Circuit Playground Express - connecting LEDs to pins to extend lights?

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jessmakesthings
 
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Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2022 10:43 pm

Circuit Playground Express - connecting LEDs to pins to extend lights?

Post by jessmakesthings »

Hi there,

I'm creating a 'prize wheel' using the Circuit Playground Express. This is being installed into a children's hospital and to avoid contract precautions I have the 'wheel' set to activate on a loud sound (instructing folks to clap) to get it to commence!

I have a bunch of LEDs with built in resistors left over from another project, is it possible to connect and set the circuit playground express pins in a way that what lights up on the board also feeds through to the pins?

I'd like to be able to set it so that the animation and selection on the prize wheel happens on the circuit playground lights but once the random final light is chosen, this also switches on the corresponding LED connected to the pin.

Any guidance much appreciated! This is my first time using these tools and I'm on a tight deadline but thought I'd ask!

I am using MakeCode - here is a link to what I have coded so far: https://makecode.com/_iA42u214x9wL

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dastels
 
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Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: Circuit Playground Express - connecting LEDs to pins to extend lights?

Post by dastels »

To start with, you have 10 onboard neopixels, but only 8 potential outputs with which to control LEDs. From you description, I take it you have single colour LEDs that you hope to use? If so, something like https://www.adafruit.com/product/5346 would let you connect 10 of them. I have no idea about MakeCode support for it, though. You could probably use the I2C support; it's a pretty simple chip.

Another option is to all a 10 Pixel NeoPixel strip or to one of the Playground's output. The blocks under LIGHT->NEOPIXEL will let you work with the external strip. You could use a string of individual pixels instead. It depends largely on how you need them positioned.

Dave

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