Group Actions
Engagement
  • Author Author: COMPACT
  • Date Created: Date Created
  • Views 633 views
  • Likes 3 likes
  • Comments 3 comments
Related
Recommended

A Very Compact Christmas Display - Part 001

COMPACT

Introduction

image

 

Every single year Christmas displays become more elaborate.  What started out a set of fancy incandescent light bulbs on a tree and a string of coloured incandescent lights on a house in the 1960s has now become a full light stage show with animatronics puppets. With such grandness comes a whole raft of issues. The ones that stand out to me are – the setup, the lack of synchronisation between lights, the pack up and stowing of all of the equipment when the festive season is over.

 

This year I plan to use some RGB LEDs and maybe a Laser display to overcome the stowage issue and to add some additional pizzazz to the display. I’d like some of the LEDS to be in contiguous strings for chasing lights and others as arrays to display animated coloured icons. If time permits I could also create some icicle strings to emulate falling snow.

The biggest hurdle for this is the interconnection of the RGB LEDS to make them all individually addressable. I think I have solved this problem by using a PSoC 4 Pioneer Kit, EAGLE CAD plus some additional parts.

Technology makes a quantum leap now and then. The PSoC 4 and some of the components I plan to use for this project will show the remarkable advancements towards greater functionality with greater ease and simplicity.

With Christmas being so close I need to pull the proverbial finger out to commence the design, construction and procurement of parts.

 

The technology used for my Christmas lights can be carried over into other realms such as the Automotive lighting and Pinball worlds making them far simpler and cheaper to manufacture.

 

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and suggestions which may improve the design.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Very Compact

Parents

  • Hi Monte,

     

    Looks like an interesting project.

    You might want to check with Leslie Birch.  She simulated rain drops with the LED strips for the wearables challenge, so you might be able to use a version of what she put together to make it look like snow fall.

     

    I thought it did not snow in Australia during the winter months.

     

    Look forward to seeing your progress.

     

    DAB


Comment

  • Hi Monte,

     

    Looks like an interesting project.

    You might want to check with Leslie Birch.  She simulated rain drops with the LED strips for the wearables challenge, so you might be able to use a version of what she put together to make it look like snow fall.

     

    I thought it did not snow in Australia during the winter months.

     

    Look forward to seeing your progress.

     

    DAB


Children