Arduino Report #3: Project 4--High-Brightness Morse Code Translator

Additional Parts:

1. 1 Watt LED
2. 220 Ohm 0.5 Watt Resistor
3. 4 Ohm 1 Watt Resistor
4. BD139 Power Transistor

Time to Complete:  15 minutes

This project is a continuation of the Morse Code Translator project. Here, we are replacing the standar 1/4 Watt LED with a high-intensity 1 Watt LED. These are so bright that it is possible to damage your retina by staring directly into the center for a prolonged period of time. This introduces a new electronic component, the power transistor needed to switch on and off the new powerful LED, and talks about how to turn this project into an Arduino shield. The code for this project is the same as the code for the last one. Again, there is a picture of the circuitry on the left. 

An Arduino shield is an object that can be plugged directly into the Arduino as a single finished unit. Several are readily available for purchase including shields for giving the Arduino wireless communication, an ethernet port, or the ability to store and play mp3 files. I will not be creating the shield for this project because I have not purchased the blank protoshield kit onto which the electronic components are soldered. For an example as simple this, purchasing the protoshield kit would be a bit wasteful. 

As with the last projects, this one was very simple to complete. I had to strip some wires to twist around the leads of the LED since I didn't feel like soldering them. It might be time for me to buy a soldering iron. A video of the completed project is below.

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