This instructable documents the design and construction of a giant RGB LED ceiling light, controlled by a hacked GE remote control.
After building a couple smaller RGB lamps, I decided I wanted to see how far I could take the concept. The control circuitry is basically the same, it's just a matter of using a beefier LED driver!
My finished lamp measures 30"x30" square and is 3.5" tall. It hangs 5.5" off the ceiling, and uses 9x 3W RGB LEDs controlled by a PIC 16F1829 microcontroller.
Originally the lamp had an attached control panel for color and speed adjustment. Then one day I found a perfect IR remote control with Power, R/G/B, and Up/Down buttons and even a built-in switchable backlight! I decided this would be a fun and functional addition so I wasted no time hacking the IR output signal and interfacing it to the controller.
The lamp starts out in white-light mode (like a normal ceiling light). At the press of a button, it switches to RGB Color Fading. From here, you can adjust the speed with the Up/Down buttons or even pause the color at any point in the RGB fading cycle.
Hopefully this instructable will give you some construction ideas or inspiration for your own large-scale RGB LED project!
After building a couple smaller RGB lamps, I decided I wanted to see how far I could take the concept. The control circuitry is basically the same, it's just a matter of using a beefier LED driver!
My finished lamp measures 30"x30" square and is 3.5" tall. It hangs 5.5" off the ceiling, and uses 9x 3W RGB LEDs controlled by a PIC 16F1829 microcontroller.
Originally the lamp had an attached control panel for color and speed adjustment. Then one day I found a perfect IR remote control with Power, R/G/B, and Up/Down buttons and even a built-in switchable backlight! I decided this would be a fun and functional addition so I wasted no time hacking the IR output signal and interfacing it to the controller.
The lamp starts out in white-light mode (like a normal ceiling light). At the press of a button, it switches to RGB Color Fading. From here, you can adjust the speed with the Up/Down buttons or even pause the color at any point in the RGB fading cycle.
Hopefully this instructable will give you some construction ideas or inspiration for your own large-scale RGB LED project!
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Signing UpStep 1: Parts List
Lamp Materials:
Single-wall corrugated cardboard
Plastic sheet rock corner bead
Rivets and Riveting tool
White Paint (optional)
Fabric
Hot Glue
Control Circuitry:
Qty 1 - PIC16F1829
Qty 1 - 16MHz TTL Oscillator
Qty 1 - IRM 8410 or GP3U10X IR Decoder
Qty 1 - 4.7k Ohm, 1/4W, Resistor
Qty 3 - 1k Ohm, 1/4W, Resistor
Qty 3 - TIP121 Darlington Transistor
Qty 9 - 3W RGB LEDs (1W per color) (Buy 'em on Ebay, search for "3W rgb led", ~$6/ea)
Qty 1 - Power supply(s) (See Step 3) (I used Part# 418-CFM60S300 30V 2A supply from Mouser for $34.25)
Qty 3 - Current Limiting Resistors (See Step 3)
Other:
GE AREM4000-X Executive Remote (Ebay)
Tools:
Riveting tool
Hot Glue Gun
Paintbrush (Optional)
Storage Oscilloscope (Optional, but VERY helpful!)
Single-wall corrugated cardboard
Plastic sheet rock corner bead
Rivets and Riveting tool
White Paint (optional)
Fabric
Hot Glue
Control Circuitry:
Qty 1 - PIC16F1829
Qty 1 - 16MHz TTL Oscillator
Qty 1 - IRM 8410 or GP3U10X IR Decoder
Qty 1 - 4.7k Ohm, 1/4W, Resistor
Qty 3 - 1k Ohm, 1/4W, Resistor
Qty 3 - TIP121 Darlington Transistor
Qty 9 - 3W RGB LEDs (1W per color) (Buy 'em on Ebay, search for "3W rgb led", ~$6/ea)
Qty 1 - Power supply(s) (See Step 3) (I used Part# 418-CFM60S300 30V 2A supply from Mouser for $34.25)
Qty 3 - Current Limiting Resistors (See Step 3)
Other:
GE AREM4000-X Executive Remote (Ebay)
Tools:
Riveting tool
Hot Glue Gun
Paintbrush (Optional)
Storage Oscilloscope (Optional, but VERY helpful!)
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One uses LED strips (multicolor) : Rs.100 /meter
IR Remote + its receiver : Rs. 250
LED Strip Driver : Rs.250
Total Rs. 600 (padding amount to Rs.400) total Rs.1000
We can Get these Lighting Except the frame for $20 MAX isnt it ?
Awesome skill!
Corrugated cardboard actually did work well because it is fairly rigid and also very lightweight. To reduce heat concerns, the LEDs were each mounted on to heatsinks and elevated above the cardboard on plastic spacers to allow for airflow (see pics in Step 6).
I'm guessing in total you'd be looking at around $100-$125, not including the remote. (There is one of these GE remotes on Ebay right now, but it is priced at $84. That seems a little steep...)
I ended buying a power supply from Mouser (www.mouser.com). It is:
30V, 2A, 60W
Part# 418-CFM60S300
Price: $34.25
(Instructable edited with this info)
Most of the supplies out there are 28V or 32V, but this one was right in the middle. Plus, it was very lightweight.
I would love to do this, great one! But, Im not sure if I know enough about micro controllers and circuits to attempt such a project yet
The lamp is capable of individual 10-bit brightness control for each color, so it can potentially produce millions of colors. Currently, though, the lamp color fade routine uses only 2 out of the three primary colors at any given time (see "PWM Control" section of step 5).
nerd1701 - you got me to thinking... I could potentially add another 10-bit counter to the code that will cycle the third color through the full 10-bit brightness scale. This would unleash the full potential of individual 10-bit RGB brightness control. I might just do that... I'll be sure to update the instructable if I do!
This should do a good job explaining the current color fade routine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BINE3xcdq_M