I’m wondering how many RGB LEDs and Stepper Motors could I control with a single Photon. I’m trying to wire up something that would end up with a few thousand LEDs and a few hundred stepper motors, and the less processors, the better.
If anyone has a suggestion for something else to drive them, I’m all ears!
would end up with a few thousand LEDs and a few hundred stepper motors
Only that you would need a big psu to drive it like one of these.
https://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/led-driver-power-supply-40a.html
Depends on your LEDS - e.g. NeoPixel need only one data pin for hundreds of LEDs, RGBMatrixPanel needs a few pins more but can be several thousand pixels/LEDs.
Multiplexing is a keyword too (for LEDs and steppers).
@renenoel, all your driving requirements can be offloaded to driver boards for both the LEDs and motors. However, without a clear understanding of how you intend to use the devices (eg. real-time), your question is difficult to answer. The short of it is you can’t “drive” LEDs or stepper motors directly from a Photon. @ScruffR somewhat touched on this. Steppers alone take several control lines. I would suggest looking at your overall control architecture to define the requirements prior to picking a platform like the Photon.