README (6d5ec0e) - libetherpix · BlinkenArea

README

EtherPix library

EtherPix is a large scale display architecture that is driven using UDP/IP.
It consists of single pixels that are connected to chains. A number of those
pixel chains is then connected to a so called distributor module that
receives data over ethernet and distributes it to the pixel chains.

The protocol used on UDP is MCUF (microcontroller unit frame, see
http://wiki.blinkenarea.org/index.php/MicroControllerUnitFrame). However,
as EtherPix displays can have more than 65536 pixels, multiple MCUF packets
are sent for one frame - a single MCUF frame to every distributor.
The coordinates of the pixels in the MCUF packets do not correspond to pixel
locations, but to pixel addresses. The y coordinate is the number of the
output of the distributor and the x coordinate is the number of the pixel
in the chain. The number of channels is always 1 (monochrome)  or 3 (RGB) and
the maximum value is always 255 (8 bit per channel).

This library can be used to send the required UDP packets to the EtherPix
display to make it show images and/or videos.
As the libarary has to know how the pixels are wired and where there are
located (i.e. which pixel in the source image they represent), a rather
complex config file is needed. Examples of config files can be found in
"examples/config" and example code showing how to use the library is
located in "examples/src".

clone URL: http://git.blinkenarea.org/projects/libetherpix

URL to web interface: http://git.blinkenarea.org/index.php?p=libetherpix

about the name: PIXels connected via ETHERnet -> EtherPix

libetherpix

add support for monochrome distributors