Shawn’s Project Inspirations

One of my favorite movies growing up was Tron not for the plot or anything, but because I thought the Tron universe was the coolest thing. Β The discs are cool and light bikes are awesome (I’d kill to have one), but I realized later I was most in awe with the LED aesthetic. Β In high school I came across some really cool LED and EL wire projects and ever since I’ve really wanted to do my own project. Β Below are some really cool projects I’ve seen:

Interactive LED Wall
EL Wire Jacket
EL Wire Bicycle

But the coolest project of all is the LEDΒ spinning ball. Β I stumbled across this video where this guy took 3 LED’s and 3 small motors and created a fascinating orb of light. Β Video:Β https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO2-tqoyGik

There are a few changes and additions I would like to make to my own LED ball. Β First I will be using an Arduino to control the LED’s and motors, and have a cleaner control panel. Β I am also going to use RGB LED’s so that the user is able to control the color scheme of the ball. Β If I have the time I would like to make the LED’s sound responsive so that they pulse with music. Β This guy also used wood and soldered metal for the frame and supports and I’m thinking of 3D printing some of the frame.

This project will be a challenge for me as I have very little coding or electronics experience, but there are many resources online and at CU. Β I have already checked out an Arduino kit from DanΒ to get a head start on tinkering with the code and have found tutorials on Lynda.com and elsewhere for RGB and DC motor control.

Credits:

http://cdn.instructables.com/FZL/WN4U/I3KCDVX3/FZLWN4UI3KCDVX3.RECT2100.jpg

http://enlighted.com/media/elmoto/anglex500.jpg

http://media.techeblog.com/images/tronbicycle.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XN1JqVCsWxY/maxresdefault.jpg

Video:Β https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO2-tqoyGik

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