I'd like to use my arduino to control a high-powered blue LED with varying brightness. I want to use a Prizmatix Mic-LED-450. (Here's the 385 version http://www.prizmatix.com/pdf/mic/Microscope-LED-385.pdf). It has a forward voltage of 24V, so obviously requires more voltage than the arduino can provide. What's the best way to do this? Any help is appreciated!
Have you got the BLCC-02 Benchtop LED Current Controller?
If so it will simply accept one of the PWM output pins from the Arduino. Don't forget to connect the ground of the LED supply to the ground of the Arduino together.
It's on order right now. In the pdf provided, in the section for the BLCC-02 specs, it says the input voltage is 24V. Why does it need an output from the arduino? Won't it be powered by a wall socket? Can I just have the a wire extend fromt the pin to a resistor to the LED to the arduino GND?
Update: I'm neither getting the LED I mentioned earlier nor the current controller. Turns out they're really expensive: $1050 and $750 respectively, though I'm not sure what I was expecting. I'll have to find some other bulb. I guess my question is the same, but without the current controller. Grumpy_Mike, thank you so much for helping.
The part you're really paying for is their collimator/optics. A constant current LED driver capable of the maximum 24W supplied by their power supply is easily under $10. The LEDs, heatsink, etc. would all be well under $50.
No! What you're paying for is a fully developed integrated system that is aimed at a very specific low-volume market. It likely comes well packaged with documentation, and is probably backed by a support and business infrastructure. THAT is what you are paying for! Reducing this to pure hardware cost only is a bit naive.