MAKE A SIMPLE RGB LED ARRAY.


A very simple to build array of nine LEDs for RGB colour mixing or as a single colour. This module was designed for use in mood lighting applications or anywhere you need a little splash of colour. It has four mounting holes at the corners and is designed for a 12V supply.
It is designed to be used with standard 5mm diffused LEDs since they provide very good colour mixing, but it can also be used with clear LEDs as well. It's perfect for use with any of the RGB controller projects on this site.



All the components required for this very simple to build kit.


We start by mounting the resistors that limit current through the LEDs. There is one resistor per colour and the colours are marked in the resistor positions. The resistors supplied with the kit are as follows:-
RED 270 ohm (red, violet, brown)
GREEN 180 ohm (brown, grey, brown)
BLUE 180 ohm (brown, grey, brown)


Now the LEDs get mounted with their long leads (anodes) going towards the end of the PCB marked with "+" symbols. Each LED position is marked with a letter to indicate the colour of the LED in that position.
R = red, G = green and B = blue.


The connections are soldered directly to the back of the PCB as shown. Red, Green and Blue, and the common positive which is a pink wire to differentiate it from the red channel.


This array is surprisingly bright, and the use of diffused LEDs results in very good colour mixing. In this picture I've got a single module under a 7" (180mm) opal glass sphere.



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