07 - Blinking RGB LED

# Your First Blinking LED: WS2812 RGB LED Guide ## Introduction Welcome to your first ESP32 project! 🎉 You're about to make your **Lonely Binary ESP32** light up with beautiful colors. This is the "Hello World" of electronics - your first step into the amazing world of microcontroller programming!  ## What is a WS2812 LED? ### Regular LED vs WS2812 LED **Regular LED:** - ❌ Only one color (usually red, green, or blue) - ❌ Simple on/off control - ❌ Basic blinking **WS2812 LED (What you have!):** - ✅ **16 million colors!** (Red, Green, Blue combinations) - ✅ **Smart control** (can change colors instantly) - ✅ **Beautiful effects** (rainbow, fade, pulse, etc.) - ✅ **Easy to program** (one wire controls everything) ### Think of it like this: - **Regular LED** = A simple light bulb (on/off) - **WS2812 LED** = A smart TV screen (millions of colors, effects, animations) ## Step 1: Install the FastLED Library ### What is FastLED? **FastLED** is a library that makes it super easy to control WS2812 LEDs. Think of it as a "remote control" for your LED. ### How to Install FastLED 1. **Open Arduino IDE** 2. **Go to Library Manager:** - Click **Sketch** → **Include Library** → **Manage Libraries** - Or press `Ctrl + Shift + I` (Windows) / `Cmd + Shift + I` (Mac) 3. **Search for FastLED:** - In the search box, type "FastLED" - Look for "FastLED by Daniel Garcia" - Click on it 4. **Install FastLED:** - Click the **"Install"** button - Wait for installation to complete - Click **"Close"** ✅ **Great!** FastLED is now installed and ready to use!  ## Step 2: Your First Blinking LED Program ### Create a New Sketch 1. **Open Arduino IDE** 2. **Create new sketch:** File → New 3. **Replace the code** with this: ```cpp // Your First WS2812 LED Program // Lonely Binary ESP32-S3 N16R8 #include <FastLED.h> // LED Configuration #define LED_PIN 2 // WS2812 LED is connected to GPIO 48 #define NUM_LEDS 1 // We have 1 LED #define BRIGHTNESS 50 // Brightness (0-255, lower = dimmer) // Create LED array CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS]; void setup() { // Initialize the LED FastLED.addLeds<WS2812, LED_PIN, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS); FastLED.setBrightness(BRIGHTNESS); // Clear all LEDs (turn them off) FastLED.clear(); FastLED.show(); // Start serial communication (for debugging) Serial.begin(115200); Serial.println("WS2812 LED Test - Lonely Binary ESP32-S3"); Serial.println("LED should start blinking in different colors!"); } void loop() { // Red blink Serial.println("Red blink"); leds[0] = CRGB::Red; FastLED.show(); delay(1000); // Turn off leds[0] = CRGB::Black; FastLED.show(); delay(500); // Green blink Serial.println("Green blink"); leds[0] = CRGB::Green; FastLED.show(); delay(1000); // Turn off leds[0] = CRGB::Black; FastLED.show(); delay(500); // Blue blink Serial.println("Blue blink"); leds[0] = CRGB::Blue; FastLED.show(); delay(1000); // Turn off leds[0] = CRGB::Black; FastLED.show(); delay(500); } ``` ### What This Code Does **Setup Section:** - `#include <FastLED.h>` - Includes the FastLED library - `#define LED_PIN 2` - Tells the program the LED is on GPIO 2 - `#define NUM_LEDS 1` - We have 1 LED - `#define BRIGHTNESS 50` - Sets LED brightness (0-255) **Loop Section:** - **Red blink** → **Off** → **Green blink** → **Off** → **Blue blink** → **Off** - Repeats forever! ## Step 3: Upload Your Program  ### Check Your Settings 1. **Board Selection:** - Tools → Board → ESP32 Arduino → ESP32 Dev Module 2. **Port Selection:** - Tools → Port → Select your ESP32 port - Should show something like: - Windows: `COM3`, `COM4`, etc. - Mac: `/dev/cu.usbserial-XXXXXX` 1. **Upload Speed:** - Tools → Upload Speed → `460800` (or `115200` if you have issues) ### What Should Happen After upload, your ESP32-S3 should: - **Blink red** for 1 second - **Turn off** for 0.5 seconds - **Blink green** for 1 second - **Turn off** for 0.5 seconds - **Blink blue** for 1 second - **Turn off** for 0.5 seconds - **Repeat forever!** **Congratulations!** You've taken your first step into the amazing world of microcontroller programming! 🎉 --- ## Support If you encounter any issues, please go to [https://lonelybinary.com](https://lonelybinary.com) and click the Support button located in the bottom right corner. Our team is ready to assist you. [](https://lonelybinary.com) or contact us at office@lonelybinary.com **Keep experimenting and have fun with your colorful LED!** 🌈✨