Neopixel LED Skirt

Description

My first wearable project integrating 120 RGB LEDs to a DIY skirt.
Of course, I was only responsible for the LED and coding stuff, sewing and pattern construction was done by a pro (who luckily is my girlfriend).
This project war inspired by: https://www.geekmomprojects.com/ and https://www.adafruit.com/beckystern

Files

meteor_rain.ino

Meteor rain example from the video

ino - 2.66 kB - 02/03/2021 at 17:50

Download

Components

1 × Adafruit QT PY

120 × WS2812B Neopixel LED (60 LED/m stripe) Electronic Components / Misc. Electronic Components

1 × Adafruit LSM6DSO32 board

1 × STEMMA cable

1 × 5000 mAh USB power bank

Project Logs

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Circuit diagram
makeTVee • 02/20/2021 at 08:22 • 0 comments

Simple circuit diagram for connecting the strip and sensor:
Coding
makeTVee • 02/03/2021 at 17:49 • 0 comments

1. Meteor rain

Simple example using the following lib: https://github.com/ArminiusM/Neopixel which I have found on https://www.tweaking4all.com/hardware/arduino/adruino-led-strip-effects/

It allows me to define virtual strip segments in a long LED strip, so I can control the 6 strips separately even if they are connected to a single pin of the controller.

2. Bouncing Ball
added to my Github: https://github.com/makeTVee/ledskirt
special version with rainbow color change balls, looks even better ;-)

more to come...
LED integration and skirt design
makeTVee • 02/02/2021 at 17:53 • 0 comments
6 LED stripes with 20 LEDs each are installed only at the front of the skirt. There are no LEDs at the back because of practical reasons (sitting, rest room etc.).

The stripes are connected in a serpentine layout, so only one pin on the QT PY is used. Therefore, there are three connections at the bottom of the skirt, which are secured on the stripe with some hot glue (not the final solution).

The skirt itself has 3 layers:
- blue semi transparent top layer for diffusion
- white middle layer (cotton) holding the LEDs and guiding the cable, also used at the waistband
- white bottom layer (lining fabric) to reduce resistance esp. during walking.
The stripes are attached to the skirt with Velcro, one side glued to the stripe, the other one sewed to the fabric. Every stripe has 4 Velcro points.

Power is distributed at the top of the stripes and hidden in the white double layer at the top.

Shrinking tubes are already installed, but not shrinked yet.

The cable is guided to a pocket at the back of the skirt. There is a buttonhole to reach the pocket from inside.

As mentioned, there are no LEDs at the back for better daily use. Of course, for special reasons (e.g. dancing), this skirt can be easily updated to a full LED set by adding stripes on the back via Velcro.

The pocket at the top of the back is large enough to hold the USB power bank and the controller, but still small enough to hide it under a shirt.

All 6 stripes are accessed by this single cable ending in the pocket.

If everything is install, the pocket looks like this

Apart from this, the skirt is a normal skirt with full functionality ;-) So it is also a nice skirt without LEDs. But why should someone do this....

So better switch the lights on:

:-)
Build process
makeTVee • 02/02/2021 at 17:52 • 0 comments

Some pictures from the build process:

Pattern cut out:

Velcro points on fabric:

Fastener on waist band:

LED arrangement (serpentine layout):

View all 4 project logs

Discussions

SimonAllen wrote 5 hours ago

I am still having problems. The error I get is

Meteor_rain:11:10: fatal error: npMeteor.h: No such file or directory
11 | #include <npMeteor.h>
| ^~~~~~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.

exit status 1
npMeteor.h: No such file or directory

I have downloaded Neopixel-master.zip. I have pointed Arduino IDE at it and asked it to install the library. I have tried this a few times but I still get the error. If I look in Sketch/Include Library I see at the bottom Recommended Libraries - Adafruit NeoPixel. The file npMeteor.h is in the zip file. I checked that.

However, it is clearly not seeing it. Any ideas. My version on Arduino is 1.8.12 which is the penultimate one. I am puzzled as to what is awry. Any ideas?

Are you sure? yes | no

SimonAllen wrote a day ago

A couple of questions. I cannot find the file npMeteor.h. Any idea where I can find that? Also, does it need a resistor inserted on A3.

Are you sure? yes | no

makeTVee wrote 21 hours ago

Hi Simon,

npMeteor.h is part of the mentioned external library

https://github.com/ArminiusM/Neopixel

Please download the library as a zip file and install it in Arduino IDE (add .zip lib):

https://www.arduino.cc/en/guide/libraries

Resistor on A3 is recommended (470 Ohm), but it works also without.

Are you sure? yes | no

SimonAllen wrote 02/21/2021 at 08:54

What IDE would recommend for uploading the code. I am new to this but have some Arduino experience.

Are you sure? yes | no

makeTVee wrote 02/21/2021 at 16:42

With Arduino experience, I would recommend Arduino IDE. If you like a more modern approach, use Visual Studio Code with PlatformIO. That's my preferred setup.

Are you sure? yes | no

SimonAllen wrote 02/19/2021 at 21:43

Is there a circuit diagram?

Are you sure? yes | no

makeTVee wrote 02/20/2021 at 08:23

just added it to the project log

Are you sure? yes | no

SimonAllen wrote 02/20/2021 at 10:05

Good gracious. It is as straight forward as that. I was thinking that it had other components. Am I right that it is possible to individually address each string? I noticed that in the bouncing video some decay slower than others.

Are you sure? yes | no

Tom_Neverwinter wrote 02/18/2021 at 08:15

Its a cool project. Until you look at the price to make it due to using proprietary boards. an esp32 and a 6dof sensor with cheap ws2812b/11 strips would be cheaper and more effective.

Are you sure? yes | no

makeTVee wrote 02/18/2021 at 11:48

Thanks, but I don't get your point. As you can see on the pictures, I am using cheap WS2812B IP30 strips from China, QT Py is 6 $ and as proprietary as esp32 boards. Why using an ESP32 if Bluetooth and Wifi are not used? There are cheaper Arduino boards out there. And Adafruit documentation is brilliant, so using an Adafruit board is always my prefered way to finish projects fast. But of course, it is always possible to save some money in the next iteration after finishing the prototype...

Are you sure? yes | no

Danica Roberts wrote 02/18/2021 at 04:40

OMG I LOVE THIS!!! Putting on my list of things to try :)

Are you sure? yes | no

sandor wrote 02/17/2021 at 21:36

This looks fantastic. My daughter has a tenuous relationship with gravity so she'll love something that bounces when she does.

Are you sure? yes | no

Ted wrote 02/17/2021 at 21:36

I like this idea of virtual kinetics.

I've integrated IMUs in some of my LED wearables, but I haven't figured out a good application for them yet. I've implemented a halter-top that sparkles if you jump (somewhat unreliably), but this is much cooler.

Are you sure? yes | no

SimonAllen wrote 02/17/2021 at 19:57

Is there a pattern for the fabric?

Are you sure? yes | no

makeTVee wrote 02/18/2021 at 11:51

Unfourtunatly not, it is a custom pattern designed for a perfect fit to the designers body. But if you start with a thick waistband, you can use a panel skirt design with 6 panels to get a similar result. If you need more information, send me a direct message and I will try to help with more details.

Are you sure? yes | no

Chris wrote 02/17/2021 at 17:30

Reminds me of my wedding suit from a couple of years back! But you've made it more interesting with the bouncing balls!! Though mine was WiFi controllable so guests could change the pattern while the speed adjusted to the music.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VyNpC937IBbmlaqxTE2OGfFStnYrnntp/view?usp=sharing

Are you sure? yes | no

benkokes wrote 02/17/2021 at 17:20

What a great, clever concept! And well executed! I love it, great job!

Are you sure? yes | no

Mike Szczys wrote 02/16/2021 at 15:46

Wow! That came out great. I absolutely love the bouncing ball animations.

The material does a great job of obscuring the strips without blocking the light. Even thought I know the trick it fools my eye into thinking there's something more complex than a set of columns going on here. Love it!

Are you sure? yes | no

makeTVee wrote 02/16/2021 at 17:29

Thank you! Yes, it's a pretty simple LED setup, but it looks great and even better in real life. It is so much fun seeing the people's reaction on the street.

Are you sure? yes | no

Neopixel LED Skirt

Description

Details

Files

meteor_rain.ino

Components

Project Logs

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Circuit diagram

Coding

1. Meteor rain

2. Bouncing Ball

LED integration and skirt design

Build process

Discussions

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