Help! Want to find the project on here of a rainbow between clouds of fluff

Ideas and Tips
1

I saw a project on here where someone made for their kid a linear strip inside some kind of tubing with cloud fluff at either end so it looked like a ‘rainbow’ between two clouds. But searches for ‘rainbow’, ‘cloud’ etc coming up empty. Anyone remember this? Thanks!

2

Was it this?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxJhfG_A2O5/

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3

Woah! ya thats the same idea. It was someone on this forum with a simpler version, but this works! enough inspiration I can fill in the gaps. thanks.

4

haha I’m just realizing you built it. It’s great!

5

Ugh, your whole page is awesome projects that now I want to make for me or the kid :slight_smile:

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6

Maybe this one, not as fancy as @Sunandmooncouture !

4 Likes
7

Yes! it was that one. Glad I asked though, cool to see @Sunandmooncouture projects.

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8

I didnt write any build notes but feel free to ask questions

9

Did you have to reinforce the neon LED strips to keep the arch? On mine the PEX tube is rigid enough and already formed into the curve that I didn’t have to do much of anything but cut and hot glue.

10

This was zip tied to a pegboard for a temp install but for permenant installs I superglue to neon to acrylic or polycarb sheets

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGtiIZtgcZT/

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11

Thanks! It came out nicely. I messed up and purchased a roll of 1/2" PEX tubing and my 1/2" APA102’s wouldn’t fit. So I got two straight sections of 3/4" PEX at Home depot. This required hand-bending then a tension string of fishing line between the ends (hot glued in place) to hold the tension into an arc.

Next Steps:
Find a cool ‘bouncing’ back and forth rainbow pattern
Add external button for toddler to turn on/off
Add button for changing between patterns

Basic BOM:
1M strip APA102 - https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14015 - $17.50
2x LED prigtail connectors - https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14576 - $3
USB power source - 5V/2A Wall wart I had on hand
1x Long USB cable from wall wart - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013CX6XO8?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details - 7$ (white would have been better)
1x Pixel blaze
1x 3/4” Pex tubing - Home depot - recommend curved (don’t buy straight stuff for curved project…)
Craft Fluff - I asked my mom to give me some. YMMV with this option
Cardboard backing cut out of box on hand - https://opopop.com/
LOTS of hot glue
Popsicle sticks to rigidly hold 5 pixels of distance outside of PEX underneath the clouds

IMG_5036
IMG_50361920×1440 106 KB

IMG_5037
IMG_50371920×1440 102 KB

IMG_5038
IMG_50381920×1440 138 KB

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12

Nice build! I guess I lucked.out that my pex tube was rolled up and had a hard curl, wasn’t straight.

The main pattern I had was a hacked version of KITT

// Want to learn how to code patterns like this? 
// This pattern has a YouTube video walkthrough:
// https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ugNIZ96UK4

leader = 0
direction = 1
pixels = array(pixelCount)

speed = pixelCount / 800
fade = .0007
export function beforeRender(delta) {
  var lastLeader = floor(leader)
  t1 = time(.1)

  leader += direction * delta * speed
  if (leader >= pixelCount) {
    direction = -direction
    leader = pixelCount -1
  }
  
  if (leader < 0) {
    direction = -direction
    leader = 0
  }
  pixels[floor(leader)] = 1
  
    // Fill pixels between frames. Added after the video walkthrough was uploaded.
  up = lastLeader < leader 
  for (i = lastLeader; i != floor(leader); up ? i++ : i-- ) pixels[i] = 1
    
    
  for (i = 0; i < pixelCount; i++) {
    pixels[i] -= delta * fade
    pixels[i] = max(0, pixels[i])
  }
}

export function render(index) {
  v = pixels[index]
  v = v*v*v
  hsv(index / pixelCount + t1, 1, v)
}

Then I had one with some lightning in the clouds

endPixels = 14
midPixelCount = pixelCount - endPixels*2


var t1
var p1 = array(pixelCount)
var p2 = array(pixelCount)


export function beforeRender(delta) {
  t1 = time(.03)
}


function renderMid(i, x) {
  h = (t1 + triangle(x)/2)
  s = 1
  v = 1
  hsv(h, s, v*.5)
}

function renderStart(i, x) {
  p1[i] *= .95
  if (p1[i] < .001)
    p1[i] = random(5)
  
  hsv(0,0,p1[i] - 1)
}

function renderEnd(i, x) {
  p2[i] *= .95
  if (p2[i] < .001)
    p2[i] = random(5)
  
  hsv(0,0,p2[i] - 1)

}


export function render(index) {
  rgb(0,0,0)
  if (index < endPixels) {
    renderStart(index, index / endPixels);
  } else if (index < endPixels + midPixelCount) {
    renderMid(index - endPixels, (index - endPixels) / midPixelCount)
  } else {
    renderEnd(index - endPixels - midPixelCount, (index - endPixels - midPixelCount)/endPixels)
  }
}
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