It's that time of year again when many of us enjoy making Christmas decorations with an electronic twist, for fun and as gifts for others. One interesting example of this has been demosntrated by Darbin Orvar who has created a minimalist Christmas tree with LED strips, which is controlled by an Arduino to blink the LEDs to match the sequence of a tune from the "Star Wars" movie.
Controlling the LEDs is quite simple, and Darbin explains how this is done with power transistors. The sketch is simply a matter of controlling the digital outputs at the right time to enable the required LED strips to match the tune. This is demosntrated with gusto in the following video:
For more information, check out Darbin's project page. And for more, we're on facebook, Google+, and twitter - so follow us for news and product updates as well.
If you're making a similar project and need to control large currents with your Arduino digital outputs - you'll need a MOSFET. We've got you covered with out NDRIVE: N-MOSFET driver/output module:
This high-power N-MOSFET module lets you switch high-current loads using a tiny microcontroller. Perfect for controlling that set of traffic lights mounted in your living room! Works brilliantly for automotive projects such as switching high-power 12V lights and high wattage LEDs. For more information and to order, visit the product page.