tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post5898307638678122032..comments2022-01-10T08:23:00.180+01:00Comments on Home of the generic nerd: Arduino Mood light controllerGeneric Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-18787604515192454082013-08-23T07:45:50.246+02:002013-08-23T07:45:50.246+02:00Sounds great, and don't hesitate to ask me que...Sounds great, and don't hesitate to ask me questions if you are unsure on how to read my sketch. Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-38517976579137228652013-08-22T13:40:50.799+02:002013-08-22T13:40:50.799+02:00I'll do my best and if I have the time,after f...I'll do my best and if I have the time,after figuring it out, to diagram it , Ill share it with you so others can use it as well! Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10857025063344904976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-27891737308185482322013-08-21T16:30:16.453+02:002013-08-21T16:30:16.453+02:00Thanks for the kind words Roy. Unfortunately I don...Thanks for the kind words Roy. Unfortunately I don't think I will be doing a new wiring diagram for this anytime soon, I simply don't have the time for that at the moment. But do take a look a the diagram at the top of the post. Once you've connected the obvious parts it shouldn't be too hard to figure out the rest. Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-84916766231014461692013-08-21T16:22:23.282+02:002013-08-21T16:22:23.282+02:00Hey Markus. Great Post! I've been looking for ...Hey Markus. Great Post! I've been looking for this for a long time!!<br /><br />Is there any way you could post an Arduino schematic? (with the wiring, pots, etc shown). I'm just getting into this after a few months of getting up the bravery to buy the stuff and I'm not too great at wiring diagrams. I have the components (breadboard, wiring, etc etc. Just need something pretty and neat showing how to connect it all. <br /><br />Once again thank you and keep up the fantastic work!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10857025063344904976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-68057565996081434162013-05-13T22:12:43.910+02:002013-05-13T22:12:43.910+02:00Depends on what you want to light up so to speak. ...Depends on what you want to light up so to speak. If it's just a single RGB led you don't even need transistors just a couple of resistors between the arduino pins an the cathodes/anodes. Otherwise it's pretty much up to how much current your transistor can handle. A ULN chip is a darlington array and a darlington is basically just a transistor that can handle more current (it's really two transitors in series).<br /><br />I'm no expert on electronics but you should be able to use pretty much all of my circuit and adapt it to use three suitable transistors. I do believe you need to have them all (and the Arduino) connected to the same ground. <br /><br />Let me know if that works for you if not I'll try to help you some more. Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-86494055318081559092013-05-13T14:13:48.829+02:002013-05-13T14:13:48.829+02:00Hello. We are trying to do this using an Arduino U...Hello. We are trying to do this using an Arduino Uno. We do not have ULN2003 is there anyway we can do this without? We have transistors so could you help us with the schematic of this? <br /><br />thank you Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09113784038982665739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-36657583590804077652012-07-04T16:12:33.525+02:002012-07-04T16:12:33.525+02:00Hi Hannes,
Thank you, hope you found the inspira...Hi Hannes, <br /><br />Thank you, hope you found the inspiration or code you can use. Regarding the power questions I'd feel more comfortable if you asked that question in say the Arduino forum at http://forum.arduino.cc/ the folks there have more experience with those kinds of questions and usually pretty quick to help.Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-39195299721543087462012-07-04T14:38:10.289+02:002012-07-04T14:38:10.289+02:00Hi Markus,
nice work, just looking for something ...Hi Markus,<br /><br />nice work, just looking for something similar.<br /><br />I am wondering how to power/drive a strip of 3 meters (or more). Can i still use the ULN2003 for this or do i have to use three ULN2003s, one for each meter? and is one 12V power supply with ~2A suitable for powering all 3 strips together? thanks in advance!Hannesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-88921917247400406222011-11-17T19:09:13.225+01:002011-11-17T19:09:13.225+01:00Hi efbe,
Seems like something is reversed in your...Hi efbe, <br />Seems like something is reversed in your circuit. I suggest you find out how your LED-strip works without a microcontroller. I.e hook it up to a powersource and use three potentiometers to control it. This should give you a clue on how it works and if it is infact a common anode and not a common cathode strip.Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-32404734366381211142011-11-17T17:20:03.707+01:002011-11-17T17:20:03.707+01:00Hi,
From the schema I mthink Your using a common a...Hi,<br />From the schema I mthink Your using a common anode Led Strip, to turn that of, I need to set R=255,G=255,B=255 something to do with pulling the current. Can Yoy comment on that, because obiovously for You it worked.<br />efbeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-4166869127669893992011-10-28T06:22:19.202+02:002011-10-28T06:22:19.202+02:00Hi there trickyoho!
You're welcome. It's f...Hi there trickyoho!<br />You're welcome. It's fun to see that people still drop in and want to ask questions about this. I'll try to help you as much as possible. <br /><br />To answer your question, I have no idea what a beagleboard is but I don't think I have to, to be able to say: Yes, but if things don't work, it could be that you everything needs a common ground. <br /><br />I honestly can't remember if a common ground is a good or bad idea when plugged in to a computer. But I think it is. Just don't blame me if things blow up, in other words ask someone who do know, before you do that.Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-42333444443915615402011-10-27T23:02:01.407+02:002011-10-27T23:02:01.407+02:00Hi there, and thank you for posting such an inform...Hi there, and thank you for posting such an informative post/tutorial.<br /><br />I am trying to replicate the electronics side of this (without the potentiometer part, I will control color programatically) for use with the expansion header on a beagleboard xM. (1.8V signaling, 30mA max current). The beagleboard is already powered, so I don't need to worry about that. In my case, would I just eliminate the entire bottom part of the circuit except for connecting the uln2003 to ground?<br /><br />Thanks for your help, the old electronics knowledge is a little rusty.trickyohohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15752839278271765311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-85261749430883343812011-10-06T06:21:16.239+02:002011-10-06T06:21:16.239+02:00Thank you, and you're welcome!Thank you, and you're welcome!Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-70579142574485446182011-10-06T04:23:22.729+02:002011-10-06T04:23:22.729+02:00Nice job, made one myself, thanks for schematic.Nice job, made one myself, thanks for schematic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-28848208101869901182011-10-04T20:28:42.049+02:002011-10-04T20:28:42.049+02:00Not having a common ground could cause flickering ...Not having a common ground could cause flickering I suppose. But you could try to debug it by changeing the code to use dark blue/violet for the whole range of the potentiometer.Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-91688029650679642102011-10-04T06:47:38.302+02:002011-10-04T06:47:38.302+02:00Just one thing! Since the led strip might draw alo...Just one thing! Since the led strip might draw alot of current it might, I'm not saying it will, you will have to read the Arduino specs, be smart to not let the led strip tap its power from the arduino but from the wall plug first. I think it's easiest to explain like this: <br /> Led strip<br />Wallplug 12VDC --- Breadboard --<<br /> Arduino<br /><br />Not shown here is of course a common ground.<br />Am I making sense?Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-52579859655874089682011-10-04T06:40:47.022+02:002011-10-04T06:40:47.022+02:00I got it all up and working. One more question tho...I got it all up and working. One more question those. My dark blue and violet flicker when using the potentiometer. Any ideas as to why this might be?Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06389291150256892798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-68144973646137358442011-10-04T00:06:56.735+02:002011-10-04T00:06:56.735+02:00Thank you for you quick replies. I am sure these q...Thank you for you quick replies. I am sure these questions probably seem dumb.<br />sorry I didn't make my self clear earlier. I am using the power connector on the arduino. I was plugging a old 12 volt dc wall plugging with a 2.1mm barrel jack to power the arduino, and then using a jumper wire from the vin pin to the + bus strip on the bread board and obviously using a jumper to connect the grd pin to - bus strip.<br />I am getting the hang of the switch by following the tutorial and with a little more tinkering should be able to figure this out.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06389291150256892798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-38812319014427023462011-10-03T23:03:09.226+02:002011-10-03T23:03:09.226+02:00Indeed Ladyada's site is loaded with useful in...Indeed Ladyada's site is loaded with useful information for beginners. <br /><br />You're right up until that I don't feed 12V into the 5V pin of the Arduino. Instead I stick it to the "Vin" pin. You could use the power connector on the Arduino aswell but then you would need something to plug into the hole. <br /><br /><br />BTW I have the Arduino Duemilanove, so check if you have the same specs before connecting anything i.e if your Arduino can handle up to 12V in.Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-67895508760314521432011-10-03T21:43:30.226+02:002011-10-03T21:43:30.226+02:00I am just trying to replicate what you have. Thank...I am just trying to replicate what you have. Thanks for the link I am actually already in the process of going through that tutorial. Very useful site.<br />So you have your 12v plugged directly in to the bus strip on your bread board. then a wire running from that to the 5v pin of the arduino and one to the 12v of the lights? Am I understanding that correctly?Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06389291150256892798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-6712286807063551202011-10-03T06:50:11.615+02:002011-10-03T06:50:11.615+02:00Hi Scott,
Nice to hear from you again. I'll se...Hi Scott,<br />Nice to hear from you again. I'll see if I can do my best to answer your questions. <br />1. The tact switch, here's an excellent tutorial on switches (and lot's of other useful things): http://www.ladyada.net/learn/arduino/lesson5.html<br />But you also need to tell me what you want the switch to do, otherwise it's hard for me to tell you how to wire it up. <br />2. If you look at my wiring diagram I use the wall brick to power circuit with the LED strip and the ULN separately. The important thing here is that the wall brick power does not run through the Arduino to the LED strip. Why this is important I can't remember but someone at the Arduino forum told me so I'm running with it. However I am using powering my Arduino from the wall brick, I'm just tapping that power with two other wires in parallell with those that enter the circuit. One more thing, make sure you have a common ground otherwise all kinds of wierd things will happen. <br /><br />Hope this helps, if not ask again.Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-31467864849513480102011-10-02T23:18:41.234+02:002011-10-02T23:18:41.234+02:00It's anonymous from before. Me and my brother ...It's anonymous from before. Me and my brother are working on a LED table. There will be a blog or an instructable as some point. I will keep you posted. Once again I am pretty new to this. I have only had my arduino and RGB lights for a couple of weeks. I have been able to figure out all kinds of cool things in pretty short amount of time. <br /><br />I got the code modified to just control the lights with the pot. Then to futher my understanding a little more I actually modified it to control 2 RGB strips with 2 different pots. <br /><br />I went and bought a 9mm tact switch from radio shack that is rated a 12DCV, and 50mA.<br />I am having trouble wiring it up tho. <br />I am powering my arduino with a 12V wall wart and accessing this power from the vin pin on the arduino. The way I wired it initially was to hook one side of the switch to the vin pin, and then on the other side of the switch one pin was hooked the 10K ohm resistor which went to the pot. And the other pin went to a 100 ohm resistor wired to pin 2.<br /><br />end result the switch and pot are not functioning. And the lights only cycle blue to violet when I remove the side of the switch I plugged to the 100 ohm resistor.<br /><br />Can you explain to me how the switch,pot and resistors are suppose to be wired? I can't seem to figure it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06389291150256892798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-69575857057907771682011-10-02T09:40:37.055+02:002011-10-02T09:40:37.055+02:00Great! Good luck with whatever project you're ...Great! Good luck with whatever project you're doing. If you're blogging about it I'd really like a link to it here in the comments.Generic Nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634230781516609525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-79410233432774066902011-10-02T01:40:01.368+02:002011-10-02T01:40:01.368+02:00thanks by the way..thanks by the way..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-917542905889928199.post-77267549540377314232011-10-02T01:39:11.639+02:002011-10-02T01:39:11.639+02:00Yes. I don't have a switch so I just want to c...Yes. I don't have a switch so I just want to control the lights with the potentiometer. I am new to this but a little tinkering and I figured it out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com