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  • Author Author: fearless
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Hats Off Mardi Gras - NeoPixels & Fabric (Part 4)

fearless

This video s is about setting up the electronics and making fabric choices for the mask.

I ran into two problems during the set up process. First, a new delay setting between color changes on the NeoPixel Color Wipe function was not working correctly.  The problem was the declaration of the delay variable. It was set to an unsigned 8 bit integer, which can’t hold a value greater than 255. Once changed to a 16 bit integer, the problem was fixed.

The second issue was the color setting of the NeoPixel. The Color Wipe function takes an RGB color value as its first parameter. I was using very blended colors that I had chosen in Illustrator. It turns out that blends don’t come through well on the NeoPixel. Once I changed the colors back to the higher original values, the colors were more saturated.

Once I had the NeoPixel performing the way I wanted, it was time to make my fabric choices. Since the NeoPixels take center stage in my design, I needed fabrics that would enhance them. I tried out several fabrics for the circle and more for the gathered center piece. It was an interesting study in light to determine the best choices.

To see the entire process, problems and solutions, please watch the video. Your comments are always valued and welcome.

  • in reply to DAB

    What an original idea! I don't really want flowers on this mask, but I'd love to try this idea on something else. Getting artistic with the wires to show them, inside of trying to hide them, is something I've never seen. I have a vivid imagination and can actually picture this working. I bet the hot glue droplets would pick up some light, which would make it even more interesting.

  • in reply to fearless

    Hi Lori,

     

    Had another thought, or rambling as the case may be,  have you considered covering the LED's with a half of a ping pong ball?  It would look like a jewel and you could play with the LED either pointing up or down as the shell would hide the wiring?

     

    You could also put some hot glue on the outside of the wires so that they looked like flower pistols and put little yellow pollen sacks on them.

     

    I always like helping creative people.  They inspire me the think about things.

     

    DAB

  • in reply to DAB

    That's an interesting idea. My primary concern is all the wiring that would show. Elevating the neopixel to a height that would allow sufficient light would raise the wiring as well. It would be extremely difficult to hide the neopixel and wiring at that point. I will definitely keep that idea in mind though. It may prove helpful in another project. Thanks for watching DAB. I appreciate your feedback.

  • Excellent Post.

     

    I liked how you described the issues and looked at multiple solutions.

     

    Did you consider turning the LED upside down so that the light would reflect off the fabric only?

    That approach would let you control the size of the spot without the central bright spot.

    You could adjust your stand off distance to get the circle size you want.  Then you could use your glass bead to hide the upside down LED in the center.

     

    DAB