Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) Exam > Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) Videos > Drones for Beginners: How to make Arduino Drones > Arduino #11 - High Current & Voltage Loads Tutorial - Transistors and Relays
Arduino #11 - High Current & Voltage Loads Tutorial - Transistors and Relays Video Lecture | Drones for Beginners: How to make Arduino Drones - Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE)
FAQs on Arduino #11 - High Current & Voltage Loads Tutorial - Transistors and Relays Video Lecture - Drones for Beginners: How to make Arduino Drones - Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE)
| 1. How can I control high current and voltage loads using Arduino? |  |
Ans. You can control high current and voltage loads using Arduino by using transistors or relays. Transistors are electronic switches that can handle high currents and voltages, while relays are electromechanical switches. By connecting the load to the collector of a transistor or the switch contacts of a relay, and controlling the base or coil of the transistor or relay with Arduino, you can effectively control high current and voltage loads.
| 2. What is the difference between transistors and relays for controlling high current and voltage loads? | |
Ans. The main difference between transistors and relays for controlling high current and voltage loads is their nature. Transistors are solid-state devices that use semiconductors to control the flow of current, while relays are electromechanical switches that use an electromagnet to control the switch contacts. Transistors are more suitable for low to medium current and voltage loads, while relays are better suited for high current and voltage loads.
| 3. How do I choose the right transistor or relay for my high current and voltage load? | |
Ans. To choose the right transistor or relay for your high current and voltage load, you need to consider the load's current and voltage requirements. For transistors, ensure that the transistor's maximum collector current (IC) and collector-emitter voltage (VCE) ratings are higher than the load's requirements. For relays, check the relay's contact current and voltage ratings. Additionally, consider factors such as switching speed, power dissipation, and compatibility with Arduino's output voltage.
| 4. Can I use a single transistor or relay to control multiple high current and voltage loads? | |
Ans. Yes, you can use a single transistor or relay to control multiple high current and voltage loads. To do this, you can connect the collector of the transistor or the switch contacts of the relay in parallel to the loads. However, it is crucial to ensure that the combined current and voltage requirements of all the loads do not exceed the maximum ratings of the transistor or relay.
| 5. Are there any limitations or precautions I should consider when controlling high current and voltage loads with Arduino? | |
Ans. Yes, there are some limitations and precautions to consider. Firstly, make sure to use appropriate heat sinks for transistors to prevent overheating. Secondly, ensure that the power supply used can handle the current and voltage requirements of the loads. Additionally, use flyback diodes in relay circuits to protect Arduino from voltage spikes. Lastly, be cautious of electrical safety, especially when dealing with high voltage loads, and follow proper wiring and insulation practices.
Text Transcript from Video
how's it going guys lads here and I just
wanted to take a minute to thank you for
leaving me such nice comments and
subscribing to my channel and as part of
the over a thousand subscribers I wanted
to do it pretty much a giveaway so if
you want to stay tuned watch the video
till the end I have a nice surprise for
you
so thank you again for watching
subscribing commenting on my videos and
hopefully you enjoy the tutorial and
yeah see you at the end how's it going
guys a lot here and welcome to the 11th
Arduino tutorial in which we're going to
be discussing how do you actually
control how high voltage outputs through
your Arduino so some of the challenges
as you know what they're at we know is
first of all the fact that it works with
the 5 volt and 3.3 volt environments and
it is also uncapable of driving a high
currents I believe I mentioned them a
couple of my tutorials if you look at
the datasheet of the atmega328 which is
the main ship of the arduino the maximum
currents you can generally source are
within 40 milliamps so driving something
like a high power LED strip will require
a outside device of the arduino one of
which is a very simple transistor or you
may also use a relay so let's start with
the transistor a fairly simple circuit
and then we're going to jump to the
relay alright so as I mentioned I'm
looking to drive this high power LED
strip and looking through the specs I'm
quickly realizing that the operating
voltage is 12 volts which means that I
cannot simply connect the Arduino pin
directly to the LED strip and toggle it
on and off like I did with the previous
digital LEDs which which means pretty
much that I have to use one of the two
methods that I mentioned earlier in
order to drive the strip so let's take a
look at the first method so if you're
interested in the in depth transistor
theory let me know in the comments below
otherwise I'm just going to quickly
go through this so I'm using the two and
four four zero one general-purpose NPN
transistor so quickly going through the
datasheet the emitter volt the collector
emitter voltage is forty collector base
is sixty we also can drive a current up
to six hundred milliamps so as you can
see those specs are way within the range
of the power LED strip which only
requires 35 milli amps of current as
calculated from the power consumption as
well as the voltage if you want I'm
going to post the link to this datasheet
if you're interested in some of the
other characteristics of this device so
let's take a look at the circuit that we
need to set up in order to drive
something with a transistor by using the
Arduino so here's the circuit that you
saw earlier as you can see I have a 12
volt DC barrel jack on here that you may
have may or may not have noticed so that
goes to my breadboard I have a + and I'm
an inground obviously I also connect my
Arduino to the common ground to make
sure my both of my circuits are on the
on the same ground I'm using a pin 13 to
drive the transistor through the base I
have a current limiting resistor of 22
kilo ohms in my case depending on the
transistor that you may be using it
could be different the ammeter side of
the transistor is also grounded I am
then driving the collector side through
the strip so I'm pulling one wire
through the LED strip and pulling the
positive or the high voltage side of the
LED strip to the 12 volt rail in order
to power the LED strip so what happens
exactly is when I apply the voltage to
the transistor I have a closed circuit
which goes through the ground to my
emitter to the collector through the
LED strip and then it goes to the 12
volt barrel jack thus closing that
particular loop and lighting up my LED
strip so let's take a look at how this
works on an actual circuit so here's the
circuit in action just a quick
correction I'm using a pin 9 of the
Arduino instead of the pin 13 mentioned
earlier because I'm I decided to load
the PWM example or sketch onto this on
the Arduino in order to fade in and fade
out the LED strip so that requires a PWM
output as you have learned pre in the
previous tutorials so again let's
quickly overview the circuit pin 9 goes
through the resistor to the base of our
transistor which turns the strip on and
off as you can see if I remove that pin
nothing is happening so I need that
pedal we have output the strips power
and ground are going through the
collector and the emitter of the
transistor and I have as I mentioned
earlier the barrel Jack of 12 volts from
a power supply coming in to the circuit
as well so as you can see I can very
simply drive a high voltage element by
using the transistor so you can apply
this for motors that require a higher
current higher voltage devices obviously
there's going to be restrictions for the
transistors but you can also drive
solenoids all kinds of pumps etcetera so
let's take a look at the power relay
module next
so really module is going to give you
the ability to drive much higher load so
as you can see the ratings on the undies
is 10 amps so you can pretty much you
can drive very powerful heaters you can
drive very heavy loads you can drive
motors you can drive pretty much
whatever you want like much bigger
things then a transistor would allow you
to so the really on its own has to be
driven through a transistor as well but
since I have a module it eliminates that
problem so I all I have to do is pretty
much put a ground and 5 volts onto the
rail so as you can see the reel itself
has four pins the relay module sorry so
the ground both of the V ends and then
the VCC so V n is the actual signal
which is going to be toggling right now
I have the basic blink sketch for pin 13
so as you can see I have the pin
toggling and pin 13 and the opposite is
happening on the relay so the output of
the relay itself is basically the
functionality of the relays when you
energize the coil inside the relay
you're either going to be pulling an eye
contact or pulling pushing out a contact
so in this case from the markings let me
just zoom in a little bit into the
module so as you can see there's
markings on the module itself in the
normal situation the relay is closed to
this pin and once you apply a voltage
meaning that that LED is lit up you will
be toggling that connection to the white
wire that I currently have connected so
if you follow the previous explanation
if I plug in this wire I should be able
to simply complete the circuit and power
on the LED strip so let me just put it
in there and tighten the connection
because it's going to be
inconsistent so this is essentially like
putting a very basic button in the
circuit so all I'm doing is closing that
contact allowing the current to flow
through from the barrel jack through the
LED strip and then back into the ground
of the of the 12 volt connection and
that allows the strip to light up so
this this 12 volt portion of the circuit
is completely isolated there's
absolutely no there's no common ground
there's no there's essentially nothing
the only wires that are even touching
the this portion of the circuit are
these two and that all they're doing is
going through the contacts of the really
so that is how pretty much how you can
drive powerful loads I have received a
lot of questions asking how you can
drive multiple LEDs through a single pin
so obviously they are do we know like I
said multiple times cannot drive more
than 40 milliamps and even lower in
different cases based on the datasheet
so pay attention to that because the
Arduino itself is not protected against
overloads so make sure to use
transistors and/or relays one necessary
so once again thank you guys for
watching
share this video if you can leave me a
comment if you have any questions let me
know what projects you're using the
relays or ant transistors on and thank
you once you get for watching bye so I'm
going to be giving away the msp430
launchpad kit this kit was first
released by Texas Instruments about two
years ago I believe and I got my hands
on two of them so I'm going to be giving
away the spare kit so in order to
participate in this draw you need to be
a subscriber of the channel so please
click the subscribe button down below
you also need to share the video so that
your friends and family can also join
the draw and you need to leave a comment
down below
you can comment whatever you want I
don't really I'm not picky all I knew
this the number of the comment which you
left I'm also going to be checking if
you've left multiple comments so please
don't spam the comment section and give
a chance for others to participate as
well and at the end of this draw which
is going to be in two weeks I will be
pulling I will be using essentially a
random number generator to pull a
comment and the skill is going to be
sent out to wherever you live anywhere
across the world as long as it makes
through the customs and there are no
issues in your country I don't know if
you have to pay customs anything like
that that's going to be up to you so
once again thank you for subscribing
watching my channel
leaving the awesome comments keep them
coming and see you guys later
you
you
you
you
you
wanted to take a minute to thank you for
leaving me such nice comments and
subscribing to my channel and as part of
the over a thousand subscribers I wanted
to do it pretty much a giveaway so if
you want to stay tuned watch the video
till the end I have a nice surprise for
you
so thank you again for watching
subscribing commenting on my videos and
hopefully you enjoy the tutorial and
yeah see you at the end how's it going
guys a lot here and welcome to the 11th
Arduino tutorial in which we're going to
be discussing how do you actually
control how high voltage outputs through
your Arduino so some of the challenges
as you know what they're at we know is
first of all the fact that it works with
the 5 volt and 3.3 volt environments and
it is also uncapable of driving a high
currents I believe I mentioned them a
couple of my tutorials if you look at
the datasheet of the atmega328 which is
the main ship of the arduino the maximum
currents you can generally source are
within 40 milliamps so driving something
like a high power LED strip will require
a outside device of the arduino one of
which is a very simple transistor or you
may also use a relay so let's start with
the transistor a fairly simple circuit
and then we're going to jump to the
relay alright so as I mentioned I'm
looking to drive this high power LED
strip and looking through the specs I'm
quickly realizing that the operating
voltage is 12 volts which means that I
cannot simply connect the Arduino pin
directly to the LED strip and toggle it
on and off like I did with the previous
digital LEDs which which means pretty
much that I have to use one of the two
methods that I mentioned earlier in
order to drive the strip so let's take a
look at the first method so if you're
interested in the in depth transistor
theory let me know in the comments below
otherwise I'm just going to quickly
go through this so I'm using the two and
four four zero one general-purpose NPN
transistor so quickly going through the
datasheet the emitter volt the collector
emitter voltage is forty collector base
is sixty we also can drive a current up
to six hundred milliamps so as you can
see those specs are way within the range
of the power LED strip which only
requires 35 milli amps of current as
calculated from the power consumption as
well as the voltage if you want I'm
going to post the link to this datasheet
if you're interested in some of the
other characteristics of this device so
let's take a look at the circuit that we
need to set up in order to drive
something with a transistor by using the
Arduino so here's the circuit that you
saw earlier as you can see I have a 12
volt DC barrel jack on here that you may
have may or may not have noticed so that
goes to my breadboard I have a + and I'm
an inground obviously I also connect my
Arduino to the common ground to make
sure my both of my circuits are on the
on the same ground I'm using a pin 13 to
drive the transistor through the base I
have a current limiting resistor of 22
kilo ohms in my case depending on the
transistor that you may be using it
could be different the ammeter side of
the transistor is also grounded I am
then driving the collector side through
the strip so I'm pulling one wire
through the LED strip and pulling the
positive or the high voltage side of the
LED strip to the 12 volt rail in order
to power the LED strip so what happens
exactly is when I apply the voltage to
the transistor I have a closed circuit
which goes through the ground to my
emitter to the collector through the
LED strip and then it goes to the 12
volt barrel jack thus closing that
particular loop and lighting up my LED
strip so let's take a look at how this
works on an actual circuit so here's the
circuit in action just a quick
correction I'm using a pin 9 of the
Arduino instead of the pin 13 mentioned
earlier because I'm I decided to load
the PWM example or sketch onto this on
the Arduino in order to fade in and fade
out the LED strip so that requires a PWM
output as you have learned pre in the
previous tutorials so again let's
quickly overview the circuit pin 9 goes
through the resistor to the base of our
transistor which turns the strip on and
off as you can see if I remove that pin
nothing is happening so I need that
pedal we have output the strips power
and ground are going through the
collector and the emitter of the
transistor and I have as I mentioned
earlier the barrel Jack of 12 volts from
a power supply coming in to the circuit
as well so as you can see I can very
simply drive a high voltage element by
using the transistor so you can apply
this for motors that require a higher
current higher voltage devices obviously
there's going to be restrictions for the
transistors but you can also drive
solenoids all kinds of pumps etcetera so
let's take a look at the power relay
module next
so really module is going to give you
the ability to drive much higher load so
as you can see the ratings on the undies
is 10 amps so you can pretty much you
can drive very powerful heaters you can
drive very heavy loads you can drive
motors you can drive pretty much
whatever you want like much bigger
things then a transistor would allow you
to so the really on its own has to be
driven through a transistor as well but
since I have a module it eliminates that
problem so I all I have to do is pretty
much put a ground and 5 volts onto the
rail so as you can see the reel itself
has four pins the relay module sorry so
the ground both of the V ends and then
the VCC so V n is the actual signal
which is going to be toggling right now
I have the basic blink sketch for pin 13
so as you can see I have the pin
toggling and pin 13 and the opposite is
happening on the relay so the output of
the relay itself is basically the
functionality of the relays when you
energize the coil inside the relay
you're either going to be pulling an eye
contact or pulling pushing out a contact
so in this case from the markings let me
just zoom in a little bit into the
module so as you can see there's
markings on the module itself in the
normal situation the relay is closed to
this pin and once you apply a voltage
meaning that that LED is lit up you will
be toggling that connection to the white
wire that I currently have connected so
if you follow the previous explanation
if I plug in this wire I should be able
to simply complete the circuit and power
on the LED strip so let me just put it
in there and tighten the connection
because it's going to be
inconsistent so this is essentially like
putting a very basic button in the
circuit so all I'm doing is closing that
contact allowing the current to flow
through from the barrel jack through the
LED strip and then back into the ground
of the of the 12 volt connection and
that allows the strip to light up so
this this 12 volt portion of the circuit
is completely isolated there's
absolutely no there's no common ground
there's no there's essentially nothing
the only wires that are even touching
the this portion of the circuit are
these two and that all they're doing is
going through the contacts of the really
so that is how pretty much how you can
drive powerful loads I have received a
lot of questions asking how you can
drive multiple LEDs through a single pin
so obviously they are do we know like I
said multiple times cannot drive more
than 40 milliamps and even lower in
different cases based on the datasheet
so pay attention to that because the
Arduino itself is not protected against
overloads so make sure to use
transistors and/or relays one necessary
so once again thank you guys for
watching
share this video if you can leave me a
comment if you have any questions let me
know what projects you're using the
relays or ant transistors on and thank
you once you get for watching bye so I'm
going to be giving away the msp430
launchpad kit this kit was first
released by Texas Instruments about two
years ago I believe and I got my hands
on two of them so I'm going to be giving
away the spare kit so in order to
participate in this draw you need to be
a subscriber of the channel so please
click the subscribe button down below
you also need to share the video so that
your friends and family can also join
the draw and you need to leave a comment
down below
you can comment whatever you want I
don't really I'm not picky all I knew
this the number of the comment which you
left I'm also going to be checking if
you've left multiple comments so please
don't spam the comment section and give
a chance for others to participate as
well and at the end of this draw which
is going to be in two weeks I will be
pulling I will be using essentially a
random number generator to pull a
comment and the skill is going to be
sent out to wherever you live anywhere
across the world as long as it makes
through the customs and there are no
issues in your country I don't know if
you have to pay customs anything like
that that's going to be up to you so
once again thank you for subscribing
watching my channel
leaving the awesome comments keep them
coming and see you guys later
you
you
you
you
you
About this Video
Sep 20, 2025
Last updated
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