I'd like to control multiple RGB-LEDs separately with one Arduino. I found online that there is such a thing as addressable LEDs (Easy Addressable LEDs with Arduino! WS2812B Tutorial - YouTube), but they appear to have to be connected physically with each other (please correct me if I got that wrong).
That doesn't work for my project though. I'd like to put LEDs inside of little translucent blocks, so that in the end I can control their color via the LEDs. It is essential though that I can control them completely separately from one another. I've attached a quick sketch to make the setup more clear (I'm thinking about 50-100 of these blocks with one LED each).
The problem is that I'm fairly new to Arduino and don't really know how to control the LEDs all individually. So it'd be great to get any suggestions/hints on how I could accomplish this - thanks a ton!
If you use normal RGB LEDs you will need to route 4 wires to each LED. Using addressable LEDs you only need to route 3. You choose.
As you need 50-100 LEDs to be controlled you would be wise to use addressable LEDs. They are wired in series along with 5v and GND connections and can each be controlled individually to each give one of 65000 colours.
How far apart will the blocks be ?
If you really cannot connect them together then you will be in a world of pain. Each block will need its own power supply, Arduino and radio receiver.
You seem to be under the misapprehension that you won't be able to control the LEDs separately if they are addressable LEDs connected together. But you can, that's what "addressable" means.
Addressable LEDs are your only really practical choice. Without them you would need 150 to 300 PWM outputs (Uno has 6). You would need fewer PWM outputs if you multiplex the leds, but that will make them dimmer, and the code, circuit and wiring far more complex.
