PWMer – TLC5940 and Arduino Shield kit
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
Field, An interactive LED Display on Prince Street, NYC Created by Emily Conrad, Todd Holoubek, and Jeff Galusha
What it is:
The PWMer is a kit that allows electronics enthusiast to rapidly construct an interactive project made of up to 100s of LEDs, each with the ability to dynamically change it’s brightness independently of the other LEDS. PWM, or Pulse Width Modulation, is the term for making a digital component fade in and out, in the same way the light on a Macintosh computer “breathes” (more about PWM here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation). In addition to LEDs, other outputs besides could include servo motors, DC motion control systems or for that matter any IC that takes a PWM signal. This kit offers 100+ PWM outputs.
The PWMer is designed with five analog inputs and nine digital I/O to be used with sensors, switches, or other ICs. So, for example, your installation will trigger or change functions when it’s dark, when a certain temperature is reached, when someone walks in front of it, when it gets twittered about, and so on. The options are wide open.
Kit includes step by step instructions, circuit board, Atmega 328 (Arduino bootloaded), TLC 5940, resistors, capacitors, diodes, terminal blocks (for sixteen outputs), three test LEDs.
Things to keep in mind:
• The PWMer uses the TLC 5940, which allows for 16 PWM outputs.
• TLC5940 standalone boards are sold separately. These boards can be easily connected to the PWMer for more outputs.
• Our boards can be connected using a DB9 serial cable (Male>Female) connector, which can be purchased with your board(s).
• You will need Arduino Duemilanove board, the downloaded TLC5940 library, a soldering iron, and some soldering skills to get the PWMer up and running.
• Also available as an Arduino shield for rapid prototyping.
Why:
Currently most microcontrollers only allow you to PWM a few pins independently. The PWMer includes a chip specifically for PWM capability, the TLC5940, that allows the user to easily PWM 100+ pins independently. This dramatically changes the electronics landscape. I often hear students and professionals asking “How can I power up to XXX LEDs? They must PWM!” Usually it’s for a lighting display or an installation that needs to have a strong impact, something a lot of lights programmed in animation can produce. It is now a lot easier to create these possibilities.
Contact hello at emilyconrad dot com for more details or to pre-order. Available in September.
