Hello guys, I am new to Arduino and circuits, however I am familiar with computer programming (Java, BASIC) and want to learn more about Arduino. I bought a tricolor LED strip from RadioShack years ago, and figured I start learning about it today. However, I could not find the download for strip_1m.pde (the file i need to download to be able to use the LED lights). This is the radioshack link to the item: http://comingsoon.radioshack.com/radioshack-tricolor-led-strip/2760339.html#.VZhFa_lVhBc
if anyone has the file, or the code, can you please give it to me. Thanks for reading.
Hi and welcome to this Forum.
The RadioShack-link probably isn't supported any more. A few years back Arduino changed the .pde file extension for sketches/prgrams to .ino, several programming commands have been changed too.
There's a lot of chance the code you're searching won't work with the latest versions of the Arduino IDE.
The led strip you're using is addressable and based on the TM1803-chip though, which is supported by the fastled - library.
Install it in the map Documents -> Arduino -> libraries and load one of the examples in Arduino.
thanks man. I actually have a makey makey, which is a type of arduino board, however the board doesn't have a 'vin' , so i have no where to plug in the red wire from the LED light. I connected the board to the computer because I believe the red wire is only to power the circuit up? I honestly have no idea of what I am doing lol
Aha, you're using the banana-piano, two "artists" recently gave me a show 
It should be possible to use a makey-makey as well, looking at the manual of Radio-shack, they didn't connect it in a nice way IMO.
One can indeed get 12volts from Vin if you power an (other) arduino externally. Using just a small piece of led-strip, like yours, current will still be low, but could become quite high if the strip gets longer.
But it doesn't need to be connected to Vin. You can connect the power pins of your strip to 12 volts directly. You'll need to connect ground of the 12v power supply with ground of your Makey if you do.
The data sent consists of high&low signals and without connecting both grounds, your strip won't see the difference between both.
If you connect the data-in pin to an io-pin of the makey (and configure it in your sketch) after that, it should be possible to control each led.
I picked up a strip of these the other day, and the provided link to the code is a dead end, but found the code on another forum :
works fine when powered via 12v wall wart.
okay, i've downloaded it and bought myself an arduino uno, but i am still a noob. How do i run the .spin file on my arduino?
By turning it into a parallax-board 
?
The thread is written on a forum for a completely different micro-controller, Propellor, Arduino uses .INO or .PDE files.
But one of the posts has an attachment with the Arduino-files you're looking for.
http://forums.parallax.com/uploads/attachments/63739/102585.zip