Hi guys,

I'm introducing a new product to RCGroups called MudLED. It lets you easily configure any kind of LED effect you want - from blindingly simple to blindingly complicated - using your phone, tablet, or any device with Wifi:

MUDLED - LEDs Easier and Your Way (0 min 30 sec)

* Configure using your phone, tablet, or anything with wifi and a browser.
* Switch between LED modes with a PWM channel from your receiver.
* Assign effects to any section of LEDs - even overlap effects and blend them together.
* Over-the-air updates to get improvements as they're made.
* Small 25x35mm board that weighs 4g, simple wiring.
* Can drive 12v or 5v ws2812x LED strips.
* Up to 500 LEDs.



To set up your MudLED, see the user guide here.



This is a functioning product now and everything you see in the video has been done on the current version. MudLED is able to receive updates to perfect and add things as we get feedback (right now I'm working on a darker interface, since you usually use it at night).

To make an order visit https://muddart.nz. If you have any questions email us at [email protected]

- Hamish from Mud-Dart RC.

PROGRESS UPDATES

29/05/2020 - V1.40
A number of improvements have been made since the first post, as we're getting ready to ship out our first orders. We'll be looking to update the user guide in the very near future too.

• Show status through LED colors for firmware updates.
• Added an easier way to update firmware.
• Dark UI theme, since it will mostly be used at night.
• Added double-flash effect.
• Improved speed of page loading.
• Added recovery mode in case things go wrong.
• Anti-aliasing for very smooth effects even when slow moving.
• Added option to enter config by shorting a pin to ground.

1/06/2020 - V1.50
A few more improvements to complete the first shipping version:

• Zone reset button to reset a zone to default configuration (everything off).
• Offset option to start an effect somewhere other than at the start of a range. Allows you to have effects chasing each other on the same section of LEDs. See the video below.

MudLED Offset Example (0 min 9 sec)

19/07/2020
Just some updates to the guide. I've added a note about blending effects together, and another about BEC sizes.


13/10/2020 - V1.5.2

• Added a 'strobe' effect that turns LEDs on for only one frame out of the whole loop time.
• Added a 'delay' option. This adds a gap between loops of the animation. So effectively the animation plays, then waits for the delay before playing again.

21/12/2020 - V1.5.4

• Updated the firmware update form, provides a list of wifi networks and a list of versions. Allows those willing to download beta versions.

04/03/2021 - V1.6.0

• Added MULTI-STRIP mode! You can now connect up to 4 separate LED strips on D5, D6, D7, and D8.
• Added UI element to reverse an LED range, and select which strip an LED range is on for multi-strip mode.
• Config mode can now be entered by pressing the button on the board twice.
• Added zone 'Copy' and 'Paste' buttons for easily duplicating a zone.
• Reduced current used when showing the user a selected LED range (avoids needing a large BEC if the user would never light all LEDs).

Reserved.

Hi everyone. I received my MudLED controller the other day. So thought I'd make an unboxing and first impressions video. Spoiler alert, these things are great. I barely scratched the surface!

Mud Dart MudLED module unboxing and review (20 min 41 sec)

what type of LEDs do I need for this?

Troy

The video states WS2812 LEDs. Is that different from the WS2812B I see on Amazon?

Originally Posted by Troy388

what type of LEDs do I need for this?

Troy

Originally Posted by toothtime

The video states WS2812 LEDs. Is that different from the WS2812B I see on Amazon?

It will work with any WS2812B, WS2813, or WS2815 LEDs (there are a few 'compatible' versions with different model numbers, but I would stick with these to be safe).

• WS2812B is the 'original'. 5V, and any LED that is broken will stop the rest of the strip from working.
• WS2813 is an updated version of WS2812B, that can handle 1 broken LED out of every 2 (2 broken in a row will still break the rest of the strip).
• WS2815 is a 12V version of the WS2813. I recommend these if using 3S batteries.

So I would go for WS2813 (5V) or WS2815 (12V), but any of the above will work.

MystX

Thanks for the info,
looking forward to setting them up in my next plane

Troy

Hamish,

This looks really cool and super useful! I've been thinking about making a big, LED-laden night flyer but was holding back due to limited available options on strip animations. Love the ability to multi-layer and mix modes.

I'd also like to suggest an idea for a future evolution to you guys (or anyone else reading): I think we could make amazing LED animations if we could sync them in real-time with motion information from a gyro sensor and the stick inputs. I can imagine some pretty interesting visual effects if they were synced with spins, barrel rolls, loops, etc. Sure, flipping through presets via a radio channel is neat but the things a real-time responsive mode could do would be WILD. I guess the easiest approach short of an integrated board would be to provide a way to interface with a flight controller for real-time input.

It might even be functionally useful. A glider like a Night Radian could visually indicate with the LEDs whether it's rising or falling like a vario. A "Thermal Seeking Mode" could even indicate if one wing got a 'bump' indicating a thermal in that direction (not really sure if thermals at night are a thing as I don't do thermal soaring just slope).

Also, is the code going to be open source? I'm a huge fan of community enhancement ala OpenTX and MPM module.

Hey guys, I just got mine and I'm having some issues. I bridged the D7 and Ground to get into wifi mode. I can connect to it via Samsung S8. I open chrome and enter the "192.168.4.1" but I can not get into the programming mode that way. What am i doing wrong? Also you have 16 I/O on this board. What can they be used for, also whats the reset button and micro usb for? I see nothing on your site that answers these questions. Thanks

Originally Posted by Markran

I think we could make amazing LED animations if we could sync them in real-time with motion information from a gyro sensor and the stick inputs.

This would certainly be cool, but it is also a huge addition to the software. I think the current board wouldn't really handle all of the extra configuration and processing, but this is something we can put on the list for a new board if other people are interested.

Originally Posted by Markran

Also, is the code going to be open source? I'm a huge fan of community enhancement ala OpenTX and MPM module.

The software is most of the product so we won't be making it open source.

Originally Posted by TERRAFPV

I open chrome and enter the "192.168.4.1" but I can not get into the programming mode that way.

What happens when you type that in? You could try turning off your mobile data and see if that helps.

Originally Posted by TERRAFPV

Also you have 16 I/O on this board. What can they be used for, also whats the reset button and micro usb for?

It's not a custom board made by us so the other I/O don't have any uses for now. However, I've found the USB port is really handy for testing with a few LEDs.

Some quick examples I've come up with:

MudLED Example (0 min 11 sec)

MudLED Example 2 (0 min 8 sec)

bridge o itver d7 and ground nothing... controller has a blue led lit on

Some more examples with firmware version 1.5.2:

MudLED Examples 3 (0 min 24 sec)