After getting interested in the world of Arduino, Andrew Tuline turned his hand to controlling a length of RGB LEDs for a Christmas decoration. Not content with simply blinking the LEDs or displaying a pattern, he used an MSGEQ7 spectrum analyser IC which accepts analogue audio and outputs the levels of each frequency band, perfect for an interactive light show - for example:
Each LED is controlled by a WS2801 IC, which individual control of the LEDs. Not bad at all! So click here for more information. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
If you're looking to make your own projects that could use different light effects, consider one or more of the Freetronics RGBLED: module. It includes a bright RGB LED on the top of the board and a WS2801 constant-current, addressable, multi-channel LED driver on the back. This smart module can be daisy-chained, so you can connect a number of these together in a string and drive each of the module colours individually from your microcontroller. For more information and to order, visit the product page.
