Using PWM on CircuitPython

Let’s kick things off by diving back into some previous code where we learned to control a blue LED using PWM, or Pulse Width Modulation.
So, what’s PWM all about? Basically, it’s a nifty technique for turning messages into pulsing signals.
In this case, our main goal is to smoothly brighten and dim the LED.
This not only makes for a cool visual effect, but it also shows us just how effective PWM can be when it comes to controlling LED lights..

Alright, let’s dive into the initial setup for controlling your LED! First off, you’ll want to clear the code to reset everything back to the default settings, so you’re starting fresh.
The cool part is that the red board comes packed with PWM I/O pins for output like down, up, high, and sleep, giving you loads of options for different projects.
Plus, for the LED mode and frequency, we’re locking it in at a solid 5,000 , which is pretty much the go-to value for most LED control setups..

Let’s dive into PWM brightness control! It all starts with the duty cycle, which can be set from zero and adjusted using 16 bits.
This means you get super precise control over your LED brightness, with a whopping 65,536 possible values to fine-tune things just right.
In practical terms, the process involves gradually ramping up the brightness from 0 to 99, giving a lovely smooth transition that peaks at 49 for full brightness.
Once we hit that peak, the brightness then eases back down from 50 to 99, and this cycle just keeps repeating.
If you go below 50, don’t be surprised when you only see whole numbers on display—35 might show up as your final value.
Stick around, because we’ll be exploring PWM functionality and LED control applications in more detail later on!.

Let’s break down brightness values! When you see a brightness value like 35, it’s easy to think about it in terms of percentage for a clearer picture of the LED’s output.
This percentage is super important for tweaking brightness effectively.
Now, check this out: values that get close to 50 could mean 100% brightness in certain scenarios, which sheds light on how different settings link up numerically.
As you get near 49%, it suggests you’re almost at full brightness, whereas moving closer to zero definitely indicates dimming down.
It’s crucial to fine-tune things for the best visibility! If those percentage values drop from near 100% to zero, it shows a big change in the LED’s brightness, so careful adjustments are a must.
Finally, keep in mind that cycles in the code run every 0.02 seconds, which helps create smooth brightness transitions over about 2 seconds..

So, let’s talk about this cool blue LED that lights up and dims every couple of seconds — that’s all thanks to PWM control! In this session, we really dug into how to use PWM with CircuitPython to control LED brightness like a pro.
You might be interested to know that although we set the PWM frequency at 5,000, you can totally tweak it on the fly to manage things like a piezo speaker buzzer, too.
Plus, even if the frequency is fixed, you can still mix things up and change the sound by altering the frequency while it’s running.
And don’t worry — there are more exciting topics lined up for next time, so stay tuned!.