Using shiftOut to Control LEDs with Arduino | Task 3

Before you begin building the laser bar circuit, make sure you have all the required parts ready.

• 4 RED LEDs
• 4 BLUE LEDs
• 8 220Ω resistors
• 1 long jumper wire for ground (GND)
• 1 long jumper wire for 5V power
• 15 jumper wires of any color or size
• 1 shift register (74HC595)

These components will allow you to create a binary-controlled LED bar using a shift register. Once everything is gathered, you're ready to begin wiring!

To correctly place the 74HC595 shift register on your breadboard, look for a small half-circle notch or a dimple on one end of the chip. This notch marks the top of the chip.

When the notch or dimple is facing upwards, Pin 1 is located on the top-left corner. The pins then count down the left side to Pin 8 at the bottom-left, and continue from Pin 9 (bottom-right) up to Pin 16 (top-right).

Proper orientation is important to avoid wiring mistakes that could damage the chip or cause it to malfunction.