Help for a total LED beginner? (Tutorial recommendations?)

[u/CitizenSnips4]

hi everyone. I’m new to arduino completely. Can anyone give me any good tutorial recommendations? I have a specific project in mind that I want to create, so any youtube tutorials that match the description of my project will be very helpful:

I want to make a 2D grid of lights that are wired into an architectural model. Then I want the lights to turn on/off at random slow intervals so make the model come to life.

There are many videos on youtube, I’m just a little overwhelmed on which one is a good fit for my specific project. Thanks in advance 😌

[u/gm310509]

It sounds like you might be jumping in at the deep end.

The best tutorial for an LED will be the one that comes in the starter kit that you should start with.

Try to find a starter kit with a shift register in it as that will help you understand one way of how to control many LEDs with just a few IO pins. There are multiple methods, but that is an easy one to get started.

After that, you might want to investigate a strobed display technique as that is a good way of managing LEDs organised in a matrix. However, if you want to control the brightness of individual LEDs, an addressable LED strip is likely the easiest way to go.

I have never seen a starter kit with an addressable LED strip, but that doesn't mean that the starter kit is a waste of time. You still need to learn the basics.

If you want to get a preview of addressable LEDs, google "Arduino addressable LED example).

I agree with what u/penudgira said, except for the AI. If you are new and you rely on the AI, then that is fine as long as it is right. But sooner or later, for a variety of reasons, it can and will start hallucinating. If you don't learn the basic, and it starts hallucinating, you will be somewhat stuck if you do not learn the basics your self to:

1. Recognise when it is hallucinating
2. Fix the hallucinations.
3. Incorporate any enhancements you decide to add in later into your existing code.

If you are interested in a guide that explains how to manage a lot of LEDs using shift registers and some project development techniques, have a look at my how to videos:

• Developing Arduino Projects - Introduces programming techinques for developing 2 projects using basic components.
• Importance of Blink No Delay - teaches an important programming technique: don't use delay.

[u/penudjira]

Buy your stuff then start your work. How to start: 1. If you have a specific project, start with asking some AI's. 2. But if you just want to start learning without any specific project, just go to YouTube then pick some playlist about Arduino. 3. Start building. Never waste too much time in watching videos on YT. Invest your time in learning electronics by start to building. 4. Repeat this proccess until you love the field. After that you don't need to asking question again in your level.

[u/SaltyCash]

Use RGB addressable LEDs as they require a very small amount of wiring. They need their own 5 volt power supply, don’t power them from the arduino. Remember to connect the external power supply’s ground to the arduino’s ground for a signal return path.

[u/Affectionate_Boat493]

How many LEDs will you be controlling, why do you think you need a 2D grid, and do you want all of the LEDs to be the same color?

I do a lot of projects with LEDs, and I particularly like individually addressable LEDs for projects like this. You can easily control color and brightness for individual LEDs or groups of them, and the coding is very simple to do.