I just finished a new project, which is called Always-On. This project is a simple bidirectional bridge between the mains-voltage installation and an Adafruit Feather board as a controller. The idea is to have a device integrated into the electric installation. It works as a smart light switch, monitors power lines or works as a…
Stencils from OSH Stencils Arrived
Today the stencils from OSH Stencils arrived for the Swiss precision timer project. I used to work with steel stencils for all my previous projects, therefore the polyimide film (3mil) ones feel very flimsy to me. I will see how they will perform adding the solder paste. Pricing The cost of the two stencils, without…
Small Boards for the Swiss-Precision Timer
I am working on several projects and one of them is called “Swiss-Precision Timer”. It is no art-related project, but like like a small utility. The prototype boards were produced by PCBWay in very good quality. It is a two-layer board, just 37x18mm (1.46″x0.71″) in size. There are a number of really small SMD parts…
How to Write Custom Snowflake Patterns
In this article, I will discuss how to write custom patterns for your snowflake decoration. This is a rather advanced topic, and there are a number of prerequisites that are required and listed below. Nevertheless, it is rewarding to you see your very own pattern displayed on the decoration. You must solder a 5-pin programming…
Programming the Snowflake Decoration
In this brief article, I will discuss the requirements to flash a custom firmware to your Pimoroni snowflake decoration. I assume you have some programming knowledge and have previously worked with an Arduino Uno or Adafruit Feather. Required Hardware For the Pimoroni version:5 pin programming header. One for each snowflake. SWD programmer. Jumper cables or adapter…
Candlelight Effect
Here I briefly document a very realistic candlelight effect you can build with very few components. It works best if the device is placed in a jar or behind a screen, where the Neopixel ring is not in direct sight. You will find all the required information, schema and the firmware to build the device….
How to Wire the Snowflake Decoration
If you own an original snowflake kit or produced boards from the sources, you have to wire them by yourself. The pre-assembled kit from Pimoroni comes with some nice flex-cables, but you may want to replace them with more decorative ones. Here I explain how to create a custom wiring for your snowflake decoration. Layout…
Snowflake Configuration
In version 1.2 of the snowflake firmware, I added a configuration mode, using a button attached to the data in of the first element. The States The attached button can issue two actions: a short press and a long press. A short press is anything from 50ms to approximate two seconds, and a long press…
Recreating the Human Perception of the Snowflake Sparkling Effect
The sparkling lights on the real snowflake decoration are stunning and beautiful. Yet, it seems to be impossible to capture the effect with a video. After some experiments, I created a new video with a simple effect applied. It does not resemble the tiny, spiky and beautiful corona around the lights you see with your…
Snowflake Project Videos
From the beginning of the snowflake project, I tried to create photos or videos which capture the actual beauty of the decoration. Here are the two more recent videos I created: Differences to the Real Impression I am not happy with the videos and photos so far, because the effect looks dull and flat compared…