💡 LED Chaser Animation

Build a Knight Rider-style LED sequence that sweeps back and forth. Your first step into the world of digital output and timing.

📋 Overview

An LED chaser is one of the most satisfying beginner projects in electronics. You line up 8 LEDs and program them to light up one at a time in sequence, creating a smooth "running light" effect — just like the scanner on KITT from Knight Rider.

What you'll learn: Digital pin output (digitalWrite), for loops, timing with delay(), and how to wire multiple LEDs with current-limiting resistors.

Estimated time: 30–45 minutes. Difficulty: ⭐ Beginner-friendly — no prior experience required.

🧩 Components Needed

Component	Specification	Qty	Notes
Arduino Uno R3	ATmega328P, 5V	1	Any Uno-compatible board works
LEDs (5mm)	Red/Green, 2V, 20mA	8	Any color -> mix for fun
Resistors	220 Ohm, 1/4W, +/-5%	8	One per LED for current limiting
Breadboard	830 tie-points	1	Full-size recommended
Jumper Wires	Male-to-Male	~12	Various lengths
USB Cable	Type A to B	1	For uploading code

🗺️ Component Pin Mapping

📖 Step-by-Step Tutorial

Set Up the Breadboard

Place 8 LEDs in a row on the breadboard with the longer leg (anode, +) on the right and the shorter leg (cathode, -) on the left. Leave 2-3 rows between each LED for space.

Add Current-Limiting Resistors

Connect a 220 Ohm resistor from each LED's cathode (short leg) to the ground rail (blue/black stripe) on the breadboard. This protects each LED from burning out.

Wire LEDs to Arduino

Use jumper wires to connect each LED's anode (long leg) to Arduino digital pins 2 through 9. LED 1 -> Pin 2, LED 2 -> Pin 3, and so on up to LED 8 -> Pin 9.

Connect Ground

Run a jumper wire from the breadboard's ground rail to the GND pin on the Arduino. This completes the circuit for all 8 LEDs.

Upload the Code

Open the Arduino IDE, paste the code below, select your board and port under Tools, then click Upload (-> arrow). Watch the LEDs chase back and forth!

Experiment!

Try changing the delayTime variable to speed up or slow down the animation. Try lighting 2 LEDs at once, or reverse the direction. Make it your own!

💡

Always use resistors with LEDs. Without them, the LED draws too much current and can burn out instantly. The 220Ω value works for most 5V setups with standard LEDs.

💻 Arduino Code

led_chaser.ino

INO

// LED Chaser Animation — Volt X
// Pins 2-9 connected to 8 LEDs via 220Ω resistors

const int firstPin = 2;   // First LED pin
const int lastPin = 9;    // Last LED pin
int delayTime = 80;       // Speed in ms (lower = faster)

void setup() {
  for (int pin = firstPin; pin <= lastPin; pin++) {
    pinMode(pin, OUTPUT);
  }
}

void loop() {
  // Sweep forward: left to right
  for (int pin = firstPin; pin <= lastPin; pin++) {
    digitalWrite(pin, HIGH);
    delay(delayTime);
    digitalWrite(pin, LOW);
  }
  // Sweep backward: right to left
  for (int pin = lastPin; pin >= firstPin; pin--) {
    digitalWrite(pin, HIGH);
    delay(delayTime);
    digitalWrite(pin, LOW);

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