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  • Author Author: fearless
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Hats Off Mardi Gras - The Layout (Part 3)

fearless

The next step in my Mardi Gras hat is to create a layout of the mask to determine how much wiring I need for components and the sizing on the circles. I'm going to be using silicone coated wire from Adafruit to connect my NeoPixels and other parts.

 

I used a 2D CAD program (QCAD) to lay everything out virtually. It's a lot easier for me than pencil and paper. I can play around with ideas until I get everything the way I want it.

 

This video shows you the layout process and my conclusions. I've ordered all the necessary parts from Adafruit based on this layout and they were very inexpensive. I'm looking forward to working with the electronics in my next post.

  • in reply to DAB

    Thank you DAB. I've been playing with the NeoPixels and you aren't kidding, these things are blinding. I will be placing material and beads over them.

     

    My experimentation was very interesting and I will be including that in the next post to help others. Things didn't work the way I expected them to. Refraction, reflection, absorption and scattering are all coming into play here. It's like my own little physics experiment. It's just so fun!

  • Hi Lori

     

    Very nice post and demonstration of your Cad software.

     

    These LED's are very bright, so you might want to cover them with a translucent material and use a matte finish behind them.

    That would enable you to convert the over brightness into a distributed area highlight and soften the effect.

     

    Your finished mask should look really cool.

     

    DAB