Introduction
Connect a Crazy Circuits NeoPixel and a Potentiometer to a Bit Board and control them with code.
We'll explore how to control an RGB LED (a "NeoPixel") using a potentiometer.
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We'll use Maker Tape to connect the NeoPixel and the Potentiometer to the Bit Board on a LEGO baseplate.
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We'll connect our Potentiometer to Pin 1, Ground (GND), and 3.3v BUT! We're going to use the "gutter" between the LEGO baseplate studs so we can have two layers of tape that do not touch.
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See the photos to show how this works. It's a technique we'll use for certain projects. It can also be used when you're tight on space for tape paths.
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Once the Button is connected we'll need to connect the NeoPixel. One side goes to Ground (GND) and the other side to 3.3v
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We'll then connect the center pin labeled DI (for Digital Input) to Pin 0, which will control the NeoPixel. Run the tape on top of the studs so it does not touch the tape connected to the Potentiometer.
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You'll notice the Ground on the Bit Board (as well as the NeoPixel and other Crazy Circuits components we'll use) is color coded White.
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The 3.3v hole on the Bit Board is labeled and is actually two holes right next to each other on the Bit Board. (There is a small line showing the connection between them.)
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If you've never used a micro:bit before you'll want to check out this guide: Bit Board V2 Setup and Use
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We're going to load the following code for our NeoPixel Potentiometer RGB3 program: https://makecode.microbit.org/_ezeVMAek8...
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We will once again read (and map) the value from the potentiometer, but this time we'll combine the "selector switch" idea with the "brightness" control.
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We've also added a function named showColor that accepts two parameters: a letter ('text') and a number ("num").
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Once the code is loaded it should start running immediately.
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You can power the micro:bit via the USB cable you used to load the code or you can use a battery pack plugged into the Bit Board.
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The knob will now show the color red, or blue, or green, depending on the position of the dial... but the dial will also set the brightness of each color as you turn the dial. Multimodal controls!
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Follow along with our recorded Live Stream!
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You can watch the full video of us walking through this project, along with explaining and exploring the code: https://youtube.com/live/KBatTBnfasY
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Attached Documents
