Introduction

Pushbutton Multicolor Flasher

Here’s a cool trick you can play on a friend using the Arduino and an RGB LED. Build an RGB flasher with a mini pushbutton switch on an Arduino MakerShield. Show your friend the MakerShield and tell him the mini light bulb is magical and it can produce three colors: red, green, and blue. Have your friend close his eyes and chant “Are Gee Bee” three times. Briefly press the mini pushbutton switch to start the RGB flashing sequence. Tell your friend to open his eyes and watch in amazement the mini color light show produced by the Arduino. The Magic Light Bulb device is shown in Figure 10-1. The parts you will use for this project are two fixed resistors, an RGB LED, a pushbutton switch, and an Arduino microcontroller. The Magic Light Bulb will be built using the handy MakerShield.