Octolively - different colour LEDs on a single module?

pinecone

HI,

Just a quick question I can't seem to find an answer to in the documentation or online:

Is it possible/advisable to use different colour LED on the same Octolively module? If so, would there be a difference in the intensity due to different threshold voltages,,,? Finally, would that be something that is easy to remedy in the microcontroller (are they programmed for different outputs depending on the LED colour?), or should I just leave that rabbit hole alone?

Any comments/answers would be greatly appreciated!

Windell Oskay

It's no problem to do so, so long as you use the correct load resistor for the different LEDs. 

 Step 8 of the assembly guide mentions this possibility: "Advanced tip: If you are using multiple LED colors on a single Octolively module, make sure that the resistor by each LED is the correct type: 220 ohm for red/orange/yellow/yellow-green, 82 ohm for blue/green/white."

There will be intensity differences due to the relative brightness of the different LED colors.  It is possible (but not particularly trivial) to correct that in firmware.   (Some LEDs are just brighter than others.)  Another thing that you can play with is the load resistor value for each LED, so long as you *increase* rather than decrease the values.