right where can i learn about the pic quickly? i want to make a PCB for my unit and not have to have a mounting option for the arduino, also going back to the ammount of fets, i would need one per unit right? I have been using the FQP30LN as my main project one but does anyone recomend anything better, and what kind of programing will i need to flash them as i want?

Does that mean you have decided on PIC because there are small arduino boards like the nano/mini if space is a problem. Are you making one of these units or multiple, if it's only one I'd just go for strip-board if you are wanting to make a number then a pcb might be more of an option. Of course you might really be just in this to learn about electronics and pcb design and that would be a different thing entirely.

okay i understand i worked with arduino for a while and I had a lot of fun with it got some good patterns but always hated trying to perfect the fets. how should thy be wired up? could i just wire the gate from the microcontroller the drain to the leds and the source from my power? or do i NEED a pull down resistor on the gate ? and or is there any pre made FETswitchboards or relay arrays? im trying to make this simple.

You only need a pull-down if you must keep the transistor off during boot-up prior to you program getting control of the output pin. You don't want to use relays as you are pulsing the leds it's much better to go solid-state.

also im runnning this all off 12 V keep that in mind i will need a volatge dropping circut ... recomendations?

Arduino's can take 12V normally.

Fv 3.5v
A 700ma

That sounds like a white LED but I thought you were using a preassembled coloured module. Just post a link to the actual part you want to use even if it's a module.

 

i have attached the single pods in the 3 types i will be working with, to respond to some statements im here to learn and get advice/programing assistance and resources to existing setups.
i return to the statement i made earlier about pre made FET arrays..does anyone know of any?

the leds work off of a 12v in where each led is a 3.3-3.5 vin @ 700mA total amps is 700mA each module x 4 in each side x 2 sides
each at 12v i don't have a spec sheet, im working with a Taiwanese supplier to make a prototype and have them mass produce it. but due to the language barrier they dont fully comprehend what im asking for .

I prefer to use a pic or something i can hard wire onto pinboard and just wire together as a sample then a pcb layout later, I have fritzing and know it well. (any design tips?)

 

hopefully these will help you understand what im trying to achieve.
I require front/back, left/right and center control individualy
to explain i need the left, right or both to turn on and stay on with a click of a button, the center to flash on its own or stay on,the front to flash with the back, and the back to be able to flash a specific pattern at a touch of a specific button over riding the pattern in a different colour.
Explained further;
the whole bar is flashing in red, then i want a left arrow pattern on the back, I click a button and the back does a left arrow in amber, while not affecting the rest of the bar.

as this will be a 2 unit project space will not be a problem for me but it will have to be on a single board not 2 or more separate boards.

i hope this further explains

 

hopefully these will help you understand what im trying to achieve.
I require front/back, left/right and center control individualy
to explain i need the left, right or both to turn on and stay on with a click of a button, the center to flash on its own or stay on,the front to flash with the back, and the back to be able to flash a specific pattern at a touch of a specific button over riding the pattern in a different colour.
Explained further;
the whole bar is flashing in red, then i want a left arrow pattern on the back, I click a button and the back does a left arrow in amber, while not affecting the rest of the bar.

as this will be a 2 unit project space will not be a problem for me but it will have to be on a single board not 2 or more separate boards.

i hope this further explains

It's not necessary to explain the detailed functions as this is entirely within the software and that part is up to you. Any micro-controller will do what you need as long as you have enough i/o.

Why do you want a "FET array", driving the LEDs is trivial and there are plenty of FETs and tranistors out there that will do the job.

What exactly are you stuck on? Do you have anything down on paper yet?

 

i have most of it maped and planned out its relatively simple. its a basic, switching operation using a bunch of mosfets to switch each led according to an input what im looking for is a pre made board that will help me prototype my codeing before steping in and putting it all on a single board permanently..HOWEVER i have NO clue on the pic, which one, how to start, where to stat and what i need to start. i skimmed though the fourms but its a lot of info to look though

 

You can find PIC prototyping boards on ebay but it really isn't necessary in this instance. The circuit needed for testing the software is so simple that stripboard would be just as easy.

The choice of PIC depends on the amount of i/o required which isn't clear yet but it should be the first thing you define.

 

about 50.... would i need a shift register or something additional for more I/O or can you run 2 pics as one?

 

You would struggle to find a controller with 50 i/o and I don't know how you arrive at that figure as it seems excessive based on the hardware described; in the first post you referred to 20 outputs. Have you got a diagram showing how you think everything will be connected?

 

You've got such a lot to learn I would think it's going to take you a while to get a finished prototype that can be put into 'mass-production'. Perhaps you'd be better off finding someone who already knows how to design this kind of product and paying for them to design it for you. It's my experience that there are often people who may well be able to conceive of a product but need help to design, market or sell the finished unit. It's quite amazing how what might seem like a simple product can suddenly bite you and fail either in production or in service even if it appears to work as a prototype, there's lots more to think of when producing a product than just the initial working prototype.

This all may sound negative but I've worked with enough people (conceivers) and designed enough products over that last 40 years to know you have a long way to go.

 

i miss calculated slightly but i wanted some extra room for change and add ons

 

i understand but i would like to take this on as a personal project. so humor me ^_^

 

At this stage, I think it's pointless learning from scratch how to program a PIC just for the sake of a relatively simple project, especially since you said you've already learned a little C/C++ with an Arduino. Why not just use an Arduino since you already have experience their and because anything else would be rather overkill. It seems like a simply project to me anyway and one that I'd say is perfect for an advanced beginner.

What I'd start with is a prototyping platform (hardware) to test the software, I like making this sort of thing out of strip board. On it, I'd solder a handful of LEDs and switches/buttons, each LED to represent each bank of LED's in the advanced prototype/final product. Each LED can be driven straight from it's own output on the Arduino board (through a resistor) and would give you a visual idea of what things would look like in the final design. Then I'd write the software, you probably have a much better idea of what that would look like than we do. Once I'm happy with the software, I'd lift the chip off the Arduino board and use it as a component in what I call an advanced prototype. The advanced prototype in your case would be a board (strip board or dirty PCB) with the ATmega328 you've pulled off your Arduino (as well as crystal/oscillator), some transistors/MOSFET's and terminals to wire in your LED clusters, switches and power supply.

If you're not happy with how it works at this point, the components on the board can be changed and the chip reprogrammed. Once you are happy, the next stage would be to make (or order) a clean PCB, buy good quality components to solder on (use your existing chip if you like though), stick it all in an enclosure and wire it up to your car all neatly.

I'm sure an Arduino UNO would have all the IO you need, not sure where you get 50 from for a project like this. When you begin prototyping though, let us know how you get on

 

5o because thats how many led units will flash independently 8 front 8 back, 8 for the sides , 1 for grille, 1 for flashers, 1 for hide-a-ways, 2 for ally lights and then a munch of buttons for patterns , colour change, and directionals, ally lights and the such just ill need about 45-50 I/O ahah

i was looking into shift register chips, is there something more practical?

thanks for all your advice and i will for sure i have tons of project parts here including breadboard. ill giver a go and see what i can come up with,

would like to know though, is there such thing as a ulti gate multi out mosfet?

 

Shifting would be one option but not your best. You'd need something like a CD4015 at each set of lights to read a clock and data wave from the PIC and then you'd need some AND gates to read and decode the outputs of the shift register. It'd be pretty complicated to program too. When it comes to expanding the IO of a PIC, I like to use the I2C bus. There are many many I2C chips on the market, place one at each of your LED clusters as an addressable switch and you can control them all independently and only have to use 2 outputs on your controller.

Hope this helps

 

i return to the statement i made earlier about pre made FET arrays..does anyone know of any?

There are these but they are pretty expensive.

http://shop.zebsboards.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=62_66&product_id=52

 

The led pods you attached to post 22, do they each have different colored led's built in?

 

yes all will be 3 colour led
i want to have a seconday slider switch to change ALL leds to a diffrent colour at once but that may be more coplicated then i can do

 

do you know how they are wired? Common anode? Common cathode?, Are the commons of the 3 colors on separate wires?

 

i want to have a secondary slider switch to change ALL leds to a different color at once but that may be more complicated then i can do

You can program a microcontroller and you doubt you can wire a slide switch?

My confidence in your abilities is not improving.

 

Does anyone here understand the requirement?

I am completely lost