Admiral Doom
New Member
Hey guys, this is my first post here. I'm working on a project to integrate Tri-color LEDs into my car to replace all of the interior lights including dash lights, dome light, and footwell lighting. Each of these sections will be independent, so I will be building a total of 3 of these controllers. Each controller will need to drive a total of about 20 LEDs. The controller will be powered by 12v input so I know I'll need to pull that down to 5v. I know the basics of PWM circuits and how to use them to control these LEDs, but here's the tricky part. I need them to be independent (able to operate by themselves without any input besides 12v power) but need to be changed by a connection with a computer (i.e. change color via usb or serial). I have a computer integrated in my car for audio/video, and I'd like to be able to change the color via RGB values from the computer. The easiest way I could think of would be some sort of flash chip that would contain the RGB values to control the PWMs and be flashable from the computer. Has anyone ever seen any schematics for something like this? How would I use values in a flash chip to control a PWM? What would be the easiest way to interface with the computer? I appreciate any advice and any suggestions pointing me in the right direction! Thanks in advance!