RGB LED

Prepared by Bekov Ilnar CS-2229

Introduction

This report focuses on a specific application of this concept: the creation of a circuit that uses an Infrared (IR) receiver, a Red-Green-Blue (RGB) Light Emitting Diode (LED), and an IR remote control.

The primary objective of this project is to design and implement a user-controlled lighting system. The user can control the color of the LED light by pressing buttons on the IR remote control. This system can be used in a variety of applications, ranging from home lighting systems to interactive art installations.

The RGB LED is a key component of this project. Unlike standard LEDs that emit light of a single color, an RGB LED combines three LEDs—red, green, and blue—in a single casing. By varying the intensity of these three colors, it is possible to create a wide spectrum of colors.

The IR receiver and the IR remote control form the user interface of the system. The user sends signals by pressing buttons on the remote control. These signals are received by the IR receiver and interpreted by the microcontroller, which then adjusts the color of the RGB LED accordingly.

Table of Materials

The following materials are required for this project:

1. Arduino Microcontroller:
2. IR Receiver.
3. RGB LED
4. IR Remote Control.
5. Jumper Wires
6. Breadboard
7. Resistors

Procedures

Here are the detailed steps to create the circuit:

1. Setup the Arduino: connect your Arduino microcontroller to your computer.
2. Connect the IR Receiver: The IR receiver has three pins: VCC, GND, and OUT. I connected the VCC pin to the 5V pin on the Arduino, the GND pin to one of the GND pins on the Arduino, and the OUT pin to a digital pin on the Arduino. In our example, we use digital pin 2 for the OUT pin.
3. Connect the RGB LED: The RGB LED has four pins: one for each color (red, green, blue) and a common cathode (GND). I  connected the GND pin of the LED to one of the GND pins on the Arduino. The red, green, and blue pins of the LED to three different PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) pins on the Arduino. In our example, we use pins 9, 10, and 11 for the red, green, and blue pins respectively.
4. Upload the Code
5. Test the Circuit: Point the IR remote control at the IR receiver and press the buttons. The RGB LED should change color based on the button pressed.

1. Troubleshooting: If the LED does not light up or change color, check your connections and make sure everything is wired correctly. Also, make sure the IR codes in your code match the codes sent by your remote control.

Main part with theory:

Infrared (IR) Receiver

The IR receiver is a crucial component of this project. It is a photodiode, a type of light sensor that can generate current when exposed to light. In this case, the light is in the infrared spectrum, which is invisible to the human eye. The IR receiver can detect the specific frequency of infrared light emitted by the IR remote control. When a button is pressed on the remote control, it sends out a unique pattern of infrared light pulses. The IR receiver detects these pulses and sends a corresponding signal to the Arduino.

RGB LED

The RGB LED is another key component. It consists of three separate LEDs (red, green, and blue) in a single package. Each of these LEDs can be controlled independently, allowing us to create a wide range of colors by varying the intensity of each LED. This is done using a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), which involves switching the LED on and off at a high frequency. By changing the ratio of the “on” time to the “off” time, we can control the perceived intensity of each LED, and hence the overall color of the RGB LED.

Arduino Microcontroller

The Arduino microcontroller is the brain of the operation. It receives signals from the IR receiver, interprets these signals, and then adjusts the intensity of the RGB LED accordingly. The Arduino is programmed using a language based on C++, which provides a wide range of functions for controlling hardware connected to the Arduino.

In this project, we use the IRremote library for Arduino, which simplifies the process of receiving and decoding signals from an IR remote control. We also use the analogWrite() function to control the intensity of each LED in the RGB LED.