PowerSpijk-S Lighting Effect Controller Instructions
This document describes in detail the operating instructions for our PowerSpijk-S micro lighting effect controller.
This modular controller is designed to work with our Power Functions Power Source v1.5 for the Brickstuff LEGO® Lighting System (SKU SEED06+). The controller receives the output from the power source and converts it into lighting effects that are controlled depending on the Power Functions controller port the SEED06+ is connected to.
There are seven lighting effects programmed into the PowerSpijk-S controller:
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Variable brightness forward/reverse.
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Switched forward/reverse (full brightness)— directional headlights with one light on even when stopped.
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Switched forward/reverse (full brightness)— directional headlights with lights off when stopped.
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Vehicle lights 1: one light is the brake light (bright when stopped, dim when driving forward/backward) and the other light is the reverse light (on when reversing).
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Vehicle lights 2: flashing turn signals depending on left/right steering.
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On/off switch allows two lights to be controlled by one PF output: forward once = forward light turns on and stays on. Reverse = reverse light turns on/stays on. Repeat to turn off.
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Like #6 but with dual brightness (one forward motion = light on dim; second forward motion = light on bright; third forward motion = light off). Same for reverse.
The illustration below describes the main components and connections on the PowerSpijk-S circuit board:
To set the active lighting effect, press the white button on the PowerSpijk-S controller while power is on. The blue light on the controller board will flash a number of times (1-7) to indicate which effect has been selected. This setting is maintained even when power is switched off.
Connecting
To operate, the PowerSpijk-S controller needs to be connected to a SEED06+ power supply, which has a standard LEGO® Power Functions input connector. This connector can be attached to any output of a LEEGO® infrared receiver, a PFx Brick, an SBrick, or a BuWizz receiver. One of the main advantages of this system is that it works with every major controller that is compatible with the LEGO® Power Functions system.
This diagram shows the main connections and which components are required:
The PowerSpijk-S controller supports a large number of lights, so you can use it to control lights on your largest vehicle setups.
The controller also has an "always on" output, labeled "ON" on the main circuit board, that can be used to power lights that do not need to be controlled by Power Functions input.
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Dear Rob Klingberg
I'm very excited about your PowerSpijk-S lightning effect controller. Do you already know when it will be available for purchase? Is mode/effect 6 of this controller the equivalent of the LEGO Power Functions Power Source v2 (Variable Outputs) (https://www.brickstuff.com/store/p96/LEGO_Power_Functions_Power_Source_v2_%28Variable_Outputs%29.html) or will the LEGO Power Functions Power Source v2 (Variable Outputs) be replaced with something different?
Thanks,
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Marc André Wyss Hi Marc, thanks for following up. We finally received the packaging back from our printer for these, so now I can pack them up and get them on the website. I'm going to work on this in this coming week, so you should see them online soon.
To answer your question, effect 6 is different-- it actually allows you to control two lights with one PF channel.
The effect that's identical to that in the older PF V2 with variable outputs is effect #1 on the new LEC. I hope to be able to do a video this month showing the various effects in action!
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Hello everyone! Earlier this year I created a video showing the various effects available through the PowerSpijk controller. I thought I'd posted it here, but now I see I neglected to do that! Here's the video:
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Any idea when we'll see a control+ version of the v1.5 power source? I'd love to use this to implement turn signals and reverse/brake lights on my 42114 Volvo A60 H articulated hauler! And maybe use the empty port on the hub to power the beacon with it as wel (the one you guys make)l, to turn it on/off with the same controller as for the model.
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Donovan Ellis Thanks for the follow up! We're on something like design revision 10 of the connector-- taking much longer than we originally thought. Want to make sure we get it right! Hoping to have some news to report here in the next 1-2 months.
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Much appreciated, great to see how much you value the quality of your products. I'm hoping to also use it in conjunction with your slip ring to power lights in the 42100 Liebherr R9800 excavator, with the unused port on the lower hub. Yeah, I could just stick a battery box power source in the superstructure, but I'd like to turn the lights on and off with the same game controller I'd use to operate the model, and I like the challenge.
Once it's ready, would you ever consider releasing lighting kits for Lego powered up/control + sets like the 42100 and 42114? Other companies already have, but I don't see any of these copycats bothering to release a power source like this. I'd rather buy from the inventor of such an ingenious modular lighting system anyway.
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Speaking of, what's the diameter of the wires going in/out of the slip ring? similar to the wires for your Pico LEDs I hope?
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Donovan Ellis Thank you for your support and kind words! They mean a lot to us. Yes, once we have a working design for the adapter, our plan is to release kits for the sets you've listed, plus several others. Hoping to get the bare boards back this week for the adapter, then I'll assemble and test them. Stay tuned!
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Donovan Ellis Good question, yes the wires are very thin and the 4-wire plug on each end of the ring is small enough to fit through stud holes.
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Rob Klingberg Really appreciate the response! I'm so excited!
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Donovan Ellis 🙂 Just a quick update-- we got the sample testing boards in house this week, and I was able to assemble a try out a few. They worked perfectly. I'm pretty excited, to say the least. Now I need to make a smaller version of the board for the "final" design-- look for another update soon.
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A few questions regarding the controller and the upcoming C+ power supply-
Something the video doesn't make clear about the 2 lights-1 port feature- Can both lights be used simultaneously and be independently turned on/off, or can power only be sent through one port at a time? Say for instance, I put this controller and the C+ power supply in the 42100(which I'm actually looking to do). Power supply plugged into the unused port on the hub in the chassis, controller plugged into that, feeding power to the lights in the superstructure through your (awesome!) slip ring. But, taking advantage of passing 2 separate circuits through the slip ring, say I want to control all the white lights on one circuit, and all the flashing orange lights (If forget exactly what they're called) on another-and I turn the white lights on first. Would turning the flashers on turn the headlights off?
Regarding the C+ power supply, any idea how big we can expect it to be? Will it have a passthrough for PU/C+ motors? and if so, does it have to be occupied for it to function with the Power-spijk controller?
Speaking of which, any dimensions you could provide in your product descriptions for power supplies, effect controllers, expansion boards etc would be very helpful, ideally in studs.
Hope that wasn't too much!
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Donovan Ellis Thanks for your questions-- all really good things to ask. To answer:
- Yes, there are two modes built into the controller where both lights can be turned on/off independently. This is shown toward the end of the video in the SBrick demo, though the same functionality applies to using with Power Functions as well. Here's a link to the section. Hopefully this helps show the possibilities.
- Our current iteration of the PU/C+ controller is 44mm x 15.5mm, so still fairly compact. Unlike the PowerSpijk controller, the PU/C+ controller will be all-in-one: one board for both power and effects. I expect the final version will be smaller, as this "test" version has some components onboard that likely won't be needed in the final version.
- Yes, the PU/C+ controller will be able to operate in either passthru or stand-alone mode. In stand-alone mode, it will mimic a PU train motor (that's how it will be seen by the controller).
- Good feedback. We're working on a new website, and that's something we can add to put into the updated product descriptions.
Keep the questions coming! One update on timeline for the PU/C+ controller: we're pushing this back to the fall (with launch/delivery in time for the holidays).
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Rob Klingberg Can you update us on the status of the C+ effect controller?
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Donovan Ellis Hi there, sure, happy to update. Unfortunately the update is not good, however. The C+/PU connector is patented by LEGO, so we cannot use it in any of our products. So we will need to look for other solutions-- this puts this project back into 2024 at the earliest.
