Pb.Hub and RGB Unit

frameworklabs

Has anyone succeeded in driving all 3 LEDs in an RGB Unit from a Pb.Hub(v1.1)?
I only ever manage to set the first LED of the RGB Unit but never the other 2. Is there a known issue in the Pb.Hub firmware?

gavin67890

@frameworklabs,

I couldn't get it to work with ultrasonic sensors (various other posts with mentions by me). Others have reportedly been ok with Arduino driving it rather than UIFlow. What are you flashing it with, UIFlow, Arduino, etc.?

felmue

Hello @frameworklabs

this Arduino example works for me. It sets all three RGB LEDs to white.

Note: I only have the original version for the PbHub so it might not work with v1.1.

Thanks
Felix

frameworklabs

Hi @gavin67890 ,

I am using Arduino.

frameworklabs

Hi @felmue ,

I am using the example you refer to but it does not work for me. I.e. any LED Unit I connect (or also the FADER Unit) - always only the first Lamp shows up.
Seems the V1.1 has an issue then and I have to buy the old Pb.Hub.. :-(.

Best
Marc

felmue

Hello @frameworklabs

there is a command to set the number of RGB LEDs. Maybe the default value is different between the original PbHub and v1.1?

Try adding below line into the second for loop. This should set the number to 3.

porthub.hub_wire_length(HUB_ADDR[i], 3);

Thanks
Felix

frameworklabs

Thanks @felmue ,

I tried this in various variations - in setup - in the for loop - with and without delays - but with no effect whatsoever.

My guess is that this is an issue with the Firmware on the v1.1 version - maybe someone from M5Stack Support can confirm?

Marc

ajb2k3

If this is the hub based on the STM32 then it's a limitation I brought up with M5Stack.
Just to the power output of the hub, the hub is limited to only one LED.
I tried it with my head band and it wouldn't work (2X Neko Ears) before asking M5Stack.

felmue

Hello @ajb2k3

when you say 'limitation', do you mean an electrical limitation or an issue in the current STM32 firmware which will be fixed?

I am asking because the documentation says that the maximum RGB LEDs is 74. See section I2C Map.

[1] STM32 version: 74 is the max of RGB LED numbers.

Thanks
Felix

frameworklabs

@ajb2k3 - exactly, it is the SMT32 based hub.
Thanks for sharing your experience - good to be not alone...

felmue

Hello guys

I received a PbHub v1.1 (STM32 version) today and I can confirm too that only one RGB LED can be driven.

@m5stack : could you please elaborate what exactly the issue is? The documentation says that the default number of RGB LEDs for the STM32 version PbHub is 74 (seventy four). How can I use more than one RGB LED? Do I need an external power supply?

Thanks
Felix

ajb2k3

@felmue yes most definitely an external power supply.

mikeluyten

Any further updates about getting the PbHub v1.1 to drive more than one RGB LED?

I have provided external power to my LED's and still only the 1st LED will light up, also if it was a power issue, when trying to turn on the 2nd or 3rd led, it should not turn on the 1st LED. Looks to be a firmware issue with the PbHub where its not reading the LED number bytes in the message.

ajb2k3

I spoke to M5Stack and they said it can only do 1 RGB per port

felmue

Hello @ajb2k3

if that is really true, e.g. only one RGB LED per port, then the documentation should be adapted. It still says the default number is 74 indicating it can handle up to 74 RGB LEDs.

@m5stack : please fix. Thank you.

BTW: if it was a power issue it could be solved using a UNIT TypeC2Grove

Thanks
Felix

washishi

I also encountered this problem and looked into it.
When I looked at M5Stack's GitHUB repository, I noticed that the F/W version was 2.
My item was 1
https://github.com/m5stack/M5-PbHUB-Internal-FW

After rewriting the F/W, multiple LEDs can now be controlled normally.
It seems there was a problem with the initial F/W.
https://x.com/washishi/status/1840095657954291775

To rewrite, you will need a tool (ST-LINK) that can write to STM32.