So I got this C2000 LED Experimenter's Kit from my Texas Instruments representative. I have it setup on one of the PCs running the color light demo. Everyone feel free to mess with it, the documentation is in the box next to the PC. The kit itself supplies a license for developing on the kit via the USB. The kit includes a Piccolo microcontroller which has dsp functionality. This may be a useful platform for the sign contol, and they have reference circuits for powering the LEDs.
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Here's the run down from their web site and links from the FAE:
The Multi-DC/DC Color LED Kit includes all of the hardware and software to start experimenting and developing a digitally controlled multi-DC/DC LED lighting system. This kit is based on the Piccolo microcontroller and the controlCARD development platform. One Piccolo MCU is able to directly control eight separate DC/DC power stages as well as up to eight LED strings of various LED types and string lengths. The development board takes 12-24V DC input and employs six Boost and two SEPIC DC/DC power stage topologies to drive LED strings. The six separate Boost stages drive two RGB LED strings, controlling the red, green, and blue color components of each RGB LED string. The two SEPIC stages drive two white LED strings. Alternatively, up to eight separate white LED strings could be driven via the eight separate power stages. An included graphical user interface allows users to quickly begin the evaluation process by providing simplified control to adjust power stage current levels for experimentation with brightness and color mixing. Furthermore, through controlSUITETM, the kit includes closed loop, open source software examples for the control of the DC/DC power stages and LED lighting stages. The kit hardware is also completely open source, with the gerbers, schematics, and BOMs all available for free. For more information, please see the quick start guide for the kit.
Features
- 12-24V DC input to eight separate DC/DC power stages, 25-50V DC output
- Six Boost and two SEPIC power stages drive two RGB LED strings plus two white LED strings, or, alternatively, up to eight all white LED strings
- Color mixing and brightness control
- Average current-mode control
- 350mA/string max current, configurable in software
- Graphical user interface (GUI) simplifies the evaluation process by providing simplified control to adjust power stage current levels for experimentation with brightness and color mixing
- Detachable LED panel with two RGB (red/green/blue) LED strings and two white LED strings
- Detachable diffuser panel included, providing light diffusion for real-world color mixing
- Piccolo based controlCARD development platform
- Open source hardware, including gerber files, schematics, and BOMs available throughcontrolSUITETM
- Closed loop DC/DC and LED driving software examples, complete with source code and documentation available through controlSUITETM
Code Composer Studio – Download full version, request 90 day extension. Works for ALL TI processors.
http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/Category:Code_Composer_Studio_v5
CCS Licensing Explained (there are many ways to use for free)
http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/Licensing_-_CCS
Control Suite – All of the C2000 projects, appnotes, documents, etc.
http://www.ti.com/lsds/ti/microcontroller/32-bit_c2000/software.page
C2000 LED Experimenters KIT
http://www.ti.com/tool/tmdsrgbledkit