Light evolving lamp

thingiverse

I forgot to include the small red gear for the stepper motor! It's now included, by the way. Light Changing Lamp This is an experimental lamp. The concept involves placing different objects on top of it to create various shadow/light reflections on the wall. It's a rotating platform made from semi-transparent PET-G. Inside are two LED strips that were taken out of two cheap "USB LED lamps". See the picture. The focus is on the shadows and reflections on the wall behind it. By placing different shaped objects on top, you get distinct reflections and shadows. The platform can also rotate and has three holes in the top, causing the reflections to move and transform. The rotation can be controlled with an Arduino Nano and a 28BYJ-48 stepper. The two bearings used are standard 22mm diameter x 7mm with an 8mm hole. Between these bearings, I placed a spacer. See the picture. The bearings were previously stored in the fridge before mounting them. It's difficult to capture these effects using a camera, so the photos don't do justice to it. I also made a short video, which you can watch to see it better (the video is speeded up). I included a very simple Arduino script and the StepperMotor.h library. This is the script that I tested with, but it's not efficient. It's easy to use for people without experience with Arduino, though. The idea is to experiment with different moves. It's essential to cut power to this motor after every move; otherwise, your motor will get so hot that the plastic melts! (This is also mentioned in the Arduino Script.) P.S.: 2400 steps make up one rotation for this mini stepper. The Arduino and stepper are powered by a 9V adapter, while the two LED strips use an old 5V adapter. However, you can run everything on one 5V adapter if you prefer. Of course, you can replace any light source with another one that fits.