LEDs are used in countless applications within a project, such as displaying data, providing a layer of interactivity, or simply for fun. ConnectorX and the Lumyn Studio let you take your projects to the next level in terms of features and ease-of-use by providing many animations out-of-the-box while also being able to combine them into more complex sequences. Need to run multiple animations on a single strip? No problem, as strips can be subdivided into virtual strips we refer to as Zones. And why limit yourself to a single dimension? A Zone configured as a matrix can show images and even GIFs with zero lines of code!

Channels and Zones

At Lumyn Labs, we are constantly referring to "Channels" and "Zones", but what are they, really?

A Channel is a single, physical string of LEDs of a known length and brightness. If you had both an LED strip and a matrix, they could be chained together in the same Channel.

A Zone is a virtual section of a Channel, essentially creating strip(s) within a single LED strip. A single Zone could encompass the entire Channel, or multiple Zones could subdivide it. With ConnectorX and Lumyn Studio, you can define your Channels for each Device and then create new Zones within it.

Zones are either defined as a Strip Zone or a Matrix Zone.

For a Strip, the LEDs are laid out sequentially in a one-dimensional line with a certain length. Optionally, you can set the entire Zone as reversed which will cause all applied Animations to appear reversed in that Zone which can be especially useful when you have a strip that goes up, over, and down an object and want to mirror Animations across the up and down sections.

Matrix Zones are two-dimensional zones given as the number of columns and rows. In the Lumyn Studio, you can see a preview in real-time of your zone's dimensions, starting LED (origin point), and the layout (how the matrix is wired). These Zones are for displaying image sequences and text, as Animations and Animation Sequences cannot be applied.

Zones can even be combined into named Zone Groups that let you address one or more Zones simultaneously with just a single identifier, such as when you're wanting to show the same Animation across multiple Zones.

Animations

An Animation describes how a one-dimensional Strip Zone will behave- independent of its length and allowing for any color to be set. Each Animation has a number of states that are automatically cycled through depending on the delay given by an external command or from inside of an Animation Sequence. While we provide many Animations out-of-the-box, you are always free to create your own using Custom Firmware (read the docs here). All Animations in the Lumyn Studio app can be simulated by hovering the preview card or within the Animation Sequence editor.

Image Sequences

Imagine being able to see a fun GIF and having it display on your LED matrix in less than 3 minutes. With Image Sequences, you can! Simply go to the Image Sequence editor in the Lumyn Studio, select your GIF and the target aspect ratio, and watch as it gets extracted into individual frames that can be modified before saving and regenerating your GIF. Ready to show with your ConnectorX? Add the Image Sequence to a Device by selecting which matrices are able to display the GIF and watch as it's automatically resized upon exporting into individual frames. Then just send the desired Matrix Zone ID and the Sequence's ID to show it.

Animation Sequences

Similar to an Image Sequence, an Animation Sequence is a series of Animations that lets you display complex patterns in just one command.Through the Lumyn Studio, you can select an Animation, set its color, a delay, the number of times to repeat the Animation before the next step, and if it's reversed before adding it to your Sequence. Once saved and added to a Device, it will be automatically included in your exported JSON-based Configuration and can be used by simply specifying its ID and the desired Zone or Zone Group you want to display it in.