• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Homemade Circuit Projects

Need circuit help? Post them in the comments! I've answered over 50,000!

Blog | Categories | About | Contact | Calculators-online
You are here: Home / Lamps and Lights / Simple RGB LED Controller Circuit

Simple RGB LED Controller Circuit

Last Updated on January 12, 2024 by Swagatam 49 Comments

In this post I have explained how to make a simple RGB (Red, Green, Blue) LED controller circuit which may be designated to flash a group of RGB LEDs with a particular sequencing pattern. The idea was requested by Mr. Navdeep.

Table of Contents
  • Technical Specifications
  • The Design

Technical Specifications

I want to make a display board with red, green and blue leds. Approximately 350 each. and i want to use 12 volts rgb controller. please suggest how should i connect LEDs.

I want to light red, green and blue leds separately and then in combinations. And how to make circuit. please also suggest which rgb controller should be used and how it should be connected.

can u suggest a simple circuit for 12 volt 3 amp each, red green blue, rgb controller. with primary colours only.

rgbcontroller 1

This is the photo of circuit i got from internet. but am not able to understand how to make it help please. please suggest a simple circuit using easily available components. for RGB controller.

The sequence pattern will be: red first, then green, then blue, then red green together. or any order and any combination will do. i just need it for making a led display board. only wish is that leds should light in sequence and combinations.

RGBflasher 1024x637 1

The Design

AS per the suggested sequence format, a simple design using a 4017 IC and a 4060 IC can be used for implementing the proposed RGB LED controller circuit.

Referring to the shown diagram, the 4017 IC and the 4060 IC are wired in a standard LED chaser mode, which is also quite popular with the name "Knight Rider" due to its specific running and chasing light effects.

The IC 4060 supplies the clock pulses to the IC 4017 for executing the intended the sequencing of its output pins in response to every clock pulse at its pin14.

However here the output of the 4017 IC is configured a bit differently for implementing a unique RGB flashing pattern.

Here, the red, green blue strings are wired in a special way to achieve the mentioned desired sequencing pattern, that is when switched ON the R, G. B strings first light up in sequence (in a "chasing" like pattern), next all the three strings get illuminated together and shut off, following this next up the three strings light up one after the other without shutting off in the process, and finally the three LED light up together but flash rapidly to finish the sequence.

The cycle then resets and goes back to the initial phase as described in the above explanation.

The 1M pot may be adjusted for getting the desired control and sequencing rate on the RGB LEDs.

You'll also like:

  • 1.  0.6V to 6V/12V Boost Converter Circuit Diagram
  • 2.  LED Light Circuit for Street Vendors, Hawkers, Shopkeepers
  • 3.  Sunrise Sunset Simulator LED Circuit
  • 4.  Blinking an LED with Arduino – Complete Tutorial
  • 5.  Smart Street Lamp Circuit with Motion Sensor
  • 6.  Simplest 100 Watt LED Bulb Circuit

About Swagatam

I am an electronics engineer with over 15 years of hands-on experience. I am passionate about inventing, designing electronic circuits and PCBs, and helping hobbyists bring their projects to life. That is why I founded homemade-circuits.com, a website where I share innovative circuit ideas and tutorials. Have a circuit related question? Leave a comment.... I guarantee a reply!

Previous Post: « High Power Industrial Mains Surge Suppressor Explored
Next Post: How to Make an Industrial Delay Timer Circuit »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Parth Kangutkar says

    October 12, 2024 at 10:34 pm

    sir, can we make 12v action chaser (multiple designs) for 12volt single colour pixel led by using ESP32 module?
    If yes, then plz send me a circuit diagram for it.
    And also codes for the project.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      October 13, 2024 at 9:10 am

      Hi Parth,
      I think It will require programming with a code and I am not good with MCU programming, so it might not be possible for me to solve it for you.

      Reply
  2. Dr.Christopher Halgryn says

    December 4, 2023 at 2:53 pm

    Sir,
    Hello again my name is Dr.Chris Halgryn and, thank you for all the assistance and suggestions of circuits in the past to date they all were r successful circuits I am very pleased however , I need to ask the circuit where the person need to illuminate 300 RGB leds the schematic shows only (3) three leds…1xred 1xgreen and 1x blue can I connect say only 10 leds in each bank to make (30) leds not necessary 300 leds.
    Please advise urgently I would appreciate that at your earliest convenience. Many thanks again,
    Dr\.Chris.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 4, 2023 at 6:22 pm

      Thank you Dr. Chris,
      Yes you can use upto 10 LEDs with each transistor in the above circuit by connecting 3 strings of LEDs in parallel, with each string having 4 LEDs in series. Make sure the input voltage is a constant or a fixed 12V from a 7812.
      If the LEDs are high power LED then the transistors will need to be upgraded to TIP122.
      Please let me know if you have any further questions.

      Reply
  3. Bruce Miotke says

    September 21, 2022 at 6:11 am

    I want to light my walkway between the carport and the front porch using ir motion sensors to one set of 4 50 cm (or mm) LEDs they would be approximately 20 inches each. Then another ir sensor and another set of LEDs and so on until have 5 sets. How ever I want to make them work from the porch to the carport also.
    Using 12 V source each way. By the way I am the NW part of Oregon, USA

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 21, 2022 at 10:33 am

      I think you can install the 2) concept presented in the following article for your requirement:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/pir-motion-activated-relay-circuit/

      Reply
  4. mike says

    September 29, 2021 at 9:39 pm

    great circuit could the outputs be switched positive ? what would the final stage look like for say 3x3amp common ground .. thanks

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 30, 2021 at 1:15 pm

      Glad you liked it, yes the output can be switched positive by adding additional PNP transistors with the BC547 transistors and then connecting the RGB LEDs across their collectors.

      Reply
  5. Lawal Mohammed Abubakar says

    September 8, 2020 at 2:45 am

    Please Sir, the RGB driver is a remote control with each button controlling different lights.what ic is implemented in such a design because i managed to buy one , after carefully exposing the board,there were three scr’s with each label 2P4m , with resistors connected to one side of each scr and Connected to separate pins of the ic .The ic number was not labelled and no number at all was written on top or beneath it.Please Sir, could you help me identify such ic number or the type of ic being used?I saw that the ic was having four pins on each side just like the ne555 timer pin configuration.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 8, 2020 at 2:04 pm

      Lawal, it can difficult to find out the actual working of the circuit without knowing the datasheet of the IC

      Reply
  6. Vaisakhan says

    August 21, 2018 at 4:16 pm

    The diodes used in this circuit,are they 1N4148? Also can i use any lower value capacitor instead of .47uf?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      August 21, 2018 at 4:48 pm

      yes 1N4148 is OK, the 0.47uF is the timing capacitor, lower values may decrease the range of sequencing rate of the IC 4017

      Reply
      • Vaisakhan says

        August 21, 2018 at 5:09 pm

        Thanks..for your regular support..

        Reply
  7. Michael says

    September 15, 2017 at 9:01 pm

    can I use 5 LEDs (20mA) or more in each output and wat changes should I supposed to make?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 16, 2017 at 2:29 am

      5 leds is an odd figure, use 6 instead, make strings of 3 in series, and connect two such strings in parallel with each transistor. replace 1K with 330 ohms and use this on each string:

      Reply
  8. asif iqbal says

    December 27, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    Hello Sir !!!
    i want to use above circuit with 9v battery .will i need 6 ohm 1 watt resistances then ?
    i will be using 1 watt leds,TIP122

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 28, 2015 at 6:03 am

      Hello asif,

      you'll need:

      9 – 3.3 / 0.3 = 19 ohms or 18 ohm resistor having 3.3 x 0.3 = 0.99 or 1 watt

      Reply
  9. samaj says

    September 18, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    hi swagatam
    thanks for reply
    for the ic 4060 i connect a led to pin no 3 which gives pulses to ic 4017 its always zero and no led glows

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 19, 2015 at 3:46 pm

      Hi Samaj,

      that means your 4060 is not working or is faulty…

      LED should be between pin3/pin14 and ground….with a 1K resistor.

      Reply
  10. samaj says

    September 17, 2015 at 5:08 pm

    hellow swagatam

    is it 100% working as per rgb controller circuit request by navdeep

    because of when i start power supply that time only one led glow and after surtain interval i assume second led glow but its cant

    and circuit cross checked with circuit diagram

    any idea

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 18, 2015 at 7:58 am

      hello samaj, is your IC4060 providing the required clock pulses to pin14 of the 4017 IC?

      confirm this by connecting an LED across pin14 of 4017 and ground, with a 1K resistor in series….this LED should flash at an approximately 1Hz rate….

      if this happens only then the RGB would respond as per the proposed specs.

      Reply
  11. Sandeep Badgujar says

    July 19, 2015 at 10:40 am

    Hell Sir
    Can i use 1W three R,G,B LED in this circuit what changes I have to make

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      July 19, 2015 at 3:17 pm

      Hello Sandeep, yes you can do it, use TIP 122 for the transistors, and connect 3 LEDs in series across the relevant collectors of the transistors…make sure the each LED string has a 6 ohm 1 watt resistor in series.

      Reply
  12. basit momin says

    July 7, 2015 at 11:57 am

    Hello sir u got the circuit for pixel led

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      July 7, 2015 at 1:17 pm

      Hello Basit, the LED effect shown in your video clip won't be possible with a simple circuit, it will require a microcontroller based circuit…it looks very complicated so won't be possible at my level…still I'll try to figure it out…

      Reply
  13. basit momin says

    July 1, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    Hello sir I have email you on your id about pixel led so pls check it
    Thanks

    Reply
  14. basit momin says

    April 30, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    Hello sir u got the circuit for pixel led………

    Reply
  15. basit momin says

    April 8, 2015 at 3:23 pm

    Eagerly waiting for the circuit….. Sir thanks

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 1, 2015 at 11:39 am

      no not yet, I am still trying

      Reply
  16. basit momin says

    April 8, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    Ok sir so u have any circuit for this pixel led I want to run 6 strings of 50 leds in parallel each

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 8, 2015 at 2:41 pm

      I have no idea about the "data" input to be fed to a RGB pixel string, i'll investigate, if it's just ordinary clock sequence then probably I'll try to produce a suitable circuit for you.

      Reply
  17. basit momin says

    April 8, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    Ok sir so u have any circuit for this pixel led

    Reply
  18. basit momin says

    April 8, 2015 at 7:37 am

    Hello sir I have pixel led of
    Model No:RGB 12mmToo-ICA
    Color – full color
    Size – 12mm
    Power – 0.3watt
    And it contain 50 leds string
    So can I use above circuit for this leds

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 8, 2015 at 11:50 am

      Hi Basit, 50 LED series cannot be used in the above shown circuit transistors, because 50 LEDs in series would require 50 x 3.3 = 165volts…that's too high for any standard general purpose transistor

      Reply
  19. rafu says

    January 18, 2015 at 2:18 pm

    There must be an error somewhere, when Q0 is 1 all other are 0, so Q0 will feed Q5 etc..
    No LED should be lit !

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 19, 2015 at 1:48 pm

      thanks, please check it now

      Reply
  20. Navdeep Goyal says

    January 13, 2015 at 5:19 pm

    No, not possible to get the code. they are bussinessman.

    Reply
  21. Navdeep Goyal says

    January 12, 2015 at 6:45 pm

    one more thing they have used PIC preprogrammed. In our case we dont know / cannot programme it.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 13, 2015 at 2:35 pm

      Dear Navdeep, if it's possible to get the code I'll update the info in the article for your reference.

      Reply
  22. Navdeep Goyal says

    January 12, 2015 at 6:42 pm

    Dear Swagatam,
    RGB controller shown above in photo also has all above functions. Components used in that controller are one zener to supply 5 volt contant supply to controller chip, one 10,000 ohm resistor, one 1A rectifier diode, onen socket for the chip, one SIL (Single In Line) resistor array. This component has eight pins and has four serparate 1000 ohm resistors in it, one decoupling capacitor, two control buttons, three MOSFET transistors, one chip PIC12F629 microcontroller.
    This information i could get from internet. but circuit diagram is not given and plate has to ordered from outside india.

    Reply
  23. Navdeep Goyal says

    January 11, 2015 at 11:10 am

    Dear swagatam,
    i wanted a circuit that could do following functions.
    Product Description:
    Supply voltage:12V
    Output:Three CMOS drain- open output
    Output current:<4A(each channel)
    Output power:<144W
    Connecting Mode:Common anode
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1yh2zqFOUHZR0RjanpFZTJqT00/view?usp=sharing
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1yh2zqFOUHZdG8xUV9LRmROV0E/view?usp=sharing
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1yh2zqFOUHZYXd2OXlqVzZoa00/view?usp=sharing
    Dear Swagatam, i dont need a separate remote. buttons can be placed on same plate circuit. This circuit will be useful for making LED boards that u must have seen outside hotels and hospitals with red, green and blue leds. In this circuit we can choose which colours we want.
    thank u for your kind support.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 12, 2015 at 1:36 pm

      Dear Navdeep,

      I dd not understand the application, please explain how the entire system is opposed to function.

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 12, 2015 at 1:40 pm

      …OK I think it's given in your second diagram, let me think, If it' possible i'll update it here.

      Reply
  24. Navdeep Goyal says

    January 10, 2015 at 10:11 am

    can i use ic 555 instead of ic 4060.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 11, 2015 at 3:20 am

      555 can be used but it won't give you the last feature at pin11 from IC 4017….

      Reply
  25. Navdeep Goyal says

    January 10, 2015 at 10:09 am

    Dear Swagatam,
    thanks for your quick response. i have few queries. If i connect 12 volt 12 ampere supply to input, can i put a load of 3 – 4 ampere on each red, green and blue string.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 11, 2015 at 3:17 am

      Dear Navdeep, yes it is possible but the transistor will need to be upgraded accordingly, you may need a TIP142 for this.

      Reply
  26. Bibin Edmond says

    January 8, 2015 at 5:53 pm

    hi swagatam,
    can we use 9v battery with this circuit ?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 9, 2015 at 9:38 am

      Hi Bibin, you can use any voltage between 4.5V and 15V

      Reply

Need Help? Please Leave a Comment! We value your input—Kindly keep it relevant to the above topic! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to New Circuit Ideas

Categories

  • Arduino Projects (87)
  • Audio and Amplifier Projects (132)
  • Automation Projects (17)
  • Automobile Electronics (101)
  • Battery Charger Circuits (83)
  • Datasheets and Components (104)
  • Electronics Theory (143)
  • Free Energy (37)
  • Games and Sports Projects (11)
  • Grid and 3-Phase (19)
  • Health related Projects (25)
  • Home Electrical Circuits (12)
  • Indicator Circuits (14)
  • Inverter Circuits (87)
  • Lamps and Lights (142)
  • Meters and Testers (69)
  • Mini Projects (46)
  • Motor Controller (64)
  • Oscillator Circuits (27)
  • Pets and Pests (15)
  • Power Supply Circuits (108)
  • Remote Control Circuits (50)
  • Security and Alarm (64)
  • Sensors and Detectors (101)
  • Solar Controller Circuits (59)
  • Temperature Controllers (42)
  • Timer and Delay Relay (49)
  • Transmitter Circuits (29)
  • Voltage Control and Protection (37)
  • Water Controller (36)

Calculators

  • Battery Back up Time Calculator
  • Capacitance Reactance Calculator
  • IC 555 Astable Calculator
  • IC 555 Monostable Calculator
  • Inductance Calculator
  • LC Resonance Calculator
  • LM317, LM338, LM396 Calculator
  • Ohm’s Law Calculator
  • Phase Angle Phase Shift Calculator
  • Power Factor (PF) Calculator
  • Reactance Calculator
  • Transistor Astable Calculator
  • Transistor base Resistor Calculator
  • Voltage Divider Calculator
  • Wire Current Calculator
  • Zener Diode Calculator
  • Filter Capacitor Calculator
  • Buck Converter Calculator
  • Boost Converter Calculator
  • Solar Panel, Inverter, Battery Calculator
  • Wire Current Calculator
  • SMPS Transformer Calculator
  • IC SG3525, SG3524 Calculator
  • Inverter LC Filter Calculator

People Also Search

555 Circuits | 741 Circuits | LM324 Circuits | LM338 Circuits | 4017 Circuits | Ultrasonic Projects | SMPS Projects | Christmas Projects | MOSFETs | Radio Circuits | Laser Circuits | PIR Projects |

Recent Comments

  • Swagatam on EGS002 Datasheet, Circuit Diagram Explained
  • Swagatam on How to Make IC LM339 Circuits
  • Swagatam on How to Make Dog Barking Preventer Circuit using High Frequency Deterrence
  • Swagatam on How to Buy and Use RF Remote Control Modules – Control Any Electrical Gadget Remotely
  • Swagatam on How to Generate PWM Using IC 555 (2 Methods Explored)

Company

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright
  • Videos
  • Sitemap

Social Profiles

  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • My Facebook-Page
  • Quora
  • Stack Exchange
  • Linkedin
  • © 2025 · Swagatam Innovations