Hi community! First time here, and arduino noob! I want to build an ambient light system for the back of my tv, running off a computer. I've researched online, but the amount of conflicting info is overwhelming! I plan on running 3 RGB led strips; wanting to have them displaying the average colour of the left, right, and top edges of tv screen. I thibk i understand that each strip eould need uts iwn outputs (3 each? One for each colour?) So I require 9 pwm outputs? My questions are: does an Uno meet these requirements, or would I need a Mega? Can this be run from the Arduino direct, or do I need external transistors or it's?
Sorry if these questions are old or too simple...I'm so excited about learning the Arduino and this project, but the amount of information is frying my brain!!
Thanks for any advise you can share!!
The are several types of LED strips. Please provide a data sheet for your LED strips.
Using 'dumb' RGB LED strips
http://www.dipmicro.com/store/LS3528IP30-W60RGB-5M
you just need 3 AOI514 N-channel MOSFETs, one per each color, control with PWM from Arduino.
Control all 3 strips in parallel unless you want different colors on each panel.
Yes, I am wanting to have 3 independent strips...one that will display the average of the left edge screen colour, one strip to display the top edge colour, and one the right edge colour. The strips I have now are 5050 RGB led strips....I purchased from eBay a few years ago. They are 12v strips...I don't know how to get a data sheet for them...
I have a 5m strip with 150 leds. They are 5050 leds. My plan is that the two side strips will have 12 leds each (4 segments of 3 leds), and the top will have 24 leds. (This is based on the measurements of my tv). If I can also run a fourth strip along the bottom I guess that would be ideal!! But each strip will need to be individually controlled, so all 3 (or 4lol) strips may show a different colour, depending on what that corresponding edge colour is on the TV...
Then use 4 sets of PWM outputs. Mega has 16 PWM outputs, yes?
What senses the color of the edge of the TV screen?
Since the TV picture is from the computer (everything streamed), I'm hoping the Arduino can do this from the hdmi info it gets from the computer? This is an old idea...I'm hoping I can find the code already written here somewhere...I've seen some projects that use transistors, some that use uln2003 ic's to drive the leds. I'm just not sure why I can't externally power the leds with a 12v power supply and get the colour info from the Arduino. Does that make sense? I've never worked with Arduino before, so I'm not sure if I'm missing something. (I don't even know what I don't know!!!)
I'm guessing somehow the Arduino will be connected via hdmi to computer, and then pass info to lights and TV? Or get an HDMI signal splitter so one signal go from computer to TV, the other go to Arduino?
Actually I'm think8ng the computer does the calculation and sends the data to the arduino. That's why this only works with data coming through the computer and not just anything plugged into the TV (a game for instance).
I'm hoping the Arduino can do this from the hdmi info it gets from the computer?
Sorry but no way is that going to happen.
bigsammy:
Actually I'm think8ng the computer does the calculation and sends the data to the arduino. That's why this only works with data coming through the computer and not just anything plugged into the TV (a game for instance).
That nether.
Which part?
Any part, your sensing strategy can not work.
Hi,
Can you tell us your electronics, programming, arduino, hardware experience?
Do you know how a digital picture is represented on HDMI?
Tom... 
Perhaps I misspoke. I plan on using a program like Ambibox to generate the data, and send to Arduino via USB.
I have no experience in any of this...just going on what I've gathered and read....
Perhaps I misspoke.
Well withholding vital information is a very good way to get a bad answer.
So you expect Ambibox to send the Arduino some information. After reading http://www.ambibox.ru/en/index.php/Main_Page#AmbiBox_-_creating_a_backlight I see that Arduino is not a supported mode.
However the Adalight project is supported, therefore you have to make one of those with your Arduino. You can find out how here Overview | Adalight Project Pack | Adafruit Learning System
Thank you so much...yeah, after I thought about it, I realized I had not relayed all the information I was thinking properly. Thanks so much for you help!! I think I'm on the right track now!