LED lighting project concluded

So, I have finished the LED lighting project. If you are just tuning in now, this is the conclusion of a project described in a previous post.

After looking at parts for a while, I decided that the best approach was to get a lighting system going, and then enhance it as I saw fit. The most flexible and cheap system that I could find was to order a few pieces from www.bigclive.com, a site where a guy sells some PCBs and kits from projects that he has done in the past.

I selected his RGB controller kit due to its flexibility. It runs at a variety of different voltages, and can PWM  a large amount of current. The through hole parts that it is build with make the soldering easy. I also ordered a few of the boards that he designed for a color array of super flux LEDs, and some 5 chip 100mA Superflux LEDs from Ebay. That gave me enough to get a good starting point going.

The total cost came out a bit more than I would have liked to spend on the starting point of this project, but the more I'm out of school the more I realize that I have more money to spend than free time to spend. I don't have to be quite as dollar-conservative as I once was.

The PIC that comes pre-programmed with the kit is pretty impressive. A wide variety of effect stuff is programmed on the chip that comes with the board, and is appropriate for driving all kinds of stuff. You can find a "datasheet" for the chip on his website, though I would call it more of a quick reference guide.

I've dropped plans to come up with my own controller, as I have basically lost interest. I may resume this in the future, but for now I'm content working with the Big Clive controller.

Really, the only complaint that I have is packaging. I'm running fifty-something of the 100mA LEDs on the big clive board at something like half current, and the resistors on the board still get extremely hot. They are close to the LEDs, and conduct heat into the LEDs, probably reducing their lifespan. I would really like to eventualy do a design like this, but with a real current regulator for the LEDs. I think something more like a TO-220 package current regulator (See National Semiconductor LM340 series) would be a better option, as it is easier to cool and precisely regulate heat. Maybe next time.