FAQs
Q. I’m getting a “PIXEL not found message”.
Q. Is there a way to control PIXEL from a command line for home automation and/or Raspberry Pi applications?
A. Yes, see the console app
here. The console app runs on the PC, Mac, Linux, and the Raspberry Pi including the new
Raspberry Pi B+.
Q. Does the power supply for PIXEL work with 220V/240V?A.Yes, PIXEL’s power supply can run from 110V to 240V power. It outputs 5V DC up to 4 Amps and has a standard 2.1mm barrel jack connector. The plug it comes with is the “two-prong style” for US/Canada/Japan however so you’ll need to supply your own plug adapter for your country.
Q. Can PIXEL run off a battery?
A.Yes with the disclaimer this is an area that has not been fully tested and there is a known caveat. The easiest route is to use a high capacity portable phone charger battery pack, a 10,000 mAH or higher model
such as this one. Using a
USB to 2.1mm DC jack cable, you’ll connect the USB end to the battery pack and the DC jack to PIXEL power jack. The caveat is that if you run GIFs/images with a lot of white, the current draw will be too high resetting the board continuously resulting in an animation beginning to play, stopping, and then playing again (definitely not usable). Animations without a lot of white should play but again this is an area that has not been fully tested. If you are experiencing the reset issue, then the work around which for sure will work is to power the PIXEL board with a
smaller power pack like this one and use the larger power pack to power the LED matrix directly. The downside here is that you’ll need to splice the LED matrix power cable to the USB cable coming out of the high capacity power pack. Alternatively, you may also use a LiPO battery but you’ll need to drop the voltage down to 5V.
Q. Will PIXEL work with any Android device?
A. Well that’s tough to say as each Android device manufacturer can make their own Android device modifications. What we can say is that with a few exceptions, the Android devices we have tested work with PIXEL. For sure your Android device will need to have Bluetooth so watch out for those el cheapo Android tablets as most of them don’t have built in Bluetooth.
Q. Can I personalize PIXEL with my own pictures and/or animations?
A. Yes, just share your image or gif with the PIXEL iOS or Android app. Just keep in mind that PIXEL has a resolution of 32×32 (each LED equals one PIXEL) so large, high resolution images will not display well. Also refer to the
PIXEL content guide for guidance on what content looks good and what doesn’t look good on PIXEL.
Q. What’s a good image editor to use for creating pixel art?
A. Most users use Photoshop. You may also use the
PIXEL Editor app (adapted from the popular Pixelesque app) on Android for creating images within Android.
Q. How do I author my own GIFs for PIXEL and is there a color palette and recommended frame delay?
A. Use your favorite video editor like Photoshop to author the animation and then export it in the animated .GIF format set to loop. Please refer to the
Artists page for details on authoring GIFs including a color palette and recommended frame delays. Then just share your .gif with the
PIXEL: LED ART Android app.
Q. When running in stand alone mode, how can I get PIXEL to play and loop multiple GIFs?
Q. Where are some good Internet sites to get content for PIXEL?
Q. Can I replace PIXEL’s front panels with different acrylic colors?
A. Yes, PIXEL’s front panels are easily interchangeable.
Here’s how to change them.
Q. Does PIXEL tie up my Android device/phone or can I just set the image and then use other apps or turn my phone off?
A. PIXEL has onboard storage and will display animations or still images when your Android or PC has been disconnected.
Q. Is there a DIY version of PIXEL available for custom installations?
A. Yes, the PIXEL Maker’s kit
Q. The power cord shows, any way to hide that or can I power PIXEL from a battery?
A. When hanging on a wall, the only way would be to have an electrician run a power outlet into a recessed power box and then place PIXEL over the recessed box hiding the power cord and power supply in the box. The other option is to place PIXEL somewhere free standing like on a desk using the including stand where the power cord isn’t so much of an issue. Alternatively, we have tested PIXEL with a 4000 mAh LIPO battery which provides roughly a 12 hour running time, you’ll also need a LIPO UBEC to convert the output of the LIPO to 5V.
Q. How much power does PIXEL use?
A. When idle, PIXEL consumes 1.4 watts and when in use depending on the particular still image or animation being displayed, PIXEL will consume anywhere from 4 to 8 watts.
Q. As PIXEL was a KickStarter project, do you have any advice for others thinking about doing their own KickStarter campaign?
