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What is it?
Sparky Jr is a programmable RGB LED mod companion light up activation controller for pushbuttons on gaming fightsticks.
How does it work?
Well, at the end of the day. The base code essentially allows you to customize your light up pattern, defining buttons and button combinations and mapping them to a specific color.
The default button combination setup (on a 8 button fightstick) is 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x per row, and then 4 cross row combinations. Support for both 6 and 8 buttons controllers is written in.
So what does the board look like?
a. ATMEL ATMEGA328PU 28pin MCU
This is the brains of the operation. Preloaded with the Sparky.pde sketch.
b. Button (Momentary Switch) Input Header
This is the input connection. This would be ideally connected to the signal lines of your arcade button switch
c. Common RGB LED Leg Connector
Regardless of wether your setup is common anode or cathode, your RGB LED will typically have 4 connection. One for each color and one for the commmon leg (Anode or Cathode). Each common leg
d. Red Green Blue
Each RGB LED will have a connection for each of the three color. You can daisy chain all of your reds (or green, or blues) with one wire per color. Similarily the spacing here allows for a 3 terminal 3.5mm screw terminal. Thus allowing your configuration to screw down 6 or 8 individual wires for each corresponding color.
e. Common Anode Jumper
By default. The Sparky software is set to act as though you where installing common cathode RGB LEDs. Should this not suit your given application or power consumption and you wish to use common anode LEDs. Simply place the jumper on the 2 pin male header. The microcontroller will automatically detect the jumper and switch the output pins appropriately for a common anode application.
f. Reset
The 2 via holes provided here enable a wires remote reset. Should you wish to use a reset button or switch, simply solder on wire to each of the switches legs.
g. FTDI Header
On the six pin FTDI header, the recommended setup is to solder your VCC and GND headers to the appropriate pins (#4 and #5 respectively). The customization starts here. If you are creative or adventurous and decide to want to upload your own program to the ATMEG328 you can solder a 6 pin header and upload via FTDI. If you solder a 6 pin header to the FTDI connection, you will need to solder your VCC and GND input lines to the underside of the board.
h. 20pin breakout
this is for direct ribbon connect to the TEasy Strike PS3 mod.
Sparky Jr is a programmable RGB LED mod companion light up activation controller for pushbuttons on gaming fightsticks.
How does it work?
Well, at the end of the day. The base code essentially allows you to customize your light up pattern, defining buttons and button combinations and mapping them to a specific color.
The default button combination setup (on a 8 button fightstick) is 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x per row, and then 4 cross row combinations. Support for both 6 and 8 buttons controllers is written in.
So what does the board look like?
a. ATMEL ATMEGA328PU 28pin MCU
This is the brains of the operation. Preloaded with the Sparky.pde sketch.
b. Button (Momentary Switch) Input Header
This is the input connection. This would be ideally connected to the signal lines of your arcade button switch
c. Common RGB LED Leg Connector
Regardless of wether your setup is common anode or cathode, your RGB LED will typically have 4 connection. One for each color and one for the commmon leg (Anode or Cathode). Each common leg
d. Red Green Blue
Each RGB LED will have a connection for each of the three color. You can daisy chain all of your reds (or green, or blues) with one wire per color. Similarily the spacing here allows for a 3 terminal 3.5mm screw terminal. Thus allowing your configuration to screw down 6 or 8 individual wires for each corresponding color.
e. Common Anode Jumper
By default. The Sparky software is set to act as though you where installing common cathode RGB LEDs. Should this not suit your given application or power consumption and you wish to use common anode LEDs. Simply place the jumper on the 2 pin male header. The microcontroller will automatically detect the jumper and switch the output pins appropriately for a common anode application.
f. Reset
The 2 via holes provided here enable a wires remote reset. Should you wish to use a reset button or switch, simply solder on wire to each of the switches legs.
g. FTDI Header
On the six pin FTDI header, the recommended setup is to solder your VCC and GND headers to the appropriate pins (#4 and #5 respectively). The customization starts here. If you are creative or adventurous and decide to want to upload your own program to the ATMEG328 you can solder a 6 pin header and upload via FTDI. If you solder a 6 pin header to the FTDI connection, you will need to solder your VCC and GND input lines to the underside of the board.
h. 20pin breakout
this is for direct ribbon connect to the TEasy Strike PS3 mod.
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Signing UpStep 1Show me what can be done?
Some video examples of what Sparky Jr can do. Make sure to check out the showcase for some user submitted videos.
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a+
easy install
easy configure
support thread i found on a video game thread
http://shoryuken.com/forum/threads/official-sparky-thread-sparky-jr-v2-mini-dark-or-lite.117272/
thanks for the support
i do remember your email thread
Thanks for the comment. This project started over 2 years ago from a conceptual idea based on a "i am bored with a single color light up" and "i want to be able to change my colors on the fly"
you can see some of the early work in my flickr sets.
this is the original concept on a perfboard PCB using and arduino and 2 74hc595 shift registers
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/4562490392_1132a16cc3.jpg
and here is the wiring nonsense on the backside
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/4561819281_d608a203be.jpg
again,
thanks for the kind words, much appreciated