With our recent experiences with the costuming and cosplay communities, we've learned a lot about new materials that cosplayers use for making masks, props and armour. That added a few new words to our vocabulary and awesome new items to our inventory. First, Fosshape. It is a felt-like polyester fabric that can be stretched and […]
Project: APA102-2020 MicroNova Custom LE...
Solar botics
February 23, 2018
I created this choker as a project to demonstrate the new MicroNova APA102-2020 LED strips.
Photo by Yeti, edited by Batgirl
These addressable LEDs are extremely small, less than 1/4 the size of a standard 5050 LED.
This project was built using engineering sample standard MicroNova 99 LED / meter strips . The MicroNova strips we are selling have 198/meter - twice the density!
Reason for a Choker necklace:
Hats have been done, shoes have been done, pendants have been done.
This is something new for a Valentine’s dance costume, so I decided to go with a choker design. I also wanted something that was interactive, something that would add another layer of WOW to just lighting.
Build:
I used a Wemos D1 Mini development board along with a boost-converting battery shield for the Wemos D1.
The battery shield was a particularly good choice here because the MicroNova LEDs should be supplied a solid 5VDC. This board boosts the battery voltage to 5V, and then the Wemos D1 Mini bucks it down to 3V3 for it's own operation.
A mini SPDT Slide switch toggles the power from the battery shield to the D1. This allows charging the battery using the battery shield USB connector while not powering the D1.
Epoxy locks the switch and wires in place.
The battery used is a conveniently handy older 450mAh Lithium Polymer. Depending on the lighting mode, this battery can power the necklace for a couple of hours.
I used elastic thread to attach the LED strip and components to the necklace. A heavy duty needle was all that was needed to punch through the (imitation) leather belt. Because the thread was elastic and tied under tension, it held the MicroNova strip well in place.
Operation:
When the choker powers up, it creates a WiFi Access Point called "HeartBurnChoker1".
Once I connected to this WiFi, I opened a browser and went to 192.168.4.1. The control interface is simple, but effective. The D1 Mini has more than ample power and speed to effectively drive these LEDs. The MicroNova features separate clock & data lines, so even relatively slow I/O (like Raspberry Pi) can still make it work.
MORE POSTS
New Gearmotors!
We're very excited to announce these new "baby" versions of the popular GM2 and GM3 gearmotors. These junior versions offer a 120:1 gear reduction ratio, built-in safety clutch, and 146rpm with 20in*oz torque at 5V drawing onlyh 90mA (620mA at stall). Take a look at them in the motors section of our website! The new […]
GM2/3 Wheels!
WooHOO! We managed to get large, grippy wheels made for our GM2 & GM3 series of gearmotors! If you're familiar with the Parallax / MarkIII style Minisumo, these wheels might look familiar. The critical difference is that these wheels are keyed to fit the double-flat of our own gearmotors! We're presently stocking the black and […]
Bug Stomping - Part 2, Solarcells sold o...
We're still undergoing website bug-stomping. You may have noticed some changed news items and the like. One of the edits crashed the page, so we had to reload an older backup. The SCPD photodiodes are now officially sold out! KaPUT! Gone! Until we can find a reasonably priced replacement, we won't be restocking these items […]
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!
Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.