DIY PixelStick substitute for light painting

thingiverse

Newer version: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4815316 This is a feature rich variation on the PixelStick used for light painting photography. Do a Web search for "pixelstick images" to see lots of example of what can be done with this tool. I have attached a pdf file with a lengthy description of all the features of this design. Like many others I started building this thing with an Arduino Mega but I soon ran into memory and speed issues. I redesigned it using an ESP32 with a built-in display. I originally used the touch screen like others but after use I felt it was too clumsy to use. Instead I added a single dial/button that is in the handle. It rotates to make selections and clicks to choose things. You can control the painter with a single hand! It can be used with either 1 meter with 144 pixels, or two meters with 288 pixels total. You can wire it by hand, or if you're interested I have designed a PCB holding the components that makes assembly much easier. Here is the source code. https://github.com/MartinNohr/LedImagePainter I added the STL file for the no PCB version. It has mounts for the SD reader, the level shifter, and the ESP. It is a bit of wiring but I made one that works from the wiring diagram. I mounted 90 degree angle pins on the ESP32 so I could put the wires on sideways. I will find a picture and post it later. You could also just solder the wires in the holes instead of using the jumper wires that I used for the first prototype. Please let me know if I have missed any of the files or if I need to add more details or photos. I am working on a new version with a PCB that also mounts the switch. Some of the wiring changed so there is an important change in the sketch. If you build one of these without using the new PCB (which nobody except me has anyway so far!) make sure to comment out this line. //#define PCB_WITH_DIAL 1 I recently ordered some ESP32 WIFI HELTEC kits from aliexpress.com. The picture showed the Heltec devices, however the devices they sent were a cheap clone that has the display mounted flat on the board instead of on the plastic spacer. These cards do not fit in the case! The Heltec units I've ordered from Amazon were original Heltec models and fit perfectly. Just be warned! One reader noticed that I didn't explain that the bottom LED strip (led1) is connected by the handle, not down at the bottom. This is because I wanted to avoid running the wires down the length of the LED strip. So both LED's are connected in the middle. The pixel address reversal is handled in the software because otherwise the bottom LED's would be upside down! I have designed a new and improved version, see https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4660045 This one does require a PCB which I plan to make available soon.