First Bytes 2012

Now that you have created a pattern for your lights, you can also program the lights to dance and, if you choose, compete in the dancing lights categories rather than in the pattern or message categories. To do this task, you would need to choose a piece of music and the time the lights to dance with that music. (Be sure to follow the rules of the competition!)

As an example, these lights are dancing to Axel F.

To help you, we have provided a music framework (called music_framework and available on your USB drive). This music framework has essentially the same files and setup as your pattern framework, but it does differ in some important ways:

• In your pattern framework, the bulbs are addressed from 0 to 15. In the music framework, the first bulb is still bulb 0, but ALL the other bulbs are bulb 15. This addressing allows all but one of the bulbs to be synchronized. The "extra" bulb (bulb 0) can be used as a conductor to indicate when the dancing is about to begin so the music should start. You'll notice the difference on startup when the test patterns are very different.
• To that end, files music.cpp/h include functions dance() and conductor_start(). You can code your dance here (and add any functions you wish) and be certain to call the appropriate functions from the loop() function in music_framework.
• One final note: you'll need to reset the addressing of the lights, and the lights are only addressed at start up. So, unplug your lights, upload your dancing program, and then plug in the lights while holding down the reset button. Voila! Your lights have the correct addresses.

Happy Dancing!