Hello!
I would like to buy my husband the Arduino MRK1000 WiFi but had a general question
He wants an arduino to program LED neopixel light strips.
The MRK1000 says it is 3.3V and would need bidirectional communication to do 5V. The led strips I’ve been looking at are 5V.
Is it possible to use this arduino for this type of project? What would I need to buy to create a bidirectional communication?
Most people would a 3.3V to 5V bidirectional level shifter. Or, use a 5V processor board.
The MRK1000 says it is 3.3V and would need bidirectional communication to do 5V.
No you do not need bidirectional communication, you only need a single direction level shifter. The link above is not designed for neopixels but for I2C communication, which is much slower than the speed the Neopixels communicate at. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this sort of board is marginal at best with people reporting it stops working when fingers are placed on the circuit board.
Is it possible to use this arduino for this type of project?
Yes.
I use a two gates from a single 74HTC14 chip to boost the logic signal to 5V from a 3V3 system. The circuit is so trivial that I don't think anyone sells them on a ready built board.
@Grumpy_Mike - bummer on the https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12009 - I just ordered a couple
Would the board below be a better choice?
Thanks
PS: I have the 74HTC14 on my list of chips to get - was also going to give it a try for hardware debounce
Would the board below be a better choice?
Yes I think so. From the data sheet it looks like it will get to 5V in 200nS which while not being perfect should be enough to drive neopixels.
saildude:
@Grumpy_Mike - bummer on the https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12009 - I just ordered a couple
Put them in your parts box for other projects. These indeed won't work for the ~900 kHz those neopixels (which are really just WS2812B LEDs) communicate at, they are great for I2C level shifting.
SparkFun Voltage-Level Translator Breakout - TXB0104 - BOB-11771 - SparkFun Electronics
No experience with this one. It's bidirectional, which you don't need here. The 74HCT14 is probably the best solution here, and those chips come at mere pennies a piece.
I'm sorry I don't know much about any of this. When I googled "74HTC14" this microchip came up- is this what you mean it may need?
Thank you so much for your help!
When I search for that number in Google the whole of the first page is filled with links to various data sheets and manufacturers of the hex Schmitt trigger inverter, which is what you want.
is this what you mean it may need?
No you have the link badly wrong this is an altogether different thing. Rather like asking for an orange and posting a link to a car.
If you want to go with this supplier then go for:-
This
Kstuart1399:
I'm sorry I don't know much about any of this. When I googled "74HTC14" this microchip came up- is this what you mean it may need?
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Microchip-Technology-Atmel/AT27C512R-70PU?qs=lURXKZrvvXfxaNMm462qBA%3D%3D&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI96Sv_M6Z5gIVDhQMCh0cqgXEEAQYASABEgJWofD_BwE
That is a serious search fail!
By the way, what is so grand about a MRK1000 WiFi? Very expensive for the functionality.
If you want WiFi, a WeMOS D1 Mini is a good "go to", very powerful and dirt cheap (which means, you do not just buy one, or two)! If you do not want WiFi, a Nano will drive NeoPixels directly.
Thanks everyone for the help