This week we were assigned two separate circuit challenges, hence the "twofer" comment in the title. Having to tackle one circuit is daunting enough, but needing to build two circuits was scary!
RGB LED Build
I have a good understanding of a regular LED and how it works. I had never encountered an RGB LED prior to this assignment. In an attempt to be more efficient I did a lot of research on the internet and found a virtual Arduino & Breadboard program on Tinkercad. It allowed me to build the circuit virtually and test the programming. Tinkercad also is a good way to have a professional looking diagram (instead of my horrible sketching) to post on the blog. Building the circuit on Tinkercad was actually fun. I think I like building the circuits in the software and having the option to test the programming before I actually touch the components and use the Arduino program.
When I virtually build the circuit it went together correctly on the first try. An RGB LED is actually capable of showing all the colors in the color spectrum if you can accomplish the programming to make it work. I downloaded the Arduino code from Sparkfun, and it the virtual circuit functioned correctly on the first try. The LED only showed the basic colors, but it was awesome to watch it. I spent several hours trying to change the program to make more than just the basic colors appear. Regardless of what I tried the program would not work, so I stuck with the original program. Seems the only thing I have mastered is changing the timing on the frequency/duration of the LEDs being on/off.
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RGB Circuit Parts
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RGB Circuit Diagram
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Functioning Code
Click the link to watch the circuit below: RGB Video 1
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I made some adjustments to the timing so that the colors changed slower. When I made a video of the circuit in action after changes I took it with the lights off so you can see the colors better.
Click the link to watch the circuit below: RGB Video 2
I have thought about this circuit a great deal the last few days. The one example I can think of that stands out in my mind is the lighting on the Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas. I know there are many more, but that is the one I thought of.
Now it is on to the next circuit!
8 LED Circuit
Circuit 4 is a bit more daunting than the previous circuits I have worked on during this class. There are LEDs connected in a row with 8 resistors. The circuit shares the same ground and the LEDs are connected to pins 2 through 9 on the Arduino. As the programming runs the LEDs cycle on till they are all lit and then cycle off in the reverse direction. It is similar to chasing light that you can sometimes see on buildings. The original example only used red and yellow LEDs, but I chose to use red, yellow, green, and blue. Christmas is coming and I thought it made the circuit look more festive. I suck at programming from scratch, but I was able to get the sample program that Sparkfun furnishes to work. I spent a great deal of time trying to adjust the program, but again I was only successful with changing timing and duration of the LEDs flashing. I really need some 1 on 1 tutoring to figure out the programming!
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8 LED Circuit Diagram
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| Parts List |
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| 8 LED Code |
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8 LED Circuit
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I was able to adjust the the timing on the circuit without crashing the program. I wanted to be able to see the sequence of the LEDs changing better. Switching the timing accomplished that.
The real life examples I thought of for this circuit cover a couple of areas. First is a turn signal that has multiple LED bulbs and cycles in the direction that you are turning, or the construction warning lights on road work vehicles warning you to move over due to the work. The other example is the start lights at racetracks that cycle from top to bottom.
Reflections
Programming is not my forte! I can figure out the wiring and building the circuit with the furnished information, but not the programming. Every time I try to change more than just speeds the programs crash on me. I have spent more time trying to find help with programming than I should have because now I am behind on the other assignments for this week. When I was taking classes at the community college we always had a lab partner. Because of my deficiencies in Math and programming the professors would pair me up with someone strong in that area, but that needed assembly help. I know I built missile circuit boards in a past career, but I was never exposed to the programming. For me to be successful at programming I will need some 1 on 1 tutoring.
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