Too Much Current for an Arduino?

[brooko]

Hello, I'm looking at creating a custom cycle light unit, which switches between 2 or 3 strips of LEDs.
I'd like to control this with an Arduino, although the current for the lighting strips could be as high as 2-3amps.
I'd guess that this is too much for an Arduino directly, so would probably need some kind of driver board?
So I'm thinking 8.5v dc lithium power source, powering the Arduino (VIN pin) which controls the lights via a controller board.
The LED board being powered directly from the power source.

Does this sound right, any thoughts/recommends are hugely appreciated.
I know there are boards which can do this without the need for an Arduino but I have no experience of this and wonder whether they'd handle the current.

Thanks, Andy

[radiolistener]

I'd guess that this is too much for an Arduino directly, so would probably need some kind of driver board?

yes, you can use some mosfet or relay driver module which can get control TTL signal on the input and can switch high current/voltage load according to your needs.

But be very careful if you're trying to switch devices powered from mains.

[jmelson]

I did something similar for a lighted safety garment, I used an AT-Tiny 13A CPU in the 8-pin package (about $0.80) and one MOSFET as the power switching device.  I implemented flashing and PWM dimming under control of a couple of buttons.
Jon