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Arduino – Neo Pixel LED Strips
Abstract
Materials
Discussions
References
Results
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Belinda Nguyen1, Elizabeth Pham2, Jesse Pham3
Methods
Programming the Arduino1. Download the Neo Pixel Library2. Create function, void setup, to initialize
pins and set post-width-modulator3. Create function, void loop, to
constantly check whether or not to turn on the LED lights
4. Upload program into Arduino5. Test runCreating the Display1. Draw gridlines on cardboard2. Glue LED strips onto cardboard3. Create boxes to hold grids4. Apply 60% Acrylic panels onto box5. Connect Arduino to LED and plug into
outlet
We would like to thank MESA for creatingthis opportunity and Jimmy Cao for hisguidance and support.
"Arduino.org." Arduino. Arduino S.r.l., 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Durfee, William. "Arduino Microcontroller Guide.“Arduino Microcontroller Guide. University of Minnesota, 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
John. "Story and History of Development of Arduino." Electronic Circuits and DiagramElectronics Projects and Design. Circuits Today,
26 Mar. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Arduinos were first introduced in 2002,but was officially developed in 2005 byHernando Barragan in Italy. Arduinos arecreated to be relatively cheap and easy forbeginners to use. However, Arduinos arealso powerful, in terms of versatility, forpeople who are more familiar andknowledgeable about these projects todevelop and create more functional add-ons to improve previous or future projects.Arduinos are a great way to startdeveloping skills for anyone who isinterested in building interactive hardwareand to test a student’s knowledge of thebasics of software programming and theircreativity to design the hardware.
Arduino is an open source microcontrollerthat interacts with the user. The objectiveis to program the Arduino to displaymultiple images, such as the iconic Mario,with bright, consistent colors throughoutthe entire panel. This was done byprogramming the library and connectingthe code into the hardware. Several errorsthat occurred during this experiment werethe voltage drop and the flickering lights.These errors were diminished byincreasing the power supply outage andadding more resistors. Improvementsinclude creating various features to makethe Arduino more user-friendly.
This connects the wires from the powersupply to the LED lights.
To the left, theheightened gridboxes is gluedon top of thecardboard tohold the 60%acrylic panels.
• Arduino• Power Supply (AC to DC)• Connecting Wires• 60% Acrylic panel• Foam Board• Wood
This display the gridlines drawn on thecardboard. The LED strips glued according tothe gridlines.
The image of thewooden boxabove holds allthe Arduino andthe displayinside.
To the right isthe outcome ofthis project.
current and the resistors to reduce thevoltage drop. Another error is that theLED lights were flickering. A singlepower supply at the end of only onestrip will cause a huge source of voltagewithin the first two to three strips;however the rest of the strips will bedimmed. Therefore, instead of havingone power supply at the end of the LEDstrips, we distributed the power supplyto different ends of the LED strips tocreate an even level brightnessthroughout the entire LED lights.
A major improvement would be toinstall a circuit board to enable differentfunctions and more features. Anotherimprovement is that we should focus onthe design process, rather than jumpinginto project. This would also increasethe precision of our measurements.There are cheaper alternativescompared to the materials we used thatcould function as well as ours.
Discussion (continued)
