• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Homemade Circuit Projects

Get free circuit help 24/7

  • 1000+ Circuits
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Videos – Circuit Test Results
You are here: Home / 4017 IC Circuits / Simple RGB LED Controller Circuit

Simple RGB LED Controller Circuit

Last Updated on February 23, 2020 by Swagatam 41 Comments

In this post we learn 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.

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.

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.

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.




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

About Swagatam

I am an electronic engineer (dipIETE ), hobbyist, inventor, schematic/PCB designer, manufacturer. I am also the founder of the website: https://www.homemade-circuits.com/, where I love sharing my innovative circuit ideas and tutorials.
If you have any circuit related query, you may interact through comments, I'll be most happy to help!

You'll also like:

  • 1.  Arduino Random RGB Light Generator Circuit
  • 2.  230 Volts Bulb String Light Circuit for Diwali and Christmas
  • 3.  Loop-Alarm Circuits – Closed-Loop, Parallel-Loop, Series/Parallel-Loop
  • 4.  Simple FM Radio Circuit Using a Single Transistor
  • 5.  4 Simple Siren Circuits you can Build at Home
  • 6.  Make this Simple Refrigerator Door Open Alarm Circuit

Please Subscribe (Only if you are Genuinely Interested in our Newsletters)


 

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Your Comments are too Valuable! But please see that they are related to the above article, and are not off-topic! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published.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

  1. Search Related Posts for Commenting

  2. Lawal Mohammed Abubakar says

    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

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

      Reply
  3. Vaisakhan says

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

    Reply
    • Swag says

      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

        Thanks..for your regular support..

        Reply
  4. Michael says

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

    Reply
    • Swag says

      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
  5. asif iqbal says

    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

      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
  6. samaj says

    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

      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
  7. samaj says

    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

      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
  8. Sandeep Badgujar says

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

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      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
  9. basit momin says

    Hello sir u got the circuit for pixel led

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      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
  10. basit momin says

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

    Reply
  11. basit momin says

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

    Reply
  12. basit momin says

    Eagerly waiting for the circuit….. Sir thanks

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      no not yet, I am still trying

      Reply
  13. basit momin says

    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

      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
  14. basit momin says

    Ok sir so u have any circuit for this pixel led

    Reply
  15. basit momin says

    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

      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
  16. rafu says

    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

      thanks, please check it now

      Reply
  17. Navdeep Goyal says

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

    Reply
  18. Navdeep Goyal says

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

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

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

      Reply
  19. Navdeep Goyal says

    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
  20. Navdeep Goyal says

    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

      Dear Navdeep,

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

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

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

      Reply
  21. Navdeep Goyal says

    can i use ic 555 instead of ic 4060.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

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

      Reply
  22. Navdeep Goyal says

    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

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

      Reply
  23. Bibin Edmond says

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

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

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

      Reply


  24. COMMENT BOX IS MOVED AT THE TOP


Primary Sidebar

Electronic Projects Categories

  • 3-Phase Power (15)
  • 324 IC Circuits (19)
  • 4017 IC Circuits (51)
  • 4060 IC Circuits (25)
  • 555 IC Circuits (92)
  • 741 IC Circuits (18)
  • Amplifiers (48)
  • Arduino Engineering Projects (82)
  • Audio Projects (83)
  • Battery Chargers (75)
  • Car and Motorcycle (87)
  • Datasheets (44)
  • Decorative Lighting (Diwali, Christmas) (31)
  • DIY LED Projects (81)
  • Electronic Components (96)
  • Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (34)
  • Electronics Tutorial (99)
  • Fish Aquarium (5)
  • Free Energy (34)
  • Games (2)
  • GSM Projects (9)
  • Health Related (16)
  • Heater Controllers (23)
  • Home Electrical Circuits (98)
  • Incubator Related (6)
  • Industrial Electronics (25)
  • Infrared (IR) (39)
  • Inverter Circuits (93)
  • Laser Projects (10)
  • LM317/LM338 (21)
  • LM3915 IC (24)
  • Meters and Testers (52)
  • Mini Projects (152)
  • Motor Controller (64)
  • MPPT (7)
  • Oscillator Circuits (12)
  • PIR (Passive Infrared) (8)
  • Power Electronics (32)
  • Power Supply Circuits (64)
  • Radio Circuits (9)
  • Remote Control (46)
  • Security and Alarm (54)
  • Sensors and Detectors (114)
  • SG3525 IC (4)
  • Simple Circuits (72)
  • SMPS (30)
  • Solar Controllers (60)
  • Timer and Delay Relay (51)
  • TL494 IC (5)
  • Transformerless Power Supply (8)
  • Transmitter Circuits (36)
  • Ultrasonic Projects (12)
  • Water Level Controller (45)

Follow Homemade Circuits

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
My Facebook-Page
Quora

Feeds

Post RSS
Comment RSS

Circuit Calculators

  • AWG to Millimeter Converter
  • 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
  • Small Signal Transistor(BJT) and Diode Quick Datasheet
  • Transistor Astable Calculator
  • Transistor base Resistor Calculator
  • Voltage Divider Calculator
  • Wire Current Calculator
  • Zener Diode Calculator

© 2021 · Swagatam Innovations

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok