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[on:]

Hi,

I want to control my rgb led strip, which eats 12v, with an arduino. The plan is to make the arduino read dmx an control the led's. The strip cannot be controlled led by led, only the strip with all the leds at the same time.

I found already this on this forum http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,117885.msg888572.html#msg888572
But they want to control each led individually at 5v. The dmx receiving part will be the same beacause that's not the issue.

But can the arduino control a 12v ledstrip? Or do i need some sort of amplifier?

[Reply #1 on:]

I'm starting my very first arduino project, which is exactly this...  controlling a 12v RGB led strip with with the arduino.

My understanding from the research I've done so far, is that you have to use a transitor.  Allow the 5v of the arduino to control the transistor, and then the transistor controls the flow of the 12v to the led strips.

However, I've never used transistors, and I don't know if they're binary, or variable... 

[Reply #2 on:]

Use a MOSFET transistor.

http://www.ece.ucsb.edu/Faculty/rodwell/Classes/ece2c/labs/Lab_2_2C_2007.pdf