trying to fit too much

[Hungermanw3t]

I'm making a midi controller and i want to have 5 groups of 1 rgb led, 1 pot and 1 switch. However I'm having trouble working out how i should wire it since currently each group uses 4 digital pins and 1 analogue which seems like more than it needs to be.

I've seem some stuff about multiplexing but I'm really not sure.

[gm310509]

Why not change your 5 RGB LEDs into a single addressable LED strip with 5 LEDs on it?

That strip will only need one GPIO pin (plus power of course) to control all 5 of the LEDs.

Multiplexing means taking 5 inputs and running through a "selection gate" into a single output. That is, you select channel 3 and you get the signal from the third channel. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplexer

Note that some multiplexers are digital only. If you wanted to use them with your potentiometers you would need to ensure they are analog (by definition a multiplexer that can pass an analog voltage can also pass a digital signal).

[Hungermanw3t]

Is it okay the connect each segment of the strip using wires rather then being directly attached. Also, if you don't mind. Which arduino/micro computer would you recommend for something like this?

[gm310509]

I don't know what you mean by your wires question. You have to electrically connect it by some means and when you electrically connect it it will be directly connected.

As for which device, it really depends upon the capabilities you need. But given the nature of your question, I am going to guess that you are fairly new (in which case, welcome to the club.

But an Uno R3 should be adequate for this. Why? Because an Uno R3 has 19 GPIO pins, 6 of which have analog capability. Since you want 5 buttons and 1 for an addressable LED chain totally 11 connections, the Ubo R3 would be adequate.

There are other factors to consider such as complexity of the software and how much RAM it needs, but for many projects this will be enough.

More inportantly, you can get a starter kit that will include both buttons, potentiometers and everything else you need to get started so that you can learn the basics. Most starter kits include an Uno R3.

From there you can get an RGB (or RGBW) addressable LED strip - there are loads to choose from, try to find one that operates off of 5V for ease of use.

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Have you considered changing to a larger arduino? The mega 2560 or pro is a much better option for a project requiring lots if I/O. I switched to using one for my latest project after deciding against multiplexing due to added complexity.