RoadTest: NXP S32K-ISELED LED Lighting Solution
Author: dwinhold
Creation date:
Evaluation Type: Development Boards & Tools
Did you receive all parts the manufacturer stated would be included in the package?: True
What other parts do you consider comparable to this product?: I've used other colour LED's, mainly individual addressable. There really isn't a way to compare the two as the addressable LED's I used I had to program them strictly with code. The NXP S32K-ISELED is at another level.
What were the biggest problems encountered?: The USB connector was faulty which caused me to go insane with connecting to my computer. It would connect one time and not the next, or disconnect half way through a session. Which I thought I was doing something wrong. It would also be nice for the LucieCreator had more then a 3 month trial. It is a great online program.
Detailed Review:
Webinar: NXP Solutions for Getting Started with ISELED Technology
Initial thoughts:
The packing of the NXP S32K-ISELED LED Lighting Solution kit was the best I have seen. There was no way any part of the kit would get damaged. All parts of the kit are high quality and meant to last.
Included in the kit was:
• ISELED board with connection cable - 16 calibrated SmartRGB LEDs
• NXP S32K144-EVB-Q100 micro controller
• Power adapter board
• Micro USB 2.0 cable (The one I received was faulty)
• Power supply
• Lucie Creator - Online software
ISELED = Integrated Smart Ecosystem Light Emitting Diode
Set up:
Connecting the power board, NXP, cable and ISELED board together was quite easy. The downloadable PDF's were very informative. A link to where to start came with the kit.
All set up!!
To set-up the boards you connect the power adapter board to the NXP board via the connector pins. The connecting cable has to be plugged in correctly. One end goes into the power adapter board and the other into the ISELED board. The power supply plugs into the power adapter board as well. The USB cable plugs into the NXP board. When the power is plugged in the demo program starts running giving you a great light show.
Downloading the software:
This part is quite involved. Downloading the drivers, the NXP development software, setting up the ISELED account, this all took time. As long as the detailed instructions are followed it isn't a problem, there is a link to a video on how to set up LucieCreator (I finally watched the video to get it working).
S32 Design Studio is NXP’s automotive development environment for the S32Kplatform.
This is the driver file, you need to launch this every time you want to use LucieCreator, it doesn't load into the computer. Once loaded you get confirmation as seen below and you don't close out until you are done your session.
Creating:
When you program your ISELED creation with the NXP Design Studio you flash the program to the NXP board. As a note, to use the online LucieCreator you need to have the demo program flashed to the NXP. This was an issue I ran into when trying to run the LucieCreator (This was me not reading everything before doing everything. I did pass that test in grade 8, just forgot).
I am going to focus on LucieCreator for this review and how it works.
LucieCreator allows you to create a lighting sequence up to 16 LED's.
In the program there are markers numbered 1 to 16, each marker refers to the LED's # 1 to 16. Each of these markers are individually programmed for each light. The long black strip (circled in red) is where you set the colour. This is as easy as drag and paint colours on the line, just click on which Marker line, this brings up another timeline to colour. Once you have done this on each marker press the play button.
Marker 11 finished and onto 12.
Completed
Conclusion:
In my opinion the is the best LED system available. The uses personally and commercially will be limited to the imagination, from casinos to cars to home use.The colours are vibrant and flawless, I've never seen anything like it before. With the amount of ISELED's you can connect together and the refresh rate I would think you could run video. I will continue working with this kit to see if I can push the limit. I plan in the near future to purchase more of the ISELED boards so I can have a great light show. I would recommend anyone interested in the best not to hesitate to buy the NXP S32K-ISELED LED Lighting Solution.
This is my most favourite roadtest to date!!
Thank you to all the sponsors and Element14 for making this roadtest possible!!
Dale Winhold
Top Comments
Great review. It was a RoadTest reviews I considered on applying.
Can you tell me what operating system the product is supported under and what operating system you did your evaluation on?
You mentioned…
Hi Sean,
I used windows 10, but it is also available in IOS and Linux. This makes it useable to everyone. The licence issue is that it is only a trial for 3 months. That isn’t really an issue, just that…
On the license front, did you discover the cost?