advice for a wireless LED controller  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: adamseddon24
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 12:04:30 pm
content: Hello, I am looking for some advice please.I have an LED light matrix board and a bright White LED light. i am looking for a way to control them both wirelesslythe matrix board and the White led light will both be connected by wire to a central control unit.the white LED light either needs to be only on or off. the led matrix board either needs to light up fully red or a flashing orange arrow left or right depending on which button is pressed. these need to be controlled via a wireless pad (just a small thing about the same size as a typical car key roughly) that will connect to the central control unit and the main controller will pass the signal to the light.so the question is, can you think of a central control unit and a wireless controller that would be suitable to perform these functions?i need it to be doable as cheap as possible!apologies if i have been a bit vague, its just an idea i have in my head at the minute. if there is any more info i can provide you to be able to help me then i will try my best!thanks a lot for any help! i don't know much about electronics but i am an industrial electrician and instrument technician.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 12:28:00 pm
content: Quote from: adamseddon24 on June 06, 2022, 12:04:30 pmWhen you say "wireless" what kind of operation do you have in mind?The cheapest probably would be an infrared remote control but requires line-of-sight to the control unit.Do you want to connect to the control unit via WiFi?What kind of range do you need?Also, how exactly is the LED matrix controlled? For instance, what needs to be done to make the LEDs flash or change color?Update: Searching aliexpress.com for "433mhz rf transmitter and receiver module" will return products where you can control one or more relays with a key fob like this:

author: adamseddon24
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 12:44:24 pm
content: hi, thanks, for getting back to me!the controller will be on a bike handlebar, lightboard on the rear of the bike, and white led light on the front.the controller and remote will be about 1 meter away from each other. unfortunately IR is out of the question as it will not have direct line of sightthere will be a person in the way. is wifi the next best option do you think?thanks for your help!

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 01:22:08 pm
content: Concerning the person operating the remote control unit... where will they be relative to the bike? Will they be sitting on the bike?And by "controller will be on a bike handlebar" do you mean the remote control unit that will operate the light?It seems that everything is on the bike so why not just run wires between everything?

author: adamseddon24
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 01:47:45 pm
content: Apologies for not being too clear there.yes, the person will be sat on the bike and will operate the control pad while riding.yes, the control pad will be on the handle bar, I'm looking to ingrate the actual controller and battery pack for the full system into the same housing as the LED matrix board at the rear, with only one single cable running to a light at the front. This will keep things as neat as possible.after a small rethink, it will make things easier if the cable that runs from the rear part of the system (led matrix board, battery and controller) up to the led light at the front could incorporate another few tiny cores which will breakout of the main power cable (close to the front light) go to the keypad. This would eliminate the need for any wireless control and a battery in the keypad. Some small indication lights on the keypad to tell you what is functioning would be good too (rear light on, left indicator on, right indicator on) I'm guessing something like this doesn't exist... any ideas how i could go about having one designed and made?Thanks!

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 02:09:36 pm
content: Nowadays you can build your own custom control system using microcontrollers which are single chip computers which can control a bunch of digital I/O lines. The I/O lines can be used to control indicator LEDs, detect when switches are pressed, turn on and off relays, etc. The logic is highly customizable because you can load your own program into the microcontroller.Here's a "bicycle dashboard" project which sounds similar to what you want to do:https://www.instructables.com/Bike-Dashboard/

author: adamseddon24
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 04:09:32 pm
content: That's great! Looks fantastic. Is there any cheaper alternatives to the arduino by any chance that you know of?

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 05:05:17 pm
content: What exactly do you need the switches to do?

author: adamseddon24
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 08:46:53 pm
content: Button 1: 1 press= red flashing light. 2nd press= red solid light3rd press = light offButton 2= 1 press= right indicator on. 2nd press= right indicator off (the indicator will flash but this will be controlled buy the actual controller)Button 3= 1 press left indicator on. 2nd press= left indicator off (same as above)Button 4= 1 press= front white led light on2nd press= front white led light off.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2022, 10:11:13 pm
content: Buttons 2, 3 and 4 could be done in a variety of ways:- the right kind of mechanical switch -- one that latches when you press it- a momentary switch together with a "soft latch power switch" circuit like what is discussed in this thread:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/i-cant-get-daves-soft-latch-switch-circuit-to-work-(pnp-version)/- a TTP223 capacitive touch switch module + a transistor and other discrete parts (costs about $1/piece from Amazon)Seeherefor an example Amazon listing.Button 1 can be implemented with discrete logic - probably a couple of 555 timer chips + other passive components.The best solution depends on what you're comfortable designing with and what resources are available to you.What is your budget? You can get an Arduino for < USD$5, if you're willing to wait while it comes from China:https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256802812076923.html

author: adamseddon24
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 07, 2022, 07:37:41 am
content: oh, that's interesting! i wasn't aware there was a cheap Chinese version of the Arduino's. silly me... i should of guessed.to tell you the truth, there isn't a budget. I'm just experimenting to see how i could do it as cheap and effective as possible. I'm going to try source all the parts as cheap as possible and then test it and see how it is and how long it lasts and if the parts are any good or if there's any weak spots. i don't have any experience with Arduinos, always fancied having a go though... sure a few YouTube videos can teach me enough...Arduino runs on 7-12v so that's all great,The front light I'm planning on using will run on 8.4v however and the rear led runs on 5v here's the link to them both:front light: (i know it has a button to control it, don't worry about that):https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001598762963.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.344f1435xolqnO&algo_pvid=66cf519f-e5c3-4d49-ad80-d4b7c41ce8ff&algo_exp_id=66cf519f-e5c3-4d49-ad80-d4b7c41ce8ff-12&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000016732906803%22%7D&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21GBP%21%217.85%21%21%21%21%21%400b0a0ae216545831848035267e1e56%2112000016732906803%21searear board:https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004018264560.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.55294685UhMskI&algo_pvid=5b41c8ef-d1ce-4e39-a77b-c5491f36b95f&aem_p4p_detail=202206062338574926391602060510095021929&algo_exp_id=5b41c8ef-d1ce-4e39-a77b-c5491f36b95f-39&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000027755022131%22%7D&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21GBP%21%2115.5%21%21%21%21%21%402100bb5116545839374002931ef126%2112000027755022131%21seado you think the Arduino can directly supply the right voltage and power to these 2 directly from itself or will the supplies need controlled by some sort of transformer and relay? my plan is to use a 12v battery so the Arduino will need to supply the rear light board with 5v and the signal to make it work and the front light with 8.4v.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2022, 09:47:48 am
content: What are you using to tell the display what to display? i dont mean the switches on the handle bars,but the "thing" that goes between the switches and the led pannel

author: adamseddon24
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 07, 2022, 11:14:45 am
content: was planning on using thishttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002998391675.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2022, 12:47:32 pm
content: Quote from: adamseddon24 on June 07, 2022, 07:37:41 amThe Arduino won't "directly supply" power to the lights -- it will control power to the lights.For instance, the Arduino, which runs at 5V, can operate a relay coil. The circuit which is controlled by the relay can operate at a different voltage, like 12V. It's a similar situation if you use a transistor instead of a relay.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2022, 01:25:32 pm
content: As your already using an ardunio for controlling the display then no need for another one to do the switching logic.