Making 12V LED Strip Controller Run by Mobile Charger & No Microcontroller

In this project, I will be making a simple RGB LED controller using 4017B counter IC. Pressing a button switches between different color options. The compound color was made possible by adding several diodes which you will see in the schematic below. The power is supplied to the project via a micro-USB jack. Any 5V-12V source will do.

The recommended charger is: 5-12V and >1A

I hope you will enjoy it!

List of tools needed:

1 x CD4017B counter LINK

1 x XL6009 boost module LINK

1 x button switch LINK

3 x BC547 NPN transistor LINK

1 x 10k ohm resistor LINK

1 x micro-USB breakout board LINK

9 x 1n4007 diode/Zener diodes LINK

1 x 12V Long Led strip LINK

Vero board and soldering Iron LINK

Hot glue gun

First, a switching boost module is used to efficiently increase the input voltage from 5V to 12V to supply the lights.

The main component of this project is the 4017B, 5-stage Johnson counter with 10 decoded outputs. This IC basically advances its output when a clock pulse is given. It utilizes an advanced form of the Johnson counter. You can understand what a Johnson counter is from the gif I created above. The internal picture of the IC is taken from an article on the Research gate which clearly shows how it's modified.

I highly recommend you watch this video from Neso Academy to learn about the Johnson counter: Video LINK

For this project, I needed only 7 outputs with 1 off signal thus, I have connected the output Q8 to the reset pin via a resistor(not necessary) so that it can go back to Q0.

To successfully obtain the compound RG, GB & RB colors I added several diodes that only allow current to pass from IC to individual transistor bases, otherwise this won't be possible.

Lastly, the transistors are used to control the 12V LEDs from the output from IC.

Logisim file download: Download

I prepared a simulation before building the circuit in proteus, this way I could ensure that the circuit would work perfectly. Proteus has a built-in 4017 counter IC, so it took little time to build the whole circuit. As you can see from the gif above, I used a logical input to feed the clock pulse to the IC, which outputs a 1 when pressed and a 0 when unpressed.

It is important to note that in real life you will have to add a resistor(10k) with the input switch to imitate the logic input. The resistor will supply an equivalent of 0V when the switch is unpressed.

I am adding the link below to download this simulation so that you can run and modify it as per your need.

Proteus Simulation LINK: Download

To adjust the output from the converter, rotate the potentiometer as shown above and observe the voltage output on a voltmeter. Set the output voltage to 12V. At this voltage, the power draw would be 0.009A; keep in mind this is the minimum current the circuit will draw at standby mode.

These LED strips can be cut according to your need. The 12V supply is directly connected to the output from the boost converter and the red, green, and blue pins are connected to the ground. Switch ON each led to see if the strip lights up properly.

The colors produced in this project are:

Red

Green

Blue

Magenta (Red + Blue)

Cyan (Blue + Green)

yellow (Red + Green)

White (Red + Green + Blue)

Preferably built this circuit on a breadboard before soldering all the components on the Vero board. However, you can directly start soldering or order PCB online if you are completely confident.

Connect all the components according to the schematic, I used hot glue to secure all the components in place.

Solder the data pins of the USB, this would enable the circuit to draw higher current from the supply. If the data pins are left open, then the highest current output is 600mA whereas shorting the data pins ensures an output current of up to 1 or even 2Amps!

I had some 10V Zener diodes laying around, So I used those instead of more traditional 1N4007 diodes. Both type of diode will work just fine.

I used some screws and a sufficient amount of hot glue to secure the led and circuit board on the back side of the desk.

And you're done with the project!! I have added a video below to see the project in action.

I hope you have learned something! Cheers!!