29.06.2020
The TV backlight is adaptive without a computer. Dynamic TV backlight. PaintPack is a great gift
The backlight works from the USB connector of the TV, turns on/off along with the TV and the brightness can be adjusted.
For production you will need:
- White LED strip 12-24 volts (color tone to taste);
- Voltage-increasing module MT3608 (costs 29 rubles in China);
- USB "plug";
- a few wires;
- soldering accessories;
- Voltmeter;
- Ammeter;
- all sorts of little things.
Manufacturing process
First, we measure the size of the TV and figure out how to place the tape, cut off the required amount.
We solder the resulting 4 pieces of tape with flexible wires. Be sure to observe polarity.
The backlight will be connected from the USB connector of the TV, but there is only 5V and this is not enough for us. To operate LED strips you usually need 12 or 24V. Therefore, we use the MT3608 voltage-increasing module; it will increase the voltage from 5 to 12V. We solder the wires from the USB “plug” to the module input (VIn).
We sing the tape to the output of the module.
In principle, it should already work =)
To be able to regulate the brightness, I glued a “swivel” with a piece of a match to the variable resistor regulating the voltage (the “bum option”), thanks to this the resistor can be turned forward and backward only half a turn. The extreme positions will correspond to the minimum and maximum brightness; you select them yourself. (the yellow thing on the board is a tantalum capacitor; it reduces voltage ripple at the output and is unnecessary, ripple is already minimal).
After everything is assembled, you need to check the current consumed by the circuit at maximum brightness, for this you can use a USB voltammeter or, as in my case laboratory block nutrition. The voltage on the tape should not be higher than the nominal voltage.
The current should not exceed the maximum permissible for the connector.
After all the checks, we unstick the tape and glue the module onto the adhesive tape.
All is ready! enjoy
Finally
It is not necessary to do it exactly as I did and I did not invent the wheel.
You can make everything neater and more beautiful
The backlight does not overheat and does not blink, the conversion frequency is about 1.2 MHz
I am not responsible for a broken TV or work-related injuries, please be prudent and careful.
You can buy a 5V LED strip and dispense with the voltage-raising module.
You can use RGB strip + module remote control, if you want to have a remote control and special effects, but this will quickly get boring.
If the power of the USB connector is not enough, then you need to connect a 5 volt relay instead of the strip and through it turn on/off together with the TV not only the backlight, but also any other equipment plugged into the outlet, for example, acoustics.
TVs with dynamic backlighting around the display frame are one of Philips' signature features. And unlike many others, it works. However, everything comes at a price, and TVs with Ambilight and increased immersion are more expensive than many other models.
Russian developers have proposed a method that will allow monitors from any manufacturer to be equipped with dynamic backlighting. To do this, you don’t even have to take the device to service center: It just takes a little time and perseverance.
In general, such lighting can be purchased in the form of radio components and configured independently. But, as practice shows, this is almost comparable to ready-made options from PaintPack.
There are two main models available: a monitor version (30 LEDs) and a TV version (60 LEDs). There is also a very simple one - for 10 LEDs, but it is suitable only for the smallest monitors.
The TV version is equipped with an external power supply. Also in its favor is the larger number of LEDs, which gives large area backlight (will glow wider and higher, in other words). If such options are not suitable for any reason, you can contact the developers: for a small additional payment they will offer a modified version.
mindrunway.ruPaintPack, in fact, is a small case to which removable LED strips are connected on both sides. The box with the filling contains indicators and a power connector, as well as microUSB for connecting to a PC. There is also a master connector (proprietary) for connecting two devices in series.
The device body is placed on the back of the TV or monitor. Then the LED strips are laid in accordance with the instructions, the power is connected and the magic begins. When connecting PaintPack to a computer via a USB connector, you must install drivers and configure the device in the bundled program.
mysku.ru Configuration is done using the AmbiBox package. You need to go to the “Intelligent Backlight” menu, select the screen capture method and one of the operating modes offered in the program:
- Static background - any color can be set, the LED glow can be adjusted.
- Color music - the backlight will blink in time with the sound of the music. The backlight color is set to green-yellow.
- Dynamic background - a smooth flow of one color into another.
- Screen capture is the main mode of operation.
This mode allows you to capture color from the movies and games you watch. The backlight color will change according to the image on the screen, dividing into upper, lower and side zones (each separately).
PaintPack works a little slower than the official Philips analogue. But taking into account the difference in cost and the possibility of upgrading any device, the choice is obvious.
Today I will tell you and show you how to make dynamic monitor backlighting.
Surely you know that sitting at a computer in the dark is harmful to the eyes, and this is due to the contrast between the monitor and the darkness. Therefore, to reduce eye strain, backlighting is needed. Of course, you can get by with a table lamp, but to create more comfort or just for beauty.
For dynamic backlighting we need:
1) Addressable LED strip.
2) Resistor from 200-500 Ohms.
3) Arduino.
4) Thick and thin wire.
5) Solder.
6) Soldering iron.
7) Flux.
8) Electrical tape
9) Wire cutters
Assembly and configuration:
1) We will connect everything as per the diagram below. The scheme itself is outrageously simple. The tape is connected from a 5V power supply (the author of this homemade product will connect it to the computer’s power supply), the ground of the tape and the DI contact are connected to the Arduino, and the DI contact is through a resistor, that’s all. Thus, the tape is powered by the computer's power supply, and the Arduino by Computer USB and via USB receives information for LED strip.
2) First, let’s take a thick wire that will go to the power supply and a thin one for the Arduino, strip it, tin it and solder everything as in the photo below.
3) Next, solder two thin wires to the Arduino, not forgetting the resistor.
4) Now the fun part, you need to attach the tape to the monitor. The number of LEDs on the left and right should be the same, for example twenty on the left and twenty on the right, the same on the top and bottom, for example thirty on the top and thirty on the bottom, this is very important.
5) Lay out the tape on the table. A rectangle with the required length and width and with the required number of LEDs as in the photo below. Notice that the beginning of the tape with the DI contact is in the lower left corner and the end of the tape is also in the lower left corner, this is also very important.
6) Well, we glue the tape to the monitor and Arduino with double-sided tape.
7) Now we connect power to the tape and Arduino via USB to the computer.
8) Flash the Arduino. The firmware and instructions on how to do this can be found at.
9) Next, open the firmware file. We look at where you connected the Arduino and remember, then go to “tools” and look for “port” and select the USB port to which you connected the Arduino and select it. In our case, this is port number five.
10) Then in the first setting (highlighted in yellow, in the photo below) we indicate our number of LEDs. And we complete the firmware.
11) Now install the AmbiBox program, it will be in the archive with the firmware. Everything is simple there. But at the end, when selecting a device, you need to specify “Adalight”.
12) Let's launch. We immediately set the language to Russian. And automatic activation when the computer starts, also so that this program does not interfere with the computer starting, we set the delay to 20s.
13) And now go to the next tab and immediately click on “more settings”.
14) Don’t be scared and remember the number of the USB port to which the Arduino is connected and select the desired port.
15) Next in the program we can select the mode for capturing color from the screen. For the author, only the first six work, but you can poke around yourself and choose the mode that suits you or just works. The author chose the “GDI FS Aero” mode; the distinctiveness of this mode is that standard transparent windows will be displayed in the backlight.
16) Click “show capture zones” and see that they are not configured at all. First, select the number of your LEDs.
17) The program should reboot. Then click on the zone setup wizard. And we adjust your parameters into the program, you can see an example in the photo below. I also advise you to increase the color setting zones, so the result will be prettier.
Campaign to raise money for the production of Lightpack 2. It's about about the LED strip, which is hidden behind the TV, receives a signal via HDMI and highlights what is happening on the screen in appropriate colors. It sounds like Ambilight from Philips, but, being a separate device, it has its own differences.
Firstly, Lightpack 2 has a Lightbridge switch, which serves as a hub for HDMI devices: the tape is connected to Lightbridge, it is connected to the TV, and sources are directly connected to it via four HDMI inputs.
Secondly, complete with the device you can order “pixels” - small flashlights that, according to the company, enhance the process of “immersion” when viewing with their flickering.
Thirdly, Lightpack 2 works with both TVs and monitors (the previous version, Lightpack without an index, was designed exclusively for computers), and to get started you just need to plug it into a power outlet.
Fourthly, the new product can be used as a cozy lamp, adjusting the lighting using the application for mobile devices with the TV turned off.
The kit comes with SmartCorners devices, which, as the name suggests, are attached to the corners and allow the device to determine the diagonal of the screen. The process looks like this: you need to cut pieces of the correct size from a roll of LED strip, attach them to the back wall of the TV, install SmartCorners and start watching.
Each “pixel” has a 3 Ah battery, which allows it to last for weeks without recharging. You can place it anywhere: on the wall, on the table, on the ceiling. The “pixels” are connected to the main device via Bluetooth and work both in conjunction with Lightpack 2 and separately.
Lightbridge switch
For $39 you can purchase 1 “pixel”, for $179 you can get Lightpack 2, five meters of LED strip, a set of SmartCorners and a control panel. Another $80 will add five “pixels” to this set, and a set with ten small “pixels” and one large one will cost $499.
The developers promise to ship the devices around the world in February next year. There is no doubt about the success of the campaign: the project is two days old, and the planned amount of $198,000 has already been practically collected.
Big Pixel standalone light 
Mobile app for Lightpack control
