Yes, you can use it as a switch.
The gate voltage spec has a range of 2V to 4V when the switch will start to turn on. This range can be at the higher end for your units, causing your Arduino to not fully turn the lights on. In this case you may need a driver transistor between the Arduino output and the mosfet's gate. Hence the 12V supply would be better to ensure a good switch on state.
How to implement it can be varied. Some use an opto-isolator, some don't.
An opto example is here .. https://arduino-info.wikispaces.com/...PowerFetSwitch
There may be other designs you can find, to reduce parts count, if you search for it.
Or you could experiment on your own - if you have the basic tools to evaluate your results.
Bookmarks