How to control a 12v LED strip with Arduino

Hello and welcome back. In this project, we will learn how to control a 12v LED strip with Arduino. For that, I used a 12v driver circuit. You can assemble this circuit on the dot board or breadboard. But I have designed a PCB for it. You can order this PCB with JLCPCB company in a few easy steps. Don’t worry, all these steps are included in this project.

This PCB mainly includes IRF9540 power MOSFET and we can drive a max 10A through this. And we can use this PCB with Raspberry Pi, Nodemcu, Arduino, or any microcontroller. But I used an Arduino UNO board and 12v LED strip as an example. It depends on your requirement.

If you want to do this project without PCB, please use this link.

Ok, let’s do this project step by step. The required components are given below.

Arduino UNO board x 1 – Amazon / Our Store
3mm LED bulb x 1 — Amazon / Banggood
IRF9540 FET Transistor x 1 — Amazon / Banggood

C1815/C828 Transistor x 1 — Amazon / Banggood
12v LED strip x 1 — Amazon / Banggood
330 ohm resistor x 1 — Amazon / Our Store

1k resistor x 1 — Amazon / Our Store
10k resistor x 1 — Amazon / Our Store
Male header pin row x 1 — Amazon / Our Store

2-pin Terminal x 2 — Amazon / Our Store

Disclosure: These Amazon links are Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Step 1

Firstly, identify these components.

Step 2

Secondly, let’s order the PCB for this project. Follow the instructions below for that. You can get five PCBs for $2.

First, create an account on the JLCPCB website and upload the Gerber file to it. It’s as follows.

12v LED driver — Download

Now, you can change the PCB details. I ordered five red-colored PCBs. Finally, add it to the cart and buy it.

Step 3

Thirdly, we can get these PCBs within one or two weeks. It depends on your shipping method.

Step 4

And then, solder the resistors one by one.

Step 5

Next, solder the transistor, LED bulb, and pin header to the PCB.

Step 6

Finally, solder the IRF9540 MOSFET and wire connectors to the PCB.

Step 7

Ok, now connect this PCB to the Arduino UNO board. For that, use the circuit diagram below.

Step 8

Next, connect the 12v LED strip to the PCB and provide a 12v external power supply to it.

Step 9

Now, connect the Arduino UNO board to the computer. Then, upload the simple LED blink example to the Arduino board.

Full details of this project — Download

void setup() {
  pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  digitalWrite(2, HIGH);
  delay(500);
  digitalWrite(2, LOW);
  delay(500);
}

Step 10

Next, select the board and port. After, upload this code to the Arduino board.

Ok, enjoy this project. The full video guide is below. So, see you in the next tutorial or project.

How to control a 12v LED strip with Arduino