RBG LEDs

[tysondang]

does anyone know anything about these or how to make them work. cause i just got a pair of them from radioshack. i got how it to work, but i dont know how to set them up so it strobes all the colors at different times.

 

[Mikebits]

Well, you have one common pin, either common anode or common cathode. Tie common pin to ground if common cathode, then the three other pins are to turn on each color as needed. To turn on each color, the pin needs a + voltage, I assume a current limiting resistor for each pin is needed as well, but without data sheet I am not sure.

 

[tysondang]

so do i need a resistor to make the lights strobe different colors? sorry i do not know much about electronics

 

[Mikebits]

Hook it up like shown. Resistor value will depend on V+ but 100 ohms or so should do.

This assumes common cathode.

 

[tysondang]

what i want to use them for is photon microlights. and i was planning on making my own RBG light but i dont know how that would to be done. i figured if you put the battery with them. does the resistors make it so it changes colors?

 

[blueroomelectronics]

You'll need some form of circuit like a microcontroller if you want the LED to vary it colors with time.

 

[Hero999]

Or buy an LED with a built-in IC that does it for you.
**broken link removed**

 

[RussianKid]

I would recommend a PIC... even a small one can offer PWM and all the flexibility you could possibly want, in a single IC solution...

 

[Sceadwian]

What's the Radioshack catalog number of the LED that you bought? It looks like only discrete RGB LED that the sell is a blinking one, it has three leads, the lead closest to the flat notch is the positive lead, the next one is the negative lead and the third one has a weak pull up to the positive voltage. Use a 100 ohm resistor between the positive supply and a 5 volt power supply and wire the negative lead to ground. Grounding the third wire will cause the LED to come out of sleep mode where it will do a color cycle and then go back to sleep until the next time the third lead is grounded. Not particularly useful but good for a simple amusement.