I just finished up an Arduino project where I used PWM to control Steve's LED's. All and all it only cost me about $30-40 and now I have a very nice sweep cycle. I can freely issue the code if anyone is interested. The timers are hard coded, but it is very easy to change. Additionally I added 2x pots that allow you to control the max brightness and the code will dynamically adjust the step size for ramping.
What is needed:
1x Arduino Uno (~$30.00)
2x 10k Pots ($.50 to $5.00)
1x Proto board to solder wires and pots too (FYI you might look into Arduino's proto/breadboard shield, as the pins are off a little)
1x Wall Timer - The Arduino does not have a real time clock and its timer would drift over time. This allows an easy way to reset the board everyday)
1x 5V Wall wart (USB phone charger)
- Some solder
- Soldering iron
- Wire
- USB cord (the old style that is square)
- Computer with the free online software.
A couple important notes I noticed when dealing with Steve's Drivers are:
1. Manual says you need to flip both dip switches in order to control via PWM. This was not true for me. Only one needed to be flipped.
2. The Manual also states that you can remove the pots. This also did not work for me. I needed to leave them connected; however, I'm sure you could use a fixed resistor or a jumper instead, but it added additional control.
I will finish commenting the code and try to get it posted in the next few days. Good Luck.
Mitch
What is needed:
1x Arduino Uno (~$30.00)
2x 10k Pots ($.50 to $5.00)
1x Proto board to solder wires and pots too (FYI you might look into Arduino's proto/breadboard shield, as the pins are off a little)
1x Wall Timer - The Arduino does not have a real time clock and its timer would drift over time. This allows an easy way to reset the board everyday)
1x 5V Wall wart (USB phone charger)
- Some solder
- Soldering iron
- Wire
- USB cord (the old style that is square)
- Computer with the free online software.
A couple important notes I noticed when dealing with Steve's Drivers are:
1. Manual says you need to flip both dip switches in order to control via PWM. This was not true for me. Only one needed to be flipped.
2. The Manual also states that you can remove the pots. This also did not work for me. I needed to leave them connected; however, I'm sure you could use a fixed resistor or a jumper instead, but it added additional control.
I will finish commenting the code and try to get it posted in the next few days. Good Luck.
Mitch