Okay, so I'm a little confused at this whole thing. I want common anode LEDs correct? This lets me pulse the +V? Why aren't transistors usable for PWM with LEDs?
Also, as I'm just learning about transistors, they seem like the perfect solution for everything. Can a PWM signal ever be used to control a transistor? I saw something here that MOSFETS might be possible to control as they have faster response times.
I want to make a color changer that has three potentiometers where a user can adjust the pot and change the colors. I would run strings of 12v LEDs (so the driver needs to be able to do 12v).
I'm using the TLC5940 and recommend it. Between the chip and the Arduino library available, a lot of the difficult work is already done. How many LEDs do you want to string together?
@ Interesting: You can use transistors with PWM. It's used to control motor speed without reducing torque by just passing less current through. But for LED control for more than say two; the TLC5940 is very recommended. I've got some free samples direct from TI and they are great! Hooked one up with a breadboard and the TLC5940 Library in no time.
Haven't ventured into daisy chaining because I can't afford to buy a bigger breadboard or any more jumper wires.
@ CMiYC: I like the patters you've created. I'm trying to develop an RGB 8x16 LED matrix with three TLC's and a darlington array.
But I'm having trouble generating cool patterns without directly coding then into memory and working out all the colours by hand!