#Common anode vs common cathode how to
#Common anode vs common cathode code

(Check out more pictures at the end of the post.) With the black probe on the short lead, the LED lights up If it doesn’t illuminate, turn the LED around and it should light up with the test leads on the other LED leads. If the LED dimly lights up, you know the lead being touched by the black test probe is the cathode. Put the black/common multimeter test probe on one lead of the LED and the red probe on the other. If you were unaware, to test the polarity of a regular LED, you can use the continuity test mode on your multimeter. LEDs are diodes and only allow current to flow in one direction (RGB LEDs are of course no different).

#Common anode vs common cathode how to

Say you have a multi-color LED laying in your components bin and you don’t remember whether you bought a common cathode or common anode! How to you find out? It’s fast and simple with the continuity / diode test on your multimeter! For example, you can create a combination of RED and GREEN colors by uncommenting both the statements.Is This RGB LED Common Anode Or Common Cathode? You can glow an individual color or a combination of the three colors. In the loop() function, turn on the specific color by uncommenting the code. In the setup() function, set all the pins as OUTPUT because Arduino will use this pin to send voltage to the RGB LED pins in order to turn on the specific color.

#Common anode vs common cathode code

Circuit diagram of common Anode RGB LED with Arduino Arduino code for common Anode RGB LED with Arduino int red=3 Ĭircuit diagram of common Cathode RGB LED with Arduino Arduino code for common Cathode RGB LED with Arduino int red=3 Ĭreate variables for defining the pins of Arduino UNO where you have connected the pins of RGB LED. It will also work in the same manner as that of the common anode RGB LED.īy directly applying a voltage to both the types of LED you can get the RED color, BLUE color, GREEN color, a combination of RED and BLUE color, a combination of RED and GREEN color, a combination of BLUE and GREEN color, and a combination of all the three colors. Then to light up the RED color, connect the RED color terminal to the positive terminal of the power source. To light up a common cathode RGB LED, you have to connect its common terminal to the negative terminal of the power source. You can also light up two or all three colors simultaneously, then you will get different color combinations. Then to light up the RED color, connect the RED color terminal to the negative terminal of the power source. To light up a common anode RGB LED, you have to connect its common terminal to the positive terminal of the power source.

Operating temperature: -25 to 85 degree Celsius.

Luminous Intensity: RED color – 800mcd, GREEN color – 4000mcd, BLUE color – 900mcd.

Reverse current(at 5V): RED color – 10uA, GREEN color – 10uA, BLUE color – 10uA.

Forward current: RED color – 20mA, GREEN color – 20mA, BLUE color – 20mA.Forward voltage: RED color – 1.8 to 2.2 V, GREEN color – 3.0 to 3.4 V, BLUE color – 3.0 to 3.4 V.We call it a common cathode RGB LED because in this type of LED, the anode terminal of all three LEDs is shorted internally and connected to one terminal and that terminal is known as a common anode terminal. On the other hand, a common cathode RGB LED also consists of four terminals but in this type of RGB LED one terminal is for the common cathode, one is for the RED LED anode terminal, one is for the GREEN LED anode terminal and the last one is for the BLUE LED anode terminal.

We call it a common anode RGB LED because in this type of RGB LED, the anode terminal of all three LEDs is shorted internally and connected to one terminal and that terminal is known as a common anode terminal. A common anode RGB LED consists of four terminals out of which one is for the common anode, one is for the RED LED cathode terminal, one is for the GREEN LED cathode terminal, and the last one is for the BLUE LED cathode terminal.

One is a common anode RGB LED and the other is a common cathode RGB LED. The RGB LED that we gonna discuss in this article is non-programmable and it is of two types. One for the RED color, one for the GREEN color, and one for the BLUE color. In other words, it’s a single LED that contains three LEDs inside it. The RGB LED is a type of LED that can produce three main colors that are RED, GREEN, and BLUE.