I do a lot of stuff with NeoPixels, and with a recent project there was some question as to whether a flaky power supply had damaged a string of NeoPixels I was using. Sometimes it’s a hassle to dig up some test or example code, then run up the Arduino IDE, and then load the sketch on an Arduino just to test a string of NeoPixels, so I decided it was time to make a standalone tester for them.
I had an Arduino Pro Mini that I wasn’t using for anything else, so I put together some code to allow me to do some quick tests. There’s not a whole lot to it…just the Micro, some 10K potentiometers, a switch, and a connector, so I was able to get it working just fine on a breadboard this morning. Now I’m in the process of switching it over to soldered connections and putting it in a project case. I’m trying to work on making my projects a little neater, aesthetically. I already had all the parts, so it was pretty straightforward to build. Anyway, here’s where I’m at:
I’ll post again when all the goodies are tucked away properly inside, but it basically uses the Mini to read the value of the three potentiometers to determine the value of red, green, and blue it sends to the NeoPixels. I might add a 0.96 inch display somewhere down the line, but I’m pretty happy with it so far.
