Gratuitous Blinky Light Ideas
Now that I have my ArloBot built, I'm interested in some gratuitous lighting!
Requirements:
At some point I might just start buying random stuff and trying it out, but if I can just buy one thing that will work that would be even better.
Feel free to make this thread silly too.
P.S. Thanks to Martin_H for the title idea!
P.P.S. My wife cannot understand how I can say that it needs more lights, but my kids are all for it.
Requirements:
- Run off of the 12 volt power supply on the ArloBot. I've found lots of nifty and cheap "disco lights" but they all run off of 110v AC not DC
- Small and light enough to sit on or wrap around the ArloBot.
- Inexpensive, but
- not necessarily "cheap" - I'd rather spend $30 on something that works reliably than $10 on Ebay for something that goes in the trash or takes 40 hours of work to end up only working 50% of the time.
At some point I might just start buying random stuff and trying it out, but if I can just buy one thing that will work that would be even better.
Feel free to make this thread silly too.
P.S. Thanks to Martin_H for the title idea!
P.P.S. My wife cannot understand how I can say that it needs more lights, but my kids are all for it.
1024 x 904 - 350K
Comments
These NeoPixels run off of 5V and can be chained together with a single data line daisy chained from one pixel to the next. Pretty easy to hook up and a lot of fun.
Here's a thread with some of my NeoPixel experiments. Here's a thread about one of my WS2801 projects.
I'm sorry, but this statement doesn't make sense. There's no such thing as gratuitous blinky lights.
Anyway, for a unique look, check out side-emitting fiber optics. Search for that and 'SideGlow,' a popular brand. If you're into 2000s rad, there's always EL. Some of the converters can be externally controlled for different effects, such as dimming and flashing (though remember that colors change when the light is dimmed). I'm not a fan of putting fluorescent tubes on a robot, but if they're covered it's usually pretty safe. For $10-15, including inverter, it's not bad. All can be powered easily from your 12V main battery.
As a side note, avoid longwave UV fluorescents or LEDs under your robot. Sounds cool, but they light up the carpet stains left by peeing cats, dogs, and babies. Then again, maybe they're a good reminder the carpet needs a good shampooing!
http://www.spencersonline.com/product/pe-blue-plasma-lumi-disc
Spencer's is just one source, and might be local if there's one in a nearby mall. Otherwise you can get them cheaper through eBay. A lot of them are now battery powered, or run off a 9-12V wall wart.
Particularly after Gordon's post with a link to a plasma disc.