Smartpixels.app Project history
We present the entire history of the project from the beginning to the present day
The beginnings of the app date back to 2007. It was then that the 12-year-old Tomasz Siroń (author of the project) - posted the topic on the komputerswiat.pl forum: "Robot a little problem". This project involved controlling a small vehicle via a USB port. The knowledge that Tomek had at his disposal at that time was not sufficient to complete the project. After all, the statements of other users and the descriptions and suggestions they made in the topic gave Tomek hope that in the future he would create a fancy application that allows you to control devices using a computer. One of the users gave him hope, who suggested using another port (eg LPT) as an alternative. On the other hand, another of them suggested deepening the knowledge and getting to know the topic better with the help of the elektroda.pl electronic forum, to which Tomek agreed with enthusiasm.
Despite the slim chances of success, Tomek did not give up. Originally, the control was carried out by means of LEDs - it did not seem anything spectacular, but the goal is to be achieved in small steps.
The project started its first attempts at crawling in 2008 (June 8 to be exact). Initially, the LPTek program by Adrian Gewartowski.
I'm glad that something fresh/web was created on the basis of this programming spontaneity. The program was created in the times of Windows XP where the protected mode began to reign (no direct access to I/O devices, system.io library, as I remember correctly, it did the trick). I was approaching my 18th birthday. I was thinking with my electrician/electronics friend how to make my party different than all the others. Then the concept of 230v relays coupled with LPT port (simple port without additional drivers) was created, which controlled a set of colored light bulbs mounted above the stage. I was passionate about Delphi and a prototype with LED diodes in an ice cream mold was created, and after some time it turned into a fully functional "disco set" controlled by this LPTek. Pure self-interest, which I remember to this day. The set was used at several events at friends.
The breakthrough came in December 2010. Tomek, using a computer, designed the electronic system in the Eagle program - an 8-channel relay card. It was his first project of this type. Thanks to the help of colleagues from the elektroda.pl forum, it was possible to construct a really promising layout. Nevertheless, light control was still too little interactive. It was the computer that played the role of the clock and the effects generator.
At the same time, Tomek started working on the project of a WiFi vehicle, which was to be fully autonomous. For the purposes of the project, a software was developed in which the control was carried out with the LPT relay card from the level of the website (appropriate PHP script running the program in Delphi).
Taking advantage of the car's success, in 2011, the aforementioned relay card was used to control the lighting. It was the first such approach and along with it came the idea of making control available via the Internet.
Due to the experience we already had and the devices built so far, starting the lights controlled online was not a difficult task. An analog surveillance camera and a USB image recorder were purchased for the initiative.
Meanwhile, lighting control topic posted in Elektroda.pl has become very popular, and the control itself was of great interest. Since then, the design of the lights has been developed and expanded independently until 2015.
It is not a very complicated project, I would rather call it a warm-up before more advanced constructions. It was a typical hobby project created for entertainment and educational purposes. This project is based on an old computer with Windows XP and LPT, a relay card of my own production and an appropriate PHP script. In addition, in front of the house I have a camera installed, which is connected to the DVR card with about 30 meters of twisted-pair cable, and the card to the laptop. Both the computer and the laptop are located in the basement. They are located in a ventilated, closed room. The cost of this project is about PLN 500. However, it is not a reliable sum, because I had some things at home and I bought some in installments. In general, I am 100% satisfied with the project, only what I would like to improve is the durability of the lights. After the whole time of the project's operation (from Christmas Eve 2012), many sets do not work.
Thanks to linking the controls Christmas lights by Niebezpiecznik.pl, the 3rd edition of lighting was very popular. At that time, Tomek was contacted by those interested in the topic, one of them was Krzysztof Styc.
Krzysiek suggested sharing hardware resources for video streaming. The proposal was passionately accepted by the Originator. Thanks to Krzysiek's knowledge of control, new technologies were also used, including the introduction of control using DTMF codes.
Initially, Krzysztof was only supposed to deal with the issue of image transmission, but over time he also turned out to be helpful in terms of the application code. His help made it possible to introduce corrections in the written code and implement new solutions in the project. During the control season (holiday period), numerous activities were undertaken to promote the website, which resulted in considerable media coverage.
Since then, the duo of Creators have jointly implemented the project of lights, sharing both knowledge and responsibilities in the design work.
Boys managed to establish cooperation with many companies and organizations. The company Kradex, which always provided free plastic cases for the project. Also cooperation with Dipol, Lispol and Bootland has resulted in a strong development of the project through discounts or free items.
During this period, the project also participated as one of the exhibitors in the Martian robots competition - European Rover Challenge.
After its media successes, Sterowanie24.pl (Smartpixels.app) gained more and more popularity, thanks to which the project also gained the support of a larger group of people. The undertaking was supported by Mateusz Józefczyk by donating electronic equipment to it, and Przemysław Kasza joined, who showed incredible help in working with the networks.
Przemek appeared in 2015, interested in Tomasz's design and solutions that allow you to control lighting using a computer. It prompted him to expand his knowledge of electronics and building automation. In the following year, he became an exhibitor of the project. He was the first to use Tomasz's innovative solution, i.e. a WiFi relay card.
The scheme was designed by Tomek in KiCAD, the printed circuit boards were prepared for free by Merkar. The controller was based on the ESP8266 chip and Krzysztof prepared the firmware for it.
Przemek initially offered his knowledge in the field of administration of IT systems and computer networks. In further stages of the project, he was the administrator and architect of IT systems adapted to cloud solutions. This knowledge had a large impact on the development of the project and the rest of the team, contributing to the use of cloud solutions in current editions of control.
In the 2016/2017 season, the team acquired Wiktor Jezioro. Initially inspired by the project, he built his own interactive lighting and boasted about it on the wykop.pl. He was directly invited to cooperate in August 2016. He was invited to cooperate. Initially, Wiktor was only an exhibitor on his property.
In my case, there was a movable shed and Christmas trees outside (several thousand lights in total). The OrangePi One and RaspberryPi B minicomputer is responsible for the operation of the control system. The operating element of the system are relay cards: two cards with 16 channels each and one 4-channel. The relay cards are powered from the 5V line from the ATX power supply.
In 2018, he dealt with the issue of rewriting the page with the entire backand backend.
It is worth mentioning that in the 2017/2018 season there was a significant breakthrough, because - in cooperation with the Municipal Office in Modliborzyce and the Youth City Council - we managed to launch the first Internet-controlled Christmas nativity scene in Poland. The undertaking was unique, as it no longer focused on controlling private facilities, but on an installation made available in the public space. It made it possible for visitors to contact the nativity scene directly. Additionally, the possibility of changing the Christmas carols flowing from the loudspeakers placed inside the building was made available (in addition to the existing lighting control option). It must be admitted that it was warmly received both by the residents of Modliborzyce and Internet users, who still had the opportunity to view and choose options via the Internet.
It should be noted, however, that from the very beginning the Christmas nativity scene project is an independent project and not directly related to the Smartpixels.app project. It has its own website, infrastructure and reports to the Modliborzyce City Hall.
In the 2017/2018 season, or rather during it, the next participant of the team was Mateusz Kołoś. This was because he made his own controls available online on Christmas Eve. The show was also held in the Facebook group Majsterkowanie dla każdego (DIY for everyone). On the next day the Smartpixels.app team wrote to him with a proposal for cooperation.
At the end of the 2017/2018 season, Tomasz Siroń has largely handed over the command of the project to Mateusz, but he is still an active and main co-creator of Smartpixels.app.
The 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 season brought new popularity records. In 2018, we set a record for the number of people on the site, which was over 3,500 people at any given time.
Additional, a new version of the website was created, which was initially developed by Wiktor.
In turn, in 2020/2021, a new attraction was launched under the name of "Mysterious haven". It was a house on a lake, located on the territory of Tomasz's estate, and it also became the theme of his thesis. I must admit that the new facility looked magical in this lighting design, adding the atmosphere of the surrounding scenery.
The interactive christmas crib project operated in the years 2017 - 2021 with the cooperation of the Municipal Office in Modliborzyce, the Youth Council in Modliborzyce, the originator of the project Tomasz Siroń and the coordinator of the entire project, Iwona Mańka.
Tomasz experimented with interactive lighting control, illuminating his house during Christmas. It was met with great interest by the inhabitants but also the media and Tomasz became famous.In 2017, the City Hall in Modliborzyce and the guardian of the Youth City Council became interested in Siron's proposal. By combining the talent of the performer with the creativity of the coordinator and the favor and funds of the commune authorities, we were able to present to you the festive, interactive illumination of the Nativity Scene. Tomasz was the originator and contractor of the entire project, both from the IT side: lighting control, as well as from the technical and working side, so as to complete the entire project. Przemysław Kasza, Tomek's colleague, supported the project in terms of server configuration, and helped in design work. Hubert Ryfinski worked on the project from the technical side, took care of the visual side of the project from start to finish and provided 24/7 service. Karol Szpyra helped with technical work related to the crib and ensured the reliable operation of all devices. Iwona Mańka coordinated the project, fastened all the works, controlling their course, taking care of the visual side of the project and its promotion. What you could see was the effect of many hours of work of all these people, before, during and after the illumination.
The Municipal Office in Modliborzyce incurred the cost of purchasing all subassemblies and installed elements such as loudspeakers, cameras, lighting, etc. Throughout the project implementation process, we could count on the help and favor of the employees and authorities of the Municipal Office and the Social Cooperative "Pionier" in Modliborzyce. In the project, we established that it was possible to control the color and brightness of the nativity scene decorations from the website without the possibility of turning them off, and to listen to carols and pastorals. In order to maintain the festive mood, the next carol could be turned on only when the previous one had sounded to the end.
"A bit of new, a bit of old", this was the thought that guided us in the work on the nativity scene. We were pleased with the opportunity to present you with Christmas carols and pastorals performed by local artists. In the 2018/2019 season, these were songs collected by the Municipal Cultural Center in Modliborzyce. GOK in Modliborzyce has been organizing the Inter-County Review of Traditional Carols and Pastorals for over twenty years, thanks to which it has a rich collection of folk art from our region. The set presented at that time included traditional Christmas carols, including very valuable and sought-after "wishing carols". These carols, transmitted only orally, are unfortunately forgotten, as are the traditions associated with singing them. Initially, their content is surprising and seems to have nothing to do with the Christmas tradition. And yet...
During the Christmas period, when the carol singers came to the house where there was a bachelor, they first sang traditional carols and then a wishing carol, in which they wished Jasieńek (a bachelor) to meet his Kasieńka (maiden, candidate for wife). These songs were usually playful, light-hearted. Christmas carols are sung only a cappella, i.e. without the accompaniment of instruments, because this is how they were sung years ago in our homes.
The materials presented during the operation of the nativity scene included songs performed by local artists, soloists and the Singing Ensemble of the Municipal Cultural Center in Modliborzyce, as well as the Parish Schola. Schola was founded in 2011 on the initiative of Fr. Mateusz Woszczyna, then vicar of the parish of Modliborzyce. Its development continues uninterrupted until today. The artistic director of the project was Ewelina Gąska, a current graduate of the Secondary School in Modliborzyce. Ewelina is a woman with a beautiful voice and great artistic talent, a laureate of many vocal competitions, festivals and reviews. It was Ewelina who decided on the selection of material that was specially recorded for the "Interactive Nativity Scene" project.
The aim of the "Interactive Nativity Scene" project was to promote the city of Modliborzyce, to create a modern illumination that fit into the Christmas mood and atmosphere, allowing, at least virtually, to connect all Modliborians, those living here and those living throughout Poland or in the world, for at least for a moment be together. It is said that modern technologies that so strongly enter our lives carry the threat of loneliness and indifference. The idea of an interactive crib united everyone around the world, so that no one would feel alone during the Christmas season.
Author Iwona Mańka
General project support (alphabetical)
- Botland 2017 - currently - Thanks for discounts and free gadgets.
- Crossan 2015 - 2020 - Thanks for the free internet connection for the lighting installation.
- Dipol 2017 - currently - Thanks for providing the IP camera for video transmission and for the discounts.
- Eltron 2016 - authorized distributor of the Kradex company, the founder of the main prize in the Kradex competition for the amateur use of the Z-series housing. The prize was allocated mainly to the development of the project.
- e-SBL.net 2016 - 2017 - Thanks for providing the IP camera for video transmission and high-speed fiber optic link.
- FCQ.pl 2020 - currently - Thanks for providing a platform for live transmission of images from cameras and virtual machines for infrastructure purposes.
- Genway 2016 - Thanks for providing the IP camera for video transmission.
- Inter3.pl 2017 - currently - Thanks for providing a fast fiber-optic link.
- Kradex 2016 - currently - Thanks for providing the cases.
- Lispol 2016 - Thanks for the discount when buying electronic components.
- Netus 2018 - currently - Thanks for the free internet connection for the the lighting installation.
- Merkar 2016 - 2017 - Thanks for free professional PCB manufacturing of the relay boards.
- MyDevil.net 2014 - 2018 - Thanks for providing the hosting space.
In particular, we thank Anna Nowińska with the language support of the web application. We would also like to thank Mateusz Józefczyk and Iwona Mańka for their contribution to the project, as well as institutions: Lublin University of Technology, PZS Bieruń, Upper Secondary School of Communications in Krakow and the Municipal Office in Modliborzyce.