedure and it’s not work for me, I have this in log file;
(InitLog) start of log /storage/.boblight/boblightd.log
(PrintFlags) starting boblightd -c /storage/.xbmc/userdata/addon_data/service.multimedia.boblightd/boblight.conf
(CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /storage/.xbmc/userdata/addon_data/service.multimedia.boblightd/boblight.conf
(CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
(CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
(CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
(CConfig::BuildDeviceConfig) ERROR: /storage/.xbmc/userdata/addon_data/service.multimedia.boblightd/boblight.conf line 19: unknown type lightpack
OpenELEC:~ # dmesg | tail
[ 48.354874] bcm2835-cpufreq: switching to governor ondemand
[ 48.354912] bcm2835-cpufreq: switching to governor ondemand
[ 790.134538] usb 1-1.2: USB disconnect, device number 4
[ 792.421802] usb 1-1.3: new full-speed USB device number 5 using dwc_otg
[ 792.530829] usb 1-1.3: New USB device found, idVendor=1d50, idProduct=6022
[ 792.530866] usb 1-1.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=220
[ 792.530883] usb 1-1.3: Product: Lightpack
[ 792.530898] usb 1-1.3: Manufacturer: lightpack.googlecode.com
[ 792.530913] usb 1-1.3: SerialNumber: 95230303231351014110
[ 792.552939] hid-generic 0003:1D50:6022.0002: hiddev0,hidraw0: USB HID v1.11 Device [lightpack.googlecode.com Lightpack] on usb-bcm2708_usb-1.3/input0
Do you have advice for me ?
Hi you are using OpenELEC sorry I can’t help – I do know people do hVe it working with OpenELEC but I’ve no idea I’m a raspbmc fan only
Hello,
I am also having the same issue as Gareth and lmcjt37. My Lightpack is the same one from lightpack.tv.
I have contacted the developers at lightpack.tv and asked for some help on how they got it working. I will post here what I find out.
I am also willing to troubleshoot with command line if I could get some guidance as well.
Thank you!
Hi it’s sounding like a pattern – perhaps they are shipping with newer firmware – can you do a lsusb and tell me what the lightpack device says?
With only Lightpack plugged in, this is what lsusb gives me:
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0424:9512 Standard Microsystems Corp.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0424:ec00 Standard Microsystems Corp.
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 1d50:6022 OpenMoko, Inc.
Updated boblightd for raspberry, V2.1
https://github.com/Speedy1985/boblightd-for-raspberry
– Fixed some memoryleaks
– Added some new functions to make the cpu usage lower
– Works now also with Enigma2 client, before this version it was crashing.
– Added new Lightpack support, you can now use Lightpack with firmware 6.3, Thanks to Timsat
Download compiled version from
http://www.boblightenigma2.net/news/raspberry-pi-and-cygwin-update-boblightd-2-1/
Kind regards Speedy1985
Ok guys thanks to Speedy1985 this should fix any firmware issues (if this is the case). For those experiencing issues go and update boblight and please report back
Hi Andrew
Here’s the output from the CLI after trying the above commands (8 posts up), I have also updated boblight (I think). Still no lights through the Pi
root@raspbmc:~# stop boblight
stop: Unknown instance:
root@raspbmc:~# start boblight
boblight start/running, process 1747
root@raspbmc:~# boblight-constant 00FF00
Connecting to boblightd
ERROR: SO_ERROR 127.0.0.1:19333 Connection refused
Waiting 10 seconds before trying again
Connecting to boblightd
ERROR: SO_ERROR 127.0.0.1:19333 Connection refused
Waiting 10 seconds before trying again
Hi did Speedy help you out?
@ lmcjt37
Iam online on my chat Channel http://www.boblightenigma2.net/support/
I can help you.
Gr Speedy
Hi, i just got my Lightpack this weekend. I had (have) the same challenges as the last person, so i ended up compiling the latest version per Speedy’s instructions. No issues there.
I can now start and stop boblight through putty, but still no light…
here is what i get:
root@raspbmc: ~# stop boblight
boblight stop/waiting
root@raspbmc: ~# start boblight
boblight start/running, process 3465
root@raspbmc: ~# boblight-constant 00ff00
connecting to boblightd
connection to boblightd opened
Still no light(s) are going on when connected to the Raspberry. I am using Raspbmc and have boblight activated.
To confirm: I had the Lightpack connected directly to my laptop and it worked fine.
Try what I suggested to Christian – is this a lightpack the same as the eBay one or from lightpack.tv
Hi @Andrew @Speedy1985
I haven’t had the chance to do any work with my Raspberry Pi and Lightpack, but when I do I will contact Speedy on his support channel.
I was planning to try a fresh install of RaspBMC before contacting him first.
So I compiled and built and got the new Speedy version of Boblight going i’m pretty sure.
Boblight claims is running fine. I would post a Log here, but I dont know where to find the logs for it. I just received the lightpack a few weeks ago, I have a raspberryPI new edition 512, my lightpack works fine with prismatik on my mac, but directly connected to the PI via usb, i get no Lights ever turning on.
root@raspbmc:~# start boblight
start: Job is already running: boblight
root@raspbmc:~# stop boblight
boblight stop/waiting
root@raspbmc:~# start boblight
boblight start/running, process 1770
root@raspbmc:~#
Here is my lsusb output
root@raspbmc:~# lsusb
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0424:9514 Standard Microsystems Corp.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0424:ec00 Standard Microsystems Corp.
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 7392:7811 Edimax Technology Co., Ltd EW-7811Un 802.11n Wireless Adapter [Realtek RTL8188CUS]
Bus 001 Device 006: ID 1d50:6022 OpenMoko, Inc.
root@raspbmc:~#
Try stopping boblight then try
Boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
This should show more info
So I have replaced the files on the pi with the files in the .tar and rebooted, but as you can see below it still says Bobliightd 2.0. Not sure what I might be doing wrong….
I have the one from lightpack.tv, and I appear to be having the same symptoms as Christian.
running boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf gives me this output:
SPI mapped from 0x0x20204000 to 0x0xf57000
Boblightd 2.0 (optimized version for raspberry) (c) 2013 Speedy1985 and Heven)
(InitLog) start of log /root/.boblight/boblightd.log
(PrintFlags) starting boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
(CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
(CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
(CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
(main) starting devices
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening TcpSocket on *:19333
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDevice::Process) LP1: starting
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: no Lightpack device with vid 03eb and pid 204f found at bus 1, address 4
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening TcpSocket on *:19333
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: no Lightpack device with vid 03eb and pid 204f found at bus 1, address 4
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
Looks like you haven’t stopped it first
cant seem to find the right command
boblight stop/waiting
root@raspbmc:~# Boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
-bash: Boblightd: command not found
root@raspbmc:~# start Boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
start: invalid option: -c
Try `start –help’ for more information.
root@raspbmc:~# Boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
-bash: Boblightd: command not found
root@raspbmc:~# Boblight -c /etc/boblight.conf
-bash: Boblight: command not found
root@raspbmc:~# start Boblight -c /etc/boblight.conf
start: invalid option: -c
Try `start –help’ for more information.
root@raspbmc:~#
WHOA!!! had a capital, removed that, as soon as I did the command, the Lights popped right on
Boblight Daemon – for Raspberry-PI 2.1 (c) 2012-2013 Optimized by – Speedy1985 and Oktay Oeztueter)
(InitLog) start of log /root/.boblight/boblightd.log
(PrintFlags) starting boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
(CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
(CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
(CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
(main) Starting devices
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
(CDevice::Process) LP1: starting
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 1 address 4, serial is 95230303231351A0F021
(CClientsHandler::Process) 127.0.0.1:52214 connected
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: Lightpack is initialized, bus 1 device address 4
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setup succeeded
(CClientsHandler::ParseMessage) 127.0.0.1:52214 said hello
(CClientsHandler::ParseSet) 127.0.0.1:52214 priority set to 128
Alright, now for some testing…
Sorry yes all lower case – my iphone autocorrect is to blame
Hey Christian,
Is there a chance you could share your boblight.config file that you initially used? Not looking for anything polished, it’s just the config files I have been trying to use do not result in any lights turning on…
Thanks.
Ah yes, sorry. So I’m getting this:
Boblightd 2.0 (optimized version for raspberry) (c) 2013 Speedy1985 and Heven)
(InitLog) start of log /root/.boblight/boblightd.log
(PrintFlags) starting boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
(CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
(CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
(CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
(main) starting devices
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening TcpSocket on *:19333
(CDevice::Process) LP1: starting
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: no Lightpack device with vid 03eb and pid 204f found
And this is with lsusb giving me my lightpack location of:
Bus 001 Device 007: ID 1d50:6022 OpenMoko, Inc.
Still wondering if the 2.1 update would fix this. Simply overwriting the files and rebooting should’ve done it right?
You must have done something wrong possibly need to stop service before overwriting Christian got it going with 2.1
Got it updated finally, decided to compile it myself instead of downloading the compiled version. Now I have connection to Lightpack, but no lights yet. I just need to start messing with my config file now.
Thanks so much for your help! (And patience)
Have u tried boblight-constant
Yes and I get “connection opened” but no lights on.
Since I get a reported serial number running boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf, I have tried to use that in my device settings, but this results in a connection error when I try boblight-constant.
If I use bus and address instead of serial, I get the connection opened as I mentioned, but no lights.
Can u post the output? Are you saying my config isn’t working?
Okay so now I am getting “LP1: setup succeeded” when I run boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
Is this supposed to do anything else? No lights come on or anything…it just says succeeded and then hangs.
I am using your config file from above, and I have updated to 2.1 now (Problem was that the update listed the wrong folders to install to)
boblight-constant makes the lights work though! (Although 00FF00 gives me pink…not what I expected)
Ok progress – colors can be fixed later
Boblightd doesn’t actually do anything it listens for commands.
There is another program called boblight-dispmanx that reads the screen and sends to the daemon.
Have you enabled boblight in raspbmc settings?
Yes, boblight is enabled, and I just watched a movie on the PI and I got a turquoise color fading in and out with the movie the whole time and red coming on full brightness for a second or so randomly throughout the movie.
This is progress though!
Might be time to try Hyperion – it has a GUI for color tweaking
Some information to help out. First off, my lightpack I just received. I originally ordered it from the kickstarter funding a long time ago, but it showed up at my door I would say two weeks ago. So i would assume the hardware is pretty fresh. Things I have done so far, loaded raspbmc to my pi 512 version, then used Speedy’s guide to get the new version of boblight
“Download compiled version from
http://www.boblightenigma2.net/news/raspberry-pi-and-cygwin-update-boblightd-2-1/
Kind regards Speedy1985″
I have enabled boblight Support option in “RaspBMC settings program that is auto-installed on pi”
as well as downloaded the boblight support add-on in bmc repositories in services, and enable that.
That said, im using original config file posted at the top, and the config file seems to not work at all. I had it on last night, but not one light matched what was going on. i guess I have to tweak a bit, I have set this up already when I tried prismatik, so now I have to match my config to how I already have it. I will try to tweak it today and let you know results, but I have work all day, and not sure I can get to it.
Now Andrew, that command made everything work, but is there a way to make this happen on startup? It seems I gotta run that when I boot and im stuck in the process, if I hit ctrl-c it leaves lights on but it stops I think.
boblightd -c /etc/boblight.conf
Sounds like you might have another boblight instance – where did u copy the 2.1 to? Do a check go to a console root and try a find command
find -name ‘boblight*’
If that’s not the right syntax remove the quotes
See if Sam nazarko puts boblight somewhere different and replace all instances of boblightd with 2.1 ignore boblight-dispmanx files this is what you need to run next
root@raspbmc:~# find -name ‘boblight*’
./boblightd-for-raspberry
./boblightd-for-raspberry/src/lib/boblight-functions.h
./boblightd-for-raspberry/src/lib/boblight.cpp
./boblightd-for-raspberry/src/lib/boblight.h
./boblightd-for-raspberry/src/lib/boblight_client.cpp
./boblightd-for-raspberry/src/lib/boblight_client.h
./boblightd-for-raspberry/src/boblightd
./.boblight/boblightd.log
./.boblight/boblightd.log.old.1
./.boblight/boblightd.log.old.2
./.boblight/boblightd.log.old.3
root@raspbmc:~#
Ok sorry my Linux isn’t strong try this from the root
find / -name ‘boblightd’
Replace all the instances you find
What do you mean by, “Replace all the instances you find?”
root@raspbmc:~# find / -name ‘boblightd’
/root/boblightd-for-raspberry/src/boblightd
/usr/bin/boblightd
/usr/local/bin/boblightd
root@raspbmc:~#
I think you have boblight 2.1 in that arc folder and raspbmc is looking in the use folder – to be safe rename the two boblightd files in usr and copy the one from arc to the other file locations. This make sense?
Hey guys,
thanks for all your input.
I’m also not able to start the ebay-LP
Using FileZilla I’ve replaced the original raspbmc-boblight with the V2.1 from Speedy (for me all original-files were located in /usr/bin and /usr/lib, not in /usr/local/bin or /usr/local/lib as the path is coded in the TAR.GZ-file) and also replaced the original boblight.conf in /etc/init with the one from the OP. I’ve also placed the boblight.conf in /etc.
This is what I get in the log after starting “boblightd -c /etc/init/boblight.conf” (or simply “boblightd” and using the config-file in /etc):
12:43:58.897633 (InitLog) start of log /root/.boblight/boblightd.log
12:43:58.904614 (PrintFlags) starting boblightd -c /etc/init/boblight.conf
12:43:58.905746 (CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /etc/init/boblight.conf
12:43:58.915503 (CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
12:43:58.928247 (CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
12:43:58.939123 (CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
12:43:58.964456 (CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
12:43:58.968942 (main) Starting devices
12:43:58.970836 (CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
12:43:58.977909 (CDevice::Process) LP1: starting
12:43:58.979100 (CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
12:43:58.985392 (CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 1 address 4. Couldn’t get serial.
12:43:58.999190 (CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: Lightpack is initialized, bus 1 device address 4
12:43:59.001314 (CDevice::Process) LP1: setup succeeded
— here I pressed CTRL+X because nothing happend in the console —
12:44:56.473669 (SignalHandler) caught SIGINT
12:44:56.474107 (CClientsHandler::GetReadableFd) select() Interrupted system call
12:44:56.474304 (main) Signaling devices to stop
12:44:56.474471 (CClientsHandler::Cleanup) disconnecting clients
12:44:56.474632 (CClientsHandler::Cleanup) closing listening socket
12:44:56.474884 (CClientsHandler::Cleanup) clients handler stopped
12:44:56.475071 (main) Waiting for devices to stop
12:44:56.494112 (CDevice::Process) LP1: closed
12:44:56.495292 (CDevice::Process) LP1: stopped
12:44:56.496464 (main) exiting
Unfortunately the lightpack won’t work 😦 It seems like the process hangs at “LP1: setup succeeded”.
Also it says that it hasn’t recognized the serial of my LP, is this normal?
Any ideas what I can try else?
Best regards
Mischa
If you aren’t running 6.3 firmware it won’t find the lp serial – did you try the 2.0 version first?
Yes, it hasn’t found my LP with 2.0
A lot of people are struggling with boblight have you tried Hyperion?
I don’t understand – didn’t you set up your raspbmc with boblight?
What else could be wrong?
Yes I have since moved on from both the lightpack and boblight. At one stage I had two lightpacks I flashed to 6.3 firmware and needed a newer build of boblight so It identified individual lightpacks by serial number. Speedy has built this in to 2.1
Have you tried boblight-constant to get something happening outside of xbmc?
I am guessing you have enabled boblight in raspbmc settings?
I have finally given up getting boblight to work with my lightpack from lightpack.tv and switched to Hyperion. One word: AWESOME. Took me less than an hour to install it on raspbmc and get it configured to work 100% with everything. The config GUI is very useful as well.
I followed the instructions on the Hyperion wiki (https://github.com/tvdzwan/hyperion/wiki/installation) and for my configuration I made the following changes from defaults: Changed the device to ‘Lightpack’ and cleared the field ‘Serial #’. Left it blank.The instructions provided by lightpack.tv show attaching the lights counter-clockwise, so I had to change the ‘Direction’ dropdown to that. With just those changes, the generated config file works 100%.
HIGHLY recommend for anyone that cannot get boblight to work. Easy to set up and configure.
By the way though, thanks Andrew for trying to help me get boblight to work, I really appreciate your time. I hope I can give back to others and save their time with this post as well.
Kevin, thank you, thank you! This finally worked!!!
I was trying to get Boblight to work withou succes and tinkered a long time to get Hyperion working. Your suggestion did the trick.
One question though – and you may not be able to answer this: how do i set this up when intalling 2 lightpacks?
Also, my tv now seems to be buzzing when showing the RPi picture but i’ll continue to test that hoping that that goes away.
Nice one – I got poljvd to support multiple lightpacks – under type enter the secret option “multi-lightpack”. The constraint is that it will add 10 more leds to the single configuration so the second lightpack needs to be set up to the right of the first – have a go and report back how it went – hope this helps
Thanks Andrew, that did the trick.
For those of you in the same boat as me: having 2 lightpacks and not being able to get it running on Boblight, here is what i did to make it work.
I followed the Hyperion installation instructions as mentioned earlier.
I also installed the Hyperion config app to generate the config file.
With 2 lightpacks, i ended up setting the Hyperion configuration tool as follows:
On the HARDWARE page:
Type = Lightpack
Direction = Counter clockwise
Led in top corners = FALSE
Led in bottom corners = FALSE
Horizontal # = 6
Vertical # = 4
Bottom gap = 0
1st Led offset = -2
(I installed 1 lightpack to the right, and one to the left, so the leds in each lightpack cover both half of the top, a side and half of bottom. In order to start in the middle, i had to offset it by 2 so that the first led (LED 0) moved to the spot at the top just left of the center)
Did not make any changes to the other settings on this page
PROCESS SETTINGS: No changes to the Frame grabber change (Enabled, width and height are 64, interval = 100).
EXTERNAL SETTINGS: No changes to the External settings.
After generating the config file, I updated the file and changed the type to “multi-lightpack”.
Install it on the RPi and it should all work after a restart.
Now, the next step: figuring out which led goes where was an interesting one because i could not find a good picture to make that easy.
What I should have done is this:
After Hyperion is installed and working on your RPi and all of the lightpack LEDs light up, log on to the Hyperion GUI (http://<your_RPI_IP_Address:8888). Then choose EFFECTS. Especially the rainbow swirl will help you in figuring out the order of the LED lights. This could have saved me a lot of time. I numbered each LED to match the numbers generated for the config file and also wrote those on the LED and on a piece of tape that I put above the connectors on the Lightpack. That way I don’t have to worry about unplugging it.
Good to hear you got it going – I’m glad someone is using that feature as I moved on from dual lightpacks to a ws2801 strip. Reason being even the two lightpacks weren’t enough to cover my tv and I had gaps in the LEDs so I got a 5m strip and made it as big as I needed. The ws2801 also meant each led is individually addressable so the matching is much fiber than the crap they sold about your eyes etc on kick starter. Still need to write that blog with a shopping list of parts
Hey Dutchy, I did also follow Andrew’s advice and went to the Hyperion direction. I have a 55in using 1 lightpack but I want to get a second for better coverage. I’m confused on your settings there… with your horizontal settings, you only have 10 lights… with 2 lightpacks you have 60 lights, why aren’t you just using the hypercon and increasing that number, would that limit the colors on the smaller number?
Thanks again to you both, Andrew and Dutchy…
Also, Andrew, I may go you route instead of getting a 2nd lightpack, what are you connecting your ws2801 strip too if you don’t mind me asking?
Hi Christian, I was initially wondering the same: how can I individually address each one of the 3 leds in each strip. I came to the conclusion that you can’t do that with the Lightpack, but can do that with the ws2801 strip. I tested this by activating 3 leds (led 0, 1 and 7) and noticed that 3 strips lit up completely, not the individual leds on 2 strips (which would have been 2 leds on the first strip and one led light on the 3rd strip). That confirmed that I only had to configure 20 lights / led strips since i have 2 lightpacks. This also means that it doesn’t matter how you stick the strip to your tv/monitor once you have figured out the spot of each light on your tv, meaning it doesn’t matter how you run the cable connected to the led.
In all honesty, i purchased 2 lightpacks because i have a 65 inch tv and it looks pretty slick. I actually like the Hyperion effects options. My kids love that they can set the color. I may purchase a 3rd set because with my 2 sets you can see the shadow of where each light starts and ends. That said, I have my tv wall mounted and I think that this would be immediately resolved if my tv was further removed from the wall – as recommended by the Lightpack team!
Hi Christian, Dutchy – Lightpack with boblight or Hyperion has 10 LEDs per lightpack.
2 Lightpacks = 20 LEDS in configs.
WS2801 has the advantage of being as many leds as you need (providing you have enough amps to power them in the power pack for the LEDs), as well as having 1 cable for power, and 3 cables for data, clock and ground all coming from one end of the strip. One lightpack is a cabling nightmare, two is a horror – I couldnt imagine 3.
WS2801 plug straight into the pin outs of the Pi, all plug and play with raspbmc as SPI already enabled.
I have even managed to get the cables out of a standard case without modification.
WS2801 just looks so much better than the strips approach in lightpack and also all the costs end up being pretty much the same as an ebay lightpack, less than a kickstarter.
Heres a video (using my phone so quality a bit average) showing how the ws2801 “chases” around – if you use the same video on lightpack to compare, it just isnt as visually awesome.
It also enables full coverage around the tv – I too have a tv on the wal – very close (4mm) and the lightpack x 2 approach (with 9 LEDs per strip) still gave me gaps I hated.
I will try to blog this up for you.
This looks great, I can definitely see what you two mean now with a Wall mounted TV, it will be much closer to the wall and the gaps become a bigger problem. I’m not really wanting to mount my TV anytime soon, so I use the smaller amount for the lower half. can you post what hardware you bought and where, the ws2801 you refer too, getting mixed results in search, also can you show, or post a picture of it connected to your pi! If not, no worries, thanks for all the info… Looks great FYI… need to find that testing video
link to video is in this blog – heres the direct link
http://sdrv.ms/1c0qquo
So I’m trying to get to this Hyperion Web gui on the PI, is there somewhere I need to enable that? I have gone to port 8888 and 19444, cant seem to find this GUI, maybe I could do a port scan on that IP, just wondering if I have to enable something first. ??
I assume youve done this:
https://github.com/poljvd/hyperion-webapp
then you should be able to go to http://IP:8888
Ooohh, I have not, somehow I missed that… Doing so now. thanks
Christian, ive started up a blog for WS2801 – its not finished just yet, no photos but has a shopping list and some starting points – stay tuned as I develop it.
https://ajpawelski.wordpress.com/how-to-raspberry-pi-raspbmc-hyperion-and-a-ws2801-strip-2/
Finally got this setup correctly. I installed the web server, replaced the config file and was able to bring up the WebGui hyperion effects page. With that, i was able to start the slow rainbow effect and noticed none of these lights are ordered right, So I took off teh whole unit from the back of the TV and then ordered these lights, and labeled them on the light pack,
So, what I suggest to people.
Use Hyperion, before making your final config file, get the order of lights correct by using the rainbow effect.
Connect the lights in order around the TV, doesnt matter where you start, just keep the order right and you can change the offset in the config file, Then take the “1st LED offset” number and keep changing that until it matches perfectly with the color video, load that config and see if it matches using the test light pattern here http://sdrv.ms/1c0qquo Just download that file and put it in your xbmc video directory.
Nothing really matches what I needed, my offset is screwy and what I thought should be counter-clockwise, was clockwise. I would post my config, but I’m sure it wont be at all to anyone elses, just tweak your own. Kinda sucks, I have 1 LED strip that doesnt do any red so it kind of screw up all of them, i just have it unplugged.
I will most likely be moving to the ws2801 route later.
Thank you all soo much for your help!
The order of the lights off the lightpack pcb really doesn’t make sense. My tutorial suggests doing the strips one at a time and labelling them – you could do the same with Hyperion
I bought a lightpack from lightpack.tv (The Kickstarter Lightpack).
I got my Raspberry Pi running with Raspbmc and the lightpack connected to the Raspberry Pi USB port.
I’ve turned Boblight Support on in Raspbmc Settings. And I’ve added the boblight.conf file. However nothing is happening. when I play videos at all.
Could someone help me as I’m a bit newbie when it comes to this kinda stuff 🙂
Best regards
I think the boblight version currently on raspbmc doesn’t support the firmware that comes with the kickstarter lightpacks. If you are a newbie and want an easy setup try Hyperion instead of boblight
Thanks Andrew for your quick reply.
After further investigation. They released this update back in July 2013.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/woodenshark/lightpack-ambient-backlight-for-your-displays/posts/526604
Seems like they do support Boblight with Raspbmc. However they’re lacking on giving out config solutions etc.
Strange.
Kiwi yes it is possible but is a bit painful and since that post the lightpack firmware has been updated as has speedy’s version of boblight – seriously Hyperion just works and is easy well documented and supported
Thanks to this tool: https://github.com/tvdzwan/hyperion/wiki/configuration
I could easily configure my set-up and it is now working!
Thanks for recommending Hyperion!
ok glad you got it running. Looking back at your last comment you said you uninstalled the boblight add in – you dont need a boblight add in only enabling it in the settings for raspbmc – any all is in the past you should enjoy hyperion now – I have a blog on how to do hyperion with a ws2801 strip if you want to evolve that way next.
I get it running, after a few mistakes with Boblight i end up with Hyperion, which works fine for me.
So if anybody else hang with the Lightpack.tv from Kickstarter and didnt get it running, i wrote down how i did it.
http://ghost.kerstof.net/lightpack-tv-on-raspberrypi-raspbmc/
I was wondering if by chance you would have a hyperion conf file for two lightpacks? I can’t seem to figure it out, and the builder doesn’t seem to allow two of them. Any advice?
Yep create a config file type lightpack and with 20 LEDs in hypercon
Then edit the config in a text editor and change the type to multi-lightpack. You need to put the second lightpack LEDs to the right of the first
Lemme know how u go!
I keep following this thread, Andrew, you really have helped out a lot of people, I’m sure a lot more people have read this and got theirs going without replying here. Once again, thank you very much for all your help on the LightPack. Very much appreciated.
My pleasure I really want to give back what I can to the community – I found very little information when I started tinkering so I’m glad if I have helped in any way
Thanks for the detailed guide! I’m quite new to Lightpack and XBMC and it helped out a lot. I do have a question thou. I got one lightpack up and working no problem with your guide however two I’m having a problem. How do I get the bus and address for each lightpack?
I attempted to run the boblight daemon i.e. ‘boblightd’ but i receive the following error
ERROR: /etc/boblight.conf: No such file or directory
It appears its trying to access the boblight.conf but its not in the /etc/ folder its in the /storage/.xbmc/userdata/addon_data/service.multimedia.boblightd/ folder.
I’m trying to set this up on Openelec. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Are you running xbmc or OpenELEC?
OpenElec latest stable Ion build for an Acer Revo.
Well that’s a little different to raspbmc on a pi but you could try copying the config file to the other location?
Hi,
I bought the same kit from the same guy on ebay but trying to install everything on ubuntu 12.04 without any luck.
looks like although running “boblightd” output no errors, none of the leds are working, even when trying “boblight-constant FF0000” .
any idea why?
Is this on a pi? Would need to see some config files and cli output
its not on pi , Zotac-ID18 Htpc (celeron processor).
I tried using the same boblight.conf you posted here as I am using the same hardware from ebay (ignore light position for now – I’ll solve this once everything will be working).
With you config file I get:
(InitLog) start of log /home/yaniv/.boblight/boblightd.log
(PrintFlags) starting boblightd
(CConfig::LoadConfigFromFile) opening /etc/boblight.conf
(CConfig::CheckConfig) checking config lines
(CConfig::CheckConfig) config lines valid
(CConfig::BuildConfig) building config
(CConfig::BuildConfig) built config successfully
(main) starting devices
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
(CDevice::Process) LP1: starting
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 2 address 9. Couldn’t get serial.
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: error opening device, error -3 LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 2 address 9. Couldn’t get serial.
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: error opening device, error -3 LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 2 address 9. Couldn’t get serial.
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: error opening device, error -3 LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 2 address 9. Couldn’t get serial.
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: error opening device, error -3 LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 2 address 9. Couldn’t get serial.
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: error opening device, error -3 LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 2 address 9. Couldn’t get serial.
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: error opening device, error -3 LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
(CClientsHandler::Process) opening listening socket on *:19333
(CClientsHandler::Process) ERROR: bind() *:19333 Address already in use
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) LP1: found Lightpack at bus 2 address 9. Couldn’t get serial.
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: error opening device, error -3 LIBUSB_ERROR_ACCESS
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
I Think maybe the question is how to find the right “output” and “type” (Possible values are ltbl, momo, atmo, sound, popen, dioder, karate, ibelight, lightpack, sedu, lpd8806and ws2801) for the device.
Well looks like you are close before running the daemon try executing a boblight stop command. It looks like it is already listening. Lightpack is the right type although not sure what os you are trying to do this on
Ubuntu 12.04
Not sure how much help I can be but I can try – see my last comment and let me know how you go
It looks like its a usb permission option. Lightpack is detected but libusb can’t open the usb device (probably to light the leds).
this is the error I get –
libusb:error [op_open] libusb couldn’t open USB device /dev/bus/usb/002/009: Permission denied.
libusb:error [op_open] libusb requires write access to USB device nodes.
I just don’t know how to fix it…
Not sure have you looked at Hyperion?
Hey great post. It’s helped me a ton. I am having one issue I hope you can help me with. When using your config two of this strips don’t light up (6 and 10). I then took the sample config, changed channels to 30, and deleted everything after light10. Now they all light up except 10. Any ideas?
Im running the latest boblightd and xbmc light pack addons as well as the latest openelec. Also this is the lightpack: http://lightpack.tv/
Thank you. I’ve been rattling my brain over this for a week.
I’ve heard people using 30 LEDs but the lightpack should only use 10 – have you tried Hyperion?
Hello. Is there any tutorial for XBMC 12. I mean standalone Linux based XBMC and not the Pi version? Pi is using some plugin right? Is it possible to use it also XBMC?
Should be the same you CANT use the plugin as the article states. People have successfully used OpenELEC and raspbian
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Hi guys.
I’m so frustrated, I bought a 2x lightpacks, they work fine with prismatik.
Then I thought well ill buy a raspberry pi and hook them up to that, I don’t understand the cods that you are writing into the raspberry pi? I’m still waiting for it to come in the mail.
But is it possible for someone to make a video on how to get 2 light packs up and running with a RPI? I would pay money for that
It’s not that hard when u have all your stuff I can help u through it if u like – donations are always welcome 🙂
Sasha’s store link is broken, is he still around??
Looks like he has closed his eBay store but I found him on amazon still http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/ol/B00IO3MRZQ/ref=mw_dp_olp?ie=UTF8&condition=new
i bought these 90 leds at ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/90x-RGB-Leds-strip-Light-kit-LightPack-Clone-TV-backlight-usb-Ambilight-XBMC-/131269117457?pt=US_USB_Lights_Gadgets&hash=item1e903fc611
this post helped me to set my lights up after days of trying to figure out how to make them work on openelec. every boblight config creator kept making making 270 channels due to having 90 leds but it wasnt until i read that lightpack can only do up to 30 channels because it goes by strips not leds is when i finally got it going. thank you!!!
Glad I could help
I have problem
(CDevice::Process) LP1: setting up
(CDeviceLightpack::SetupDevice) ERROR: LP1: no Lightpack device with vid 03eb and pid 204f found
(CDevice::Process) ERROR: LP1: setting up failed, retrying in 10 seconds
do you know how to fix that ?
Sorry havent used lightpack for ages – have you tried hyperion instead of boblight?