Arduino

[DPalive]

hey! i know a bunch of you guys used an arduino to control guys lights, which one did you guys use, im confused, there's so many, can some one point me to the correct one with a link? please and thank you -DPalive

[ThreeFN]

hey! i know a bunch of you guys used an arduino to control guys lights, which one did you guys use, im confused, there's so many, can some one point me to the correct one with a link? please and thank you -DPalive

It depends, I think everyone uses different ones.

What you should realize is that, for the most part, code can run on any of the arduinos. Just like you can drive pretty much any car. The difference is the horsepower

This page gives you a pretty comprehensive breakdown of the different units and what their capabilities are.

The Uno is fairly powerful, and is always a good starting point. In my case doesn't have enough RAM to fit all the math that's needed for my large display so I upgraded to the Mega (and the teensy++, a cross compiled alternative to the Mega). And now, I'm waiting on the new Due to come out, which is a whole other can of worms.

[DPalive]

thank you, so do you think the uno is a good start?

[ThreeFN]

thank you, so do you think the uno is a good start?

Really, it's the only start I'd recommend. When you actually understand the capabilities of the arduino, and whether or not the Uno will work for your application, then it's work looking into the other options.

Depending on your skill and coding background, starter kits are generally not a bad idea. It will normally give you some leds, motors, sensors, and whatever to play around with and get your feet wet. Some might have books or guides. There never is an all encompassing 'starter guide' to the arduino, but there is a lot of content so long as you're willing to look for it.

[gizmo255]

If you're really set on using Arduino, I recommend the UNO as well. That's what I bought and am using for my helmet. That being said, if you don't know much about arduino or the coding, I recommend buying those chaser boards that Tekparasite recommends. They are cheap and simple to use. It took me a few days before I fully understood how to get the arduino and Volpins/James code to work, and I still haven't learned how to write my own code, so for right now I'm limited.

[DPalive]

ya i think i want to use an arduino, i like how you can have multiple settings, thanks for the feedback guys, your help was amazing!