RGB (multi-colored) LED control?

[ksafin]

How are multicolored RGB LED's normally controlled on-board a robot?

It seems like they have 4 pins (R/G/B/+) for controlling colors, but I'm not sure how you'd go about doing this on a robot.

[dcarr]

Here is one solution...addressable through solenoid breakout

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11272

We are just keeping it simple and low cost this year by using simple color-changing strips and setting the alliance color before the match.

[Nirvash]

This may be something to look at, all the same concepts should apply.

[dcarr]

Once you're done, throw some in the kitchen or living room (I still need to get the brightness and colors just right, cell phone pics don't do it justice )

[ksafin]

Originally Posted by dcarr

Here is one solution...addressable through solenoid breakout

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11272

We are just keeping it simple and low cost this year by using simple color-changing strips and setting the alliance color before the match.

How do you use the solenoid breakout to control them?

Are you intending to have only strictly red or blue then, by setting red/blue to true and green to always false?

[ksafin]

The only colors we really want are red, blue, green, and white..

Which seems very feasible using your method, I believe. R/G/B all standard and white should be achieved by setting all three to true, correct?

[Roger]

Note that there are two major types of LED strips -- both have a multicolor LED, but the simpler (and cheaper!) kind only does a single color for the whole strip, and the more complicated (and more expensive!) kind each LED is individually addressed. There are many places to get them; I get both types from adafruit.com, where they also have good tutorials on both types:

Analog RGB LED weatherproof flexi-strip 30 LED and tutorial
Analog RGB LED Weatherproof flexi-strip 60 LED (same tutorial as above)

Digital RGB LED Weatherproof Strip 32 LED and tutorial

Nirvash links to the Analog type; dcarr links to the Digital addressable type, though the kitchen is single colors and may be analog. It looks like that digital type is also an older six-pin type (adafruit says it doesn't sell it anymore, and the newer type is much simpler electrically and in programming).

The "analog" types have 4 wires: Red, Green, Blue, and power. This year we're using this type, and attach each color wire to a separate spike, and power to power board. (It can take 12 volts, but check the specs to be sure.) I don't remember right now how to program the solenoid though it is fairly simple. If you are just doing alliance colors (red and blue) it's two spikes, though my programmer says it may be possible with a single one. (We're using two, to be safe and sure!) The green I would solder a wire to the strip anyway, in case in the future you do want it, and just cap it with electrical tape.

You can also use an Arduino to run the analog strip, though it's overkill if you just want seven colors. I have (or rather had ) a controller from adafruit that could do different intensity levels, and I suppose the Arduino is the same way.

The "digital" addressable needs to be sent a series of bytes for each LED. I've done a 5 meter strip easily with different sections doing different things (alliance colors, chase lights, and a 10 bulb by 5 strip "panel"). It may be able to be done with the cRIO (I don't know), but last year we've used an Arduino board, which is also attached to the cRIO just to get a simple message each time to change the color pattern. (e.g., 1 for "all off", 2 for "shooting dots", 3 for "rainbow", etc. Arduino does all the grunt work.)

You get the 8 color combinations with the RGB (including all off). All on makes it white.