Book Image

Arduino BLINK Blueprints

By : Utsav Shah
Book Image

Arduino BLINK Blueprints

By: Utsav Shah

Overview of this book

Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino has been used in thousands of different projects and applications by a wide range of programmers and artists, and their contributions have added up to an incredible amount of accessible knowledge that can be of great help to novices and experts alike. Want to build exciting LED projects with Arduino? This book will be your companion to bring out the creative genius in you. To begin with, you will get introduced to the maker movement and the open source hardware development Arduino boards. You will then move on to develop a mood lamp and a remote-controlled TV backlight. As you progress through the book, you will develop an LED cube and will learn to use sound visualization to develop a sound-controlled LED Christmas tree. You will then move on to build a persistence of vision wand. At the end of each chapter, you’ll see some common problems, their solutions, and some workarounds.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)

Introduction to IR LEDs


In the world of wireless technology, IR (infrared) is one of the most common, inexpensive, and easy to use modes of communication. You might have always wondered how a TV remote works. A TV remote uses IR LEDs to send out the signal. As the wavelength of light emitted from the IR LED is longer than the visible light, one can't see it with the naked eye. But, if you look through the camera of your mobile or any other camera, you can see the light beaming when you press any key on the remote. Let's first understand what an IR LED is and what the different applications of an IR LED are.

What is IR LED?

An IR (infrared) LED, also known as an IR (infrared) transmitter, transmits infrared waves in the range of 875 nm to 950 nm. Usually, IR LEDs are made up of gallium arsenide or aluminum gallium arsenide. The working principle of an IR LED is the same as we mentioned in the previous chapters. The longer lead of the LED is the anode and the shorter one is the cathode, as shown...