Multiplexing WS2803

Other Hardware LEDs and Multiplexing
3

Maybe it's not designed to work that way but I think that I've already done it and it's working, well... almost as I want.

For now i'm using Arduino Nano, one WS2803, one common cathode RGB LED and that piece of code:

#include "SPI.h"
#include "WS2803Single.h"

int counter = 0;
int rgbDelay = 800;

WS2803Single strip = WS2803Single(1);

void setup()
{
  strip.begin();

  strip.show();
  
  DDRC = B00000111;
  PORTC = B00000000;  
}
  
void loop()
{
  uint8_t red, green, blue;
  SetColorToIndex(counter, &red, &green, &blue);
  
  strip.setPixelColor(0, red);
  PORTC = B00000100;  
  strip.show();
  delayMicroseconds(rgbDelay);
  strip.setPixelColor(0, green);
  PORTC = B00000010;  
  strip.show();
  delayMicroseconds(rgbDelay);
  strip.setPixelColor(0, blue);
  PORTC = B00000001;  
  strip.show();
  delayMicroseconds(rgbDelay);

  counter++;
  counter = counter % 768;
}

static inline void SetColorToIndex(uint16_t color_index, uint8_t *r, uint8_t *g, uint8_t *b)
{
  uint8_t group = color_index >> 8;
  uint8_t value = (uint8_t)color_index;

  switch (group)
  {
    case 0:
      *r = 255 - value;
      *g = value;
      *b = 0;
    break;
    case 1:
      *r = 0;
      *g = 255 - value;
      *b = value;
    break;
    case 2:
      *r = value;
      *g = 0;
      *b = 255 - value;
    break;
  }
}

Colors are a little bit 'washed out' and it's flickering a little but it's working

I want to give it a try and connect all 18 RGB leds but I don't know if it's worth it.

TLC5940 works really great but I don't know how to get rid of transmission problems over long connection cables (I used MM74HC04M as buffers but that didn't work at all), unfortunately it's really easy to burn it.