January 30, 2014

Build an LED Heart for Valentine's Day

If you're looking for a way to combine making something with an Arduino and also searching for a Valentine's Day gift, then the following classic project by Jimmie Rodgers may just fit the bill. He demonstrates how to create a heart from a matrix of LEDs that are easily driven by an Arduino using the method known as charlieplexing. This allows the control of many more LEDs than is possible with normal digital output pins. 

After watching the demonstation video below the project may seem complex, however it isn't and Jimmie has included not only the required Arduino sketch and hardware details but also links to the theory of operation. 

To get started, visit Jimmie's Instructable page. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

Need a tiny Arduino-compatible for more compact projects? Then check out out our LeoStick. It's the Arduino Leonardo-compatible board that's cheaper and smaller than the original:

 Apart from being one of the smallest Arduino-compatibles on the market with USB, it also has an onboard RGB LED and piezo which can be used a knock sensor and various tune and sound effects. Plus you can add extra circuitry with the matching protostick! For more information and to order, click here.

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