Controlling a WS2812B LED strip connected to an ARDUINO UNO board via the Bluetooth system of an Android smartphone

[Marc DANIEL]

This product contains 144 LEDs per one-meter section, so the 5-meter model contains 720 LEDs.

We can individually control the LEDs of the WS2812b LED strip. These strips are composed of “RGB” LEDs (Red, Green, Blue) with an integrated microcontroller that allows them to be individually controlled in terms of both color and brightness.

To ensure control of the intensity, brightness, and color of the LEDs, the strip's DIN cable (usually green) will be connected to a PWM pin ~ (3, 5, 6, 9, 10, or 11) on the Arduino UNO board.

Let's choose pin 6, for example. As the LED strip can be very power-hungry, the GND (ground -) and VCC (5 V +) cables will be connected to an external power supply and not to the terminals of the ARDUINO card.

Recommendations for optimal operation

- Add a 1000 µF capacitor between the + and – terminals of the LED strip.
- Reduce the wiring length between the microcontroller board and the first LED.
- The data input of the LED strip must be protected by a 300 to 500 ohm resistor.
- Avoid connecting the LED strip to a live circuit. If possible, ALWAYS connect the ground (GND -) first, then the VCC + cable, and then the data (DIN) cable.

 

[Marc DANIEL]

Download files >>> APK file - B4A files - B4R files
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An HC-05 Bluetooth module has been added to the system to allow the LED strip to be controlled via an Android Smartphone.

Screenshots B4A app​

 

[Marc DANIEL]

 

[Marc DANIEL]

And for those who are giving up on animating their LED strip using an Arduino board, you should know that there is an SP630E connection box available commercially with a Bluetooth remote control. You will also need a power supply similar to the one used for an Arduino UNO R3 board, for example.

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In this case, you will need to connect the red (+) cable to the VCC terminal, the white (-) cable to the GND terminal, and the green (DIN) data cable to the DAT terminal.
A dedicated "BANLANX" application is available for Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) smartphones.
Another controller exists, the SP105E (Magic Controller), it must be connected in the same way as the previous one. It works with an application to download "Magic-LED" for Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) smartphones.

Magic-LED screenshot on my Smartphone​

 

[Marc DANIEL]

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