Hi everybody!
First post here, though I've been peeping the forums for months while preparing my own ambilight setup. I'll try to make this quick and detailed.
Hardware
- Raspberry Pi 4 4GB (tried with 1 B+ too)
- EasyCap D60 (UT7000) grabber (and all the required bits before it for TV capture)
- Mean Well RSP-150-5 power supply (150w 30a 5v)
- 228 APA102 LEDs (5M roll, about 4m used. Bought on AliExpress)
- 12AWG wires from the PSU, splits into 20AWG to power all 4 corners separately
- Everything was hand-soldered. I'm new at this but it seems to be okay.
OS
- Raspbian Stretch
- Raspbian Buster
- OpenElec
Tried both Hyperion-NG and Hyperion with HyperCon. Also tried alpha 0.2 and 0.5, along with many ways to compile/install. I'd prefer getting NG to work if possible.
The Issue(s)
This is where it gets tricky. It's so off the map that I don't even know how to describe it. I'll try to be precise but please don't hesitate to ask for clarifications.
I was first able to get something to happen using the Pi 4 and Buster with Hyperion-NG 0.5. The software works for me, as in I'm able to access the WebGUI and make changes. However, I just can't get the LED to work properly.
I got close once, using the effects in Hyperion-NG worked somewhat on the LEDs, but there were constant random colors and flickers so it was useless. Also, I did something weird to make that work: I switched the Clock and Data pins on the Pi, ie put 19 instead of 23 and 23 instead of nineteen. I know this is wrong, but this is the only way I was able to get something working. Anything else was a failure.
That was the first attempt. Since then I've gone to the Pi B+ and tried 3 OS and nothing even got close to the first attempt.
So all in all, it seems that my Pi isn't "controlling" the LEDs at all. Since the PSU is plugged into the wall, they are constantly on and the Pi does nothing different. Effects don't work, etc.
I know this isn't much to go by, but I'm really struggling here. Read all the tutorials I could find. Am I missing some hardware to interface with the LEDs? Is the Pi 4 not supported? Is Alpha 0.5 fairly reliable (in regards to other versions)?
Thanks a bunch for your help. I'm just looking forward to figuring this out.
PS. Not a Linux expert, FYI. I get around using web resources.