PowerShell is a modern scripting language available cross-platform for Windows, Linux, MacOS and many other operating systems.
Installing PowerShell
On Windows, you do not necessarily need to install PowerShell: Windows PowerShell is part of the operating system: press Win+R to open the Run dialog.
Enter powershell and press ENTER. A blue console window opens and is labeled Windows PowerShell. This is your built-in Windows PowerShell. It runs PowerShell version 5.1.
PowerShell 7: Cross Platform
On other operating systems (and also on Windows if you want to use the latest PowerShell version), visit PowerShell Releases.
Scroll down until you see the item Assets. Click to expand.
This opens a list of ready-to-download installation binaries, available for many operating systems and in many formats (tar.gz, zip, msi, pkg).
Make sure you select the appropriate operating system. For Windows, this would be the suffix win-x64.
When you download an archive format such as tar.gz or zip, you can use PowerShell as a portable app. Here is how:
- Download the appropriate archive file
- Unblock the downloaded file before you unpack it: in Windows, right-click the downloaded archive file, choose Properties, then check Unblock.
- Open the folder with the unpacked files, and launch
pwsh.exe
The cross-platform PowerShell displays as a black console.
PowerShell is actively developed: its versions increment rapidly. Version 7.4.0 as depicted above is probably long outdated and replaced by a higher version number when you read this.
Install DoneLandTools
It’s extremely simple to add new Done.Land PowerShell commands to your PowerShell: the module DoneLandTools is available for installation from the Microsoft PowerShellGallery.
PowerShell comes with a basic set of general-purpose commands. You extend them for your specific needs and use cases by adding additional modules that provide more specific commands.
To download and use the DoneLandTools, run this line:
Install-Module -Name DoneLandTools -Scope CurrentUser -Force
The switch -Force omits confirmation dialogs. If you’d rather see them, omit -Force. Modules are downloaded from the Microsoft PowerShell Gallery. Since this is a public place, and Microsoft is not taking responsibility for any materials you download from there, you need to confirm your choice.
Module Installation Fails
Should the above command be unable to download the module, check these items:
- Internet: obviously you need to have internet access. Try visiting the PowerShell Gallery directly.
- Permissions: within company networks, access to the gallery may be restricted.
- Conflicts: when an existing module added commands with the same name as commands in DoneLandTools, a name conflict would occur, and the new module cannot be installed. Either remove the conflicting module that is already present, or add the switch parameter
-AllowClobberto install the DoneLandTools module anyway. - Outdated: Windows PowerShell may use outdated libraries. Try updating them using this command:
Install-Module -Name PowerShellGet -Scope CurrentUser -Force
DoneLand Commands
To see the new PowerShell commands the DoneLandTools module provides, run this:
Get-Command -Module DoneLandTools
CommandType Name Version Source
----------- ---- ------- ------
Function Get-LedResistor 1.0.0 donelandtools
Function Get-LedStripFramerateInfo 1.0.0 donelandtools
Function Show-Fat32Converter 1.0.0 donelandtools
The PowerShell module DoneLandTools is a work in progress. When you download and use it, it may contain more then the functions showed here. To check for updates and always use the latest version, you may want to occasionally run Update-Module -Name DoneLandTools.
Exploring New Commands
All commands come with help. To i.e. find out what Get-LedStripFramerateInfo can do for you, run the command like this:
Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -?
NAME
Get-LedStripFramerateInfo
SYNOPSIS
Calculates the maximum frame rate possible for a LED strip or the maximum LED that can be used for a desired frame
rate
SYNTAX
Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -Framerate <Int32> [-LedPerMeter <Int32>] [-ResetTimeMicroSec <Int32>]
[-IncludeWhiteLed] [-DataRateKhz <Int32>] [<CommonParameters>]
Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -LedPerMeter <Int32> [-ResetTimeMicroSec <Int32>] [-IncludeWhiteLed] [-DataRateKhz
<Int32>] -StripLengthCm <Double> [<CommonParameters>]
Get-LedStripFramerateInfo [-ResetTimeMicroSec <Int32>] [-IncludeWhiteLed] [-DataRateKhz <Int32>] -TotalLedCount
<Int32> [<CommonParameters>]
DESCRIPTION
In WS2182B and similar strings of LED, the one-wire data line has a maximum data transmission rate.
This command can calculate two things:
- given the number of LED (or the length and type of LED string), it calculates the maximum possible frame rate
- given the framerate, it calculates the maximum possible number of LED that you can string together
RELATED LINKS
URLs to related sites
The first link is opened by Get-Help -Online Get-LedStripInfo
REMARKS
To see the examples, type: "get-help Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -examples".
For more information, type: "get-help Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -detailed".
For technical information, type: "get-help Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -full".
For online help, type: "get-help Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -online"
This is the complete but sometimes overwhelming help information.
At the bottom of the help text in the section Remarks, you find additional ways of retrieving specific help information that may be more suitable for you. Run help Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -Online to open this page in your browser.
Practical Examples
Much more fun are examples that show distinct use cases on how to actually run the command. Run this to get the examples for a command:
Get-Help Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -Examples
Now you get a list of fun examples that you can try:
NAME
Get-LedStripFramerateInfo
SYNOPSIS
Calculates the maximum frame rate possible for a LED strip or the maximum LED that can be used for a desired frame
rate
-------------------------- EXAMPLE 1 --------------------------
PS C:\>Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -TotalLedCount 100
Calculates the maximum framerate achievable for 100 RGB LEDs in a string:
LedCount Type Framerate DataTime (us)
-------- ---- --------- -------------
100 RGB 305 0.00328
-------------------------- EXAMPLE 2 --------------------------
PS C:\>Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -TotalLedCount 100 -IncludeWhiteLed
Calculates the maximum framerate achievable for 100 RGBW LEDs in a string (including separate white, 32 instead of 24 bit):
LedCount Type Framerate DataTime (us)
-------- ---- --------- -------------
100 RGBW 234 0.00428
-------------------------- EXAMPLE 3 --------------------------
PS C:\>60,90,120,144 | Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -StripLengthCm 150
Calculates the maximum framerates for a strip of 150cm length and different LED/m:
LedCount Type Framerate DataTime (us)
-------- ---- --------- -------------
90 RGB 336 0.00298
135 RGB 231 0.00433
180 RGB 176 0.00568
216 RGB 148 0.00676
-------------------------- EXAMPLE 4 --------------------------
PS C:\>Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -Framerate 60
Determines the maximum number of LED that can be used to achieve a 60Hz frame rate:
LedCount Type StripType StripLengthCm
-------- ---- --------- -------------
546 RGB n/a n/a
-------------------------- EXAMPLE 5 --------------------------
PS C:\>Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -Framerate 30 -LedPerMeter 144
Determines the maximum length for a LED strip using 144 LED/m to achieve a 30Hz frame rate:
LedCount Type StripType StripLengthCm
-------- ---- --------- -------------
1102 RGB 144LED/m 765.3
-------------------------- EXAMPLE 6 --------------------------
PS C:\>200,100,60,30,15 | Get-LedStripFramerateInfo -LedPerMeter 144
Calculates the maximum length of a 144LED/m LED strip for various frame rates:
LedCount Type StripType StripLengthCm
-------- ---- --------- -------------
157 RGB 144LED/m 109
324 RGB 144LED/m 225
546 RGB 144LED/m 379.2
1102 RGB 144LED/m 765.3
2213 RGB 144LED/m 1536.8
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(content created Mar 21, 2024)