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todbot / blink1

Official software for blink(1) USB RGB LED by ThingM
https://blink1.thingm.com/
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Question about blink(1) durability with high speed color cycling? #682

Open yoninu opened 9 months ago

yoninu commented 9 months ago

Hi there,

I've recently purchased a blink(1) device and have been experimenting with some custom color cycle patterns.

I'm curious to know about the device's durability and lifespan under certain usage conditions. I'm considering having the light blink at a high speed (about 10ms per color change) for extended periods of time.

  1. Can the blink(1) device handle such rapid color changes without causing any degradation to the LEDs or the control circuitry?

  2. Has the team conducted any lifetime testing on the blink(1) devices, specifically under similar conditions? If so, approx how long could I expect the device to last under such conditions?

todbot commented 8 months ago

The LEDs in blink(1) are WS2812 LEDs. These are driven by a high frequency 400 kHz PWM signal so are already being rapidly cycled, it's how most LEDs are driven when adjustable brightness levels are desired.

So for (1), yes blink(1) should be able to handle any rapid color changes without degradation.

As for (2), we don't have concrete numbers, but we know of blink(1) mk3 units that have been in use since 2019