Starting Das Blinken Project need help with mini FET wiring

Projects General Guidance
1

Hey all, new guy here

Im trying to tackle the Sparkfun Das Blinken top hat as one of my first advanced projects but i need some help with some of the wiring as the pictures listed on Sparkfun's site are not clear.

This is the hat

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Looking at this picture does it look like the ground wire is only going from the battery pack to the ground of the mini FET shield (red board). Also it looks like only the grounds from the led strips are inputed to the FET board and thats it. True?

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Also im curious about the output from my accelerometer. When i look at the serial monitor in the IDE platform I get these for readings. Does this look remotely right? I don't know right from wrong here.

;(:«:*:*mü;+mý8(ný;+lý;*nü;*mü:(mü;+mü8*jý;+lü;(nÿ:+mÿ:+lý;*mü8+lÿ8(lü;(lü;+mý;(nÿ;+mü8(ný:(mü«lý8(mü;*lý8+mü;*Â8(lü8*mü:*mý:*ÿ8+lý:*mý;+lÿ8(mý;*jü;(lü:(nÿ:*mý:*ný8è?ü8*mý;+mý;(l040ÿ:<(ø9ò:*:+8*8*:[ÿ:+;+8(:+8*:+?­ÿ;+:+;+8J8*:+8*:+8*:*;+:(;+;+m?60ÿ;«;«;«;(;«8*+8*:+;*:+8*;+;«:+8*ÿ8*8(;+8*lü:+mÿ:+î¼8*mý8*lü;(lü:+mü8*mü;(lü8*mü;*
ý;+nü;«î?8+mÿ8*lü:+mý;«?ü8*mý;«ný;+mü8*mý:«l040ÿ8*;(;(:+;(;(:+;+;«:*8*;*:*8*;+:+;(;(:+8*;«ÿ8**;*8*;«;(:+:+:*	(;+8*;(lü8*mý8*mý8*mü8«nü;*lü;+mÿ;(nü:+mý8*íü8*lü;«nü:*mý:*m?60ÿ8*:*8*;«:+;+:+;*8*;(;*:+:*;(8*8*:*;*;(8*;«;«8*;«:*;(;(	«lú8*mü:+mý;(lü;«nü8*l049;(+;«8*	«;*;(:*:+:+8*8(8*8*;«;+:Èÿ8*;+8*m1½9:+	*m1½98*:«	+8*;(;+;«;«;+:+;«;«;*:+;(;*;+;«;*mý:+mÿ;(lü:+mý:+mÿ8*lü:+mÿ:+mý;(lü:+mý:+nü:+mÿ:*mý;+nü;(lü;+mý8*m1½9:+:+:*:+:+:*m1½9:+

Here is a link to the project and source code
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/das-blinken-top-hat/all

2

Not your fault, but a tutorial without a circuit diagram and without a sketch ain't much use! :0

The output you've shown looks as if your baud rates in the sketch and on the serial monitor are not the same.

The grounds on everything should be connected together, but it doesn't matter where.

3

Thanks for your help. I changed the baud rate on the seriel monitor and now I am getting correct readings. Still having trouble troubleshooting everything else though. I know the arduino and accelerometer are working 100% now. They only thing left is the mini FET, wiring, and the LEDs.

4

th3chainrule:
Thanks for your help. I changed the baud rate on the seriel monitor and now I am getting correct readings. Still having trouble troubleshooting everything else though. I know the arduino and accelerometer are working 100% now. They only thing left is the mini FET, wiring, and the LEDs.

Slowly, slowly catchee monkey. :slight_smile: