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  • Author Author: TechnoChic
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Learn to Animate LEDs with micro:bit, NeoPixels, and Microsoft Make Code, the series!

TechnoChic
Learn to Animate LEDs with micro:bit, NeoPixels, and Microsoft Make Code, the series!

Hi! I'm Natasha. Welcome! 

This is the beginning of 10 blog posts featuring each video in my series on animating LEDs with micro:bit and Make Code. I created these tutorials with artists and creatives in mind. It's for people who want to add lights to their designs --- but have never tinkered with electronics before. So, if you're a beginner (or know a beginner who needs to hear this) you're in the right place!

Make this LED NeoPixel Helmet

We'll learn a lot! I'll share the materials and supplies needed to make this LED Bike Helmet project, including some alternatives for those designing a similar project. Then, I'll show you how to connect the components to prepare for downloading code.

Next, we'll dive into creating Neopixel LED code for the micro:bit using a free website called Make Code. This block coding language is easy to start with but powerful enough to create complex animations as you continue to explore what it can do. I'll show you how to animate the pixels, organize your animations, make them interactive, and even sync with other micro:bits via radio.

By then, I bet you'll want to add Neopixels to everything!

...So I've included a video about exploring the many form factors that NeoPixel LEDs come in to inspire your next project. Then, I'll go over ways to make your project more durable, and finally, I'll share the journey I took to create my custom Neopixel bike --- that's completely covered in NeoPixels.

Get started by watching the intro video now, and be sure to subscribe for more!

See you there!

Natasha

  • in reply to TechnoChic

    For stationary / slow, exploring the outer rim of the wheel may also be an option. If you add a gyro sensor, then you can track the wheel's position and rotational speed which then gives you a stable reference point to base the animation effect on.

    A PoV illusion will also likely depend on the number of LED 'spokes' - more will give you smoother persistence at lower speeds than less. If you are already installing LED spokes for stationary effects, then there is always the option to have it only use PoV based effects during faster rides.

  • in reply to beacon_dave

    Yeah! I care a lot about how the bike looks when the wheels are stopped or moving slowly, so the plan is to choose one frequency (probably 400Hz) and map it to the three strips of NeoPixels on each wheel like a VU meter to make the wheels look like the animation is growing and shrinking with the music (and will look good while spinning and stopped). I'm not planning to do a POV display like the Monkey Lights because it only looks good when you are going super fast, and in my slow bike rides, you rarely get to see the full effect, but I would love for someone else to try it!

  • in reply to TechnoChic

    That looks great.

    I was thinking that you could perhaps combine the likes of the MSGEQ7 with a POV effect on the wheel to create a reactive circular spectrum analyser display on the wheels. Each frequency can them be displayed as either a narrow 'spoke' or a wide 'pie slice' on the wheel along with timing effects to make them appear to rotate and change width.

    If you sample the audio via a peak envelope detector, then you could switch it to a VU / PPM type display or something more creative depending on how you play with the sampled values before sending them onto the Neopixels.

  • in reply to TechnoChic

    And the effect is here: 

  • in reply to beacon_dave

    I haven't gotten there with the bike, but I did make a music reactive Xmas tree this year with micro:bit- more here: technochic.net/.../vu-meter-christmas-tree-with-micro-bit-progress-post