LED Strip Control
Sebastian Monroy.
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Purpose
RGB LED strips are useful for a number of purposes such as home decoration and car underglow. With additional networking support, a strip can also be used to alert the user to notifications on their computer while also providing useful information about the notification itself (eg. glow blue for Facebook notifications). This project is meant to give the user some insight into how to control an RGB LED strip via an entertaining and decorative demonstration.
Description
The project has three modes of operation that the user can cycle through. The first mode, the Color Select mode, allows the user to select (using the first pushbutton) and alter (using the slider) the value of each of the R, G, and B values that the LED Strip displays. The second mode is the Strobe mode, in which the user selects the frequency at which the previously chosen color blinks using the slider. The last mode is the Flow mode, in which the mbed randomly generates new RGB values to gradually shift toward and the user selects the shift rate using the slider.
Build
Parts
- mbed NXP LPC1768
- two push buttons
- three 100Ω resistors and 2 other resistors of any resistance
- Phidget 60mm slider (http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?product_id=1112)
- three 2N3904 transistors (http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/discrete-semiconductor-products/transistors-bjt-single/1376376?k=2N3904)
- 1 meter FLB6 RGB LED strip with 30 RGB LEDs (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10261)
- 12V DC Power Adapter
Connections
| mbed | LED Strip (via driver circuit) | Pushbutton 1 | Pushbutton 2 | Slider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| p6 | Digital Out | |||
| p10 | Digital Out | |||
| p16 | Analog Out | |||
| p22 | B | |||
| p23 | R | |||
| p24 | G |
Circuit Layout
Relevant Resources
Reference the following page for the pushbuttons' pull-up circuits: http://mbed.org/users/4180_1/notebook/pushbuttons/
Reference the following page for the R, G, and B pins' driver circuits: http://mbed.org/users/4180_1/notebook/relays1/
Code
Import programLEDStrip_Control
Control an LED Strip with different operation modes using two pushbuttons and a slider. The second pushbutton cycles through the modes. The first mode is Color Select mode, in which the user can select (using the first pushbutton) and alter (using the slider) the value of each of the R, G, and B values. The second mode is Strobe mode, in which the user selects the frequency at which the previously chosen color blinks using the slider. The last mode is Flow mode, in which the mbed randomly generates new RGB values to gradually shift toward and the user selects the shift rate using the slider.
Last commit 17 Oct 2013 by Sebastian Monroy
Video Demonstration
Future Work
In the future I'd like to use this build to make a useful high-visibility notification system for my computer, as mentioned in the introduction. I'd also like to build on this project to support ambient lighting for my computer screen, in which the LED strip displays the prominent color on my computer screen and projects the light on the wall behind it. Additionally, it would be preferable if a proper enclosure were built for this device.
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