Flip-Dot displays have been widely used since the 70′s , in order to provide informations , destinations , in public places and transports .
The technology , that uses small magnetized dots , simply puts pixels on or off (yellow or black).
After a long time , trying to understand how to achieve this ,
I finally managed to flip each pixel “ON” or “OFF”
and , so , was able to start displaying graphics on it .
One of the main interests with these displays is the sound that dots produce while they’re flipping , a very nice “tic” that can be multiplied and sequenced , according to the number and place of the pixels i’m reversing .
here are the first results .
these modules are planned to be used as wide screens and individual displays , during live performances , and interactive installations .
Many more optimizations will occur during the next months , …
for more infos :
matthieudehoux@gmail.com

this project is being supported by AïeAïeAïe (Rennes , France) ,
and Stereolux “La Fabrique” (Nantes, France)

How did this project use Max?

everything is done with Max . a colored video or image is converted into a black and white one (using jit.rgb2luma) , then all the pixels are re-interpreted with the onboard circuitry's hacked protocol , then messages are sent through serial port and tell the displays what to "do" .