My kid is doing robotics with her friend. And they have issue with following line because shadow. They are using Pi-Top robotics kit, they tried to use provided LED but they dont emit much light. Could you please recommend any LED which can emit enough light to get rid of shadow in 10-20 cm ? Preferably something to just plug in 
GlowBit⢠Stick - 1x8 | Core Electronics Australia how much light this emits?
From the link to WS2812B Datasheet on the web page.
Link to brief explanation of âmcdâ, should get you started.
https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/workshop/TechTip/light-brightness-intensity.html
Super Bright Leds can be dangerous when looked at directly at high intensity. I would NOT use them for a kids project. They are discovering the limitations of electronics and robot projects and what it takes to design a working system. All good stuff.
Cheers
Jim
1 Like
If the light from the LED is being shadowed then the solution would be to relocate it to remove the shadow, rather than just using a brighter LED. Which robot are you using and what is the component that is causing the shadow?
2 Likes
Hi Vova
A brighter LED in the same position would probably only provide a sharper shadow in the same place.
As this is a kit which presumably should work I would re check the construction. It would be safe to assume I think that a working kit would not have this âshadowâ. Check what is causing it and make sure it is fitted correctly. Also check the LED position and orientation. I think the LED as supplied would be sufficiently bright for the designed operation.
Cheers Bob
I am sorry I wasnât clear. The shadow is not from the robot but from room lightnings, they saw on competition yesterday that other team are using extra LED to overcome shadow
If the LED is in the correct place and illuminating the correct area I donât quite get what any shadow caused by room lighting would have to do with operation. If you turn the room lights off so there are no shadows what is the effect. If the robot still works I would suggest that any interference is coming from the lights, not the shadow.
Cheers Bob
They dont have any LEDs right now.
What do you mean. They donât have any extra LEDs or there is none fitted at all.
Cheers Bob
OK I think I confused everyone, I am very sorry for that.
So Full story kids are using pi-top | Getting started with your pi-top [4] Robotics Kit. This kit is build on top raspberry pi. Right now they are using camera to follow the line. Robot it self does not emit any lights at this stage, and they are having trouble that sometimes depends on room lightning it will have too much shade and can cause unexpected behaviour. Yesterday they saw other team with their robot who have on their robot some extra lightning which helps those kids to solve shadow issue. So now my kids asking to do the same. I hope its clear nowâŚ
PS. PI top has some LED red, green, yellow. They tried them on very beginning but they were not helpful as they donât emit much lights.
OK tat is a bit clearer. I think everyone (me anyway) assumed the robot provided its own lighting.
Now it appears that you want the robot or RPi to provide that light. Like some sort of âhead lightâ. Is that correct.
The first question that springs to mind is does the robot have any provision for this LED âhead lightâ or do you have to attach and drive it from the RPi.
Cheers Bob
Yes exactly something like headlight which will make robot much more stable. The best if they can attach it to RPi and then they will be able to control from the code on or off.
OK, now that is sorted I will leave it to the RPi Gurus. Donât know much about those but I do know that the GPIOs are very limited in what they can drive directly. So Keep that in mind.
Cheers Bob
Ok you gave me another idea that that light can be âindependentâ
1 Like
You can drive the LED directly from the battery. What is the battery voltage? If the battery voltage is greater than the LED voltage then you will need a resistor - see:
LED Series Resistor Calculator | DigiKey Electronics
The choice of LED will depend on how bright you need it to be. 5V COB LEDs are probably most suitable. For example:
White 5200mcd Superflux LED | Jaycar Electronics
A strip could also be used, at much higher battery drain:
1 Like
Really appreciate everyone for helping one more question this LED - Blue with Resistor 5mm (25 pack) | Sparkfun COM-14562 | Core Electronics Australia would also work i would just need to have 2 batteries to power it ?
@Jeff105671 thanks for helping follow up question 5v cob looks interesting for power Power Supply AAA Battery Power Booster Module 5V Output | Core Electronics Australia this would be powering from single battery right ?
I assume you would power it from the existing battery. What power connection is available in the existing battery pack that you can connect into?
I cant connect to battery, I do have access to pin from raspberry pi only.
| Battery Type | Built-in 19.24 Watt-hour (7.4 V, 2600 mAh) Lithium Polymer Battery |
|---|---|
| Voltage | Min = 6 V, Nominal = 7.4 V, Max = 8.4 V |
| Power Supply | 36 Watt, 12 V @ 3 A |
This one may suit your requirement: Ultra Bright LED 5mm - Warm White (10 Pack) | The Pi Hut
1 Like
