3 Simple Ways to
Share What You Make

With Instructables you can share what you make with the world — and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.

PhotosPhotos

Share one or more photos of a project, recipe, or whatever you've made, quickly and easily.

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

Step by StepStep-By-Step

Share your step-by-step photos with text instructions of what you made so others can do it too!

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

VideoVideo

Share your how-to video. You'll need your embed code from a video site such as YouTube.

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

Favorite

LED-RGB controller

video LED-RGB controller

This is my homemade RGB-LED controller.

It is connected to the PC which lets me either change the color by hand, or the color changes to the music, or its like ambilight, the LEDs have the main color of my screen.
unfortunately the colors are not that vivid in the video. They are alot brighter in real life.

I will post a complete instructable when I have some more time.
for now more info can be found on www.ledcontroller.de.vu

Mike

59 comments

1-40 of 59

Jan 15, 2012. 7:05 AMorgasmotron says:

hi there
i'm trying to find a way to use n-channel mosfet instead of p-channel , i have a few 12A 100V n-channel mosfet laying around and wan't to use them for this project

don't know how to convert it to use n-channel

does someone have a solution ?

thank

Feb 28, 2009. 5:10 AMmissdemeanor says:

What happened to the website?? I am very interested in this project because i am working on something similar for an art project.

Mar 3, 2009. 5:40 AMdolulob (author) says:

try the website again now! by the end of the month usually my traffic is all used up and the site is blocked... sorry about that. I will have to find some better webspace when I have some more time.... Hope the site helps!

May 8, 2011. 11:39 AMsra77 says:

Good
I am very excited about what you do:)
I wish I could give you 1GB of space and will offer this space free of charge I pay my monthly subscription for you and I could give you 1GB free (if you need more than 2GB or more can give much but, I think 1Gb or 2 destulk the sufficiency for your projects.
It does not cost you anything just to help me and make me some nice projects that expose them to space and space offered me free onnline 24/24 is because preservation is firm in the U.S. and Romania where I have my site 24/24 guarantee and is a great company s is 2 years we had no room to be offline problems su
If you are interested in space to put your projects will not hesitate to contact me by e-mail: publicitate_gl@yahoo.com
I want to see more projects made by you:)
With respect
Roberto Smarandescu

Mar 22, 2009. 8:53 AMhavocbadge says:

Hi, how can I build a wall washer? Thanks, Fred

Sep 28, 2010. 10:27 PMakerka says:

Your website is down again. I'm thinking of doing this as my degree work for school and it would help if the site is up. :)

Btw, is it possible to do this with USB instead of RS232?

Thanks in advance!

Jan 28, 2011. 10:21 PMkctess5 says:

Wouldn't using somebody else's design sort of defeat the purpose?

Jan 29, 2011. 1:38 AMakerka says:

No. Because the degree work would come from modifying my computer.

I was supposed to carve some cool design to acrylic glass, placing it to the side of my computer and lighting it, with the led controller. And also carving the circuit board was supposed to be part of the degree work.

Sep 29, 2010. 9:01 AMdolulob (author) says:

Hey,

try in a couple of days. it should be back then! best if you just save it then, in case it goes down again. let me know if u need any help!

Have fun! :) Mike

Feb 4, 2010. 6:57 PMWawan Sragent says:

That's a wonderful wall I was made, thanks for the brilliant idea from you...
Live Is Good by Knowledge!!!

Jan 23, 2010. 12:48 AMdnclip says:

can i use the RGB LED Strip? btw the link dosent work. and did u make the controller ur self or did u buy it?

Nice job btw looks really crazy

Aug 28, 2009. 8:25 AMKunstflieger says:

I cant open this link:´( Who can give me the curcitplan of this RGB controller?

Jun 9, 2009. 10:25 PMpurple shirted eye stabber says:

that is the most amazing F |_| @ $ I N G room i have ever seen!!!! :D can you plz tell me where you got your LED's? i plan on making something like this for my dad as a gift for fathers day.

Jun 10, 2009. 11:33 AMdolulob (author) says:

Hey, thanx. I got them on ebay from a seller called Jeledhk i think

Jun 13, 2009. 9:23 PMpurple shirted eye stabber says:

oh i know who you are talking about i just put in a order for them today and once again thank you

May 22, 2009. 6:54 PMJAK101 says:

I would like to contact you about, you sending me the eagle files (?), you were talking about them on your website!

May 22, 2009. 6:51 PMJAK101 says:

I can make your website more accessible, I can design .com, .org, .net!! See comment below!

May 22, 2009. 6:49 PMJAK101 says:

That is the coolest thing I have ever! About your website, I would be have to host it for for, and update it. (For A small Fee) Check out my website; www.scouttroop250.webs.com E-mail me at jared.kindred.webs@gmail.com

May 3, 2009. 5:18 AMnojma says:

That is just awesome.

Jan 8, 2009. 9:57 PMBobv says:

I also got a controller working that converts serial bytes into PWM output on 3 channels, but I don't have a power driver stage yet (I don't have beefy transistors yet) and have a power supply out of an old computer that I'm using that should be good for expanding.

Mar 3, 2009. 5:39 AMdolulob (author) says:

when using old PC power suplies keep in mind, that the 12V aren't usualy stabelized. which means, if you put too much load on the 12V an leave the 5V open the voltage will trop pretty fast with higher loads.... You can modify the power suply to stabelize the 12V... there are instructions ofr that on the net... although its not the nicest solution it works :)

Jan 8, 2009. 9:55 PMBobv says:

this has really motivated me lol, here's some of my work on one LED strip - took hours to solder :(

Mar 3, 2009. 5:36 AMdolulob (author) says:

looking pretty good!! glad I could get you motivated!! :) and yeah the soldering is a real pain! :)

Jan 7, 2009. 11:31 AMdolulob (author) says:

oh and yeah I'd say its about 200 LEDs in the video

Jan 2, 2009. 3:23 PMBobv says:

What's the LED spacing on your strips?

Jan 3, 2009. 12:29 PMdolulob (author) says:

the spacing is 3 or 5 centimeters; I have done both. Depending on the amount of light desired

Jan 5, 2009. 4:06 PMBobv says:

Cool, thanks How does the lighting of all (200 is it?) LEDs on compare to like having a lamp on in the room or something? I feel like the video isn't an accurate representation?

Jan 7, 2009. 11:31 AMdolulob (author) says:

its really hard to describe in words how "bright" something is.... plus it really depends on the LEDs you are using! but my setup i'd say, is not close to a normal 60-70W bulb, but its defineatly bright enough to use it as a "mood light". Like when I have friends over and we're just drinkin a few beers and hangin out, I usually have only the LEDs on.

Nov 13, 2008. 6:17 PMpurpulhaze says:

I'm trying to figure out the instructions on the site. What I don't understand is the part on the LEDs. Not sure if I'm gone to use CCFLs, common anode leds, common cathode leds or ikea's dioder. Why did you post that the circuit would have been simpler with common anode leds? You post that you have to use a resistor on every color of every led. Why would you do this? Couldn't you just connect same colors of leds in series? So if I use common anode leds I can eliminate the P-channel MOSFETs? How would you connect common anode LEDs?

Dec 13, 2008. 1:03 PMpurpulhaze says:

Help, anyone!

Jan 2, 2009. 3:19 PMBobv says:

I think what he's saying is the disadvantage is they have to be wired individually because they are common cathode, as opposed to individual LEDs. Since they share a cathode trying to wire them in series you'd lose control over the individual colors. The MOSFETs are there because the microcontroller can't push around the kind of current required to drive all those LEDs, so you need some kind of transistor as a power driver... (i think) I've started building something like this myself but don't have my LEDs yet....

Jan 3, 2009. 12:28 PMdolulob (author) says:

the thing about the individual LEDs being easier than common Anode/cathode LEDs is true aswell. It would be easier to use common anode LEDs, because you only have to sink the current from the LEDs, not (like if you use common Cathode) supply the LEDs with the desired voltage. The circuit would be simpler, because you wouldn't need the 2 step transistor outputs like in my circuit now, but one Mosfet per output would be enough. Sorry, I am really busy at the moment and can't answer all the comments right away

Jan 7, 2009. 10:47 AMBobv says:

Correct me if I'm wrong, the transistors(not the mosfets) are just inverting the logic signals? If that's the case couldn't a tiny firmware change replace the transistors?

Jan 7, 2009. 11:27 AMdolulob (author) says:

they are inverting the signal, but that is not their actual purpose. the MOSFETS I used need to get 12V on their gate to switch 12V between their source and drain. The uC only has 5V outputs, which is not enough. So the transistors switch ensure that the Mosfets get the 12V. this is why, if you use common Anode LEDs you'd not need the transistors, only the mosfets, because the Mosfets would need to get a GRND signal on their gate in order to switch drain and source to GRND.

Dec 24, 2008. 7:28 PMBobv says:

The video is amazing Any chance you could post your schematic and other pictures on this Instructable - since your site doesn't work, I'd love to build something like this

Dec 25, 2008. 2:38 AMdolulob (author) says:

hey, yeah the site has a traffic limit, and at the end of the moth it usually is exceeded.... sorry about that. Just check the site next month and it should be working!

Jul 4, 2008. 3:08 PMcccdigital says:

I need to schedule(Programming) the Microcontroller or anything like that? or Only arming(DO) the circuit, after connecting to the computer and then play with them with the program? Spanish: YO necesito programar los Microcontroladores ni nada por el estilo?, solo armar el circuito,despues conectarlo a la pc y despues jugar con ellos con el programa?

Jun 29, 2008. 11:42 PMspectrabrite says:

please post more info. I would like to see info on the controller

Jun 30, 2008. 12:10 AMdolulob (author) says:

the site should be back tomorrow... sorry about that... there are more infos about the controller on the site

Jun 27, 2008. 9:27 AMpurpulhaze says:

Hey what happened to then site? Could you post or send the schematics you had on your site?

1-40 of 59