G-35 Christmas lights do make a great LED matrix

ge-color-effects-matrix

This fully-addressable RGB LED matrix was built by [John Graham-Cummings]. He didn't start from scratch, but wisely repurposed a strand of GE Color Effect lights and built a pleasant looking case in which to mount the G-35 hardware. We've seen this hardware used in a similar way before. Because each 'bulb' has its own microcontroller, color data is shifted in via a serial bus. Orient the … [Read more...]

iPhone controlled Daft Punk helmet replica a dazzling build

daft-punk-helmet-replica-2

This Daft Punk helmet replica is beautiful to look at, but the deeper we delve into the build process, the more we begin to think that the entire project is a piece of artwork. [Harrison Krix] has been working on it for months, and just posted his three-part build log in September. Check out the video and the links to all three parts after the break. Now [Harrison] isn't new to prop replica … [Read more...]

The Partyscroller LED Display

livingRoom_cropped

As [Plasma2002] put it, "Those jumbo screens at concerts that display your text messages can be a lot of fun. Wouldn't it be great if you could have the same thing for your own parties or social gatherings?" The answer to this question came in the form of this hack, a scrolling marquee sign that guests simply had to text to get it to display messages. Apparently guests at the party loved the … [Read more...]

Camera flash marquee: Real of Fake?

camera-flash-marquee

  It’s time for everyone’s favorite comment thread game: Real or Fake? This week’s edition comes in from a tip that [Fabian] sent us about the music video Bright Siren by the band Androp. The video starts by showing bundles of cables being sorted and connected to breadboards. We get a brief shot of a large LED matrix (presumably being used for testing purposes) then footage of a … [Read more...]

See-through LED display

see-through-LED-display

[Ndsit] is having a party and wanted to liven up the place with some blinky lights. He's a bit new when it comes to hobby electronics, and although we'd highly recommend inviting some resistors to participate, the LED matrix that he built is very nice. It's 8x8, it's big, and (as shown in the clip after the break) the lights seem to hover in midair. That's because he didn't use a substrate to make … [Read more...]

12 foot LED display keeps your office informed

office-wall-display

Don't reach for a sticky note when you need to leave a message for your office mates, write it down on a 12 foot LED marquee. [Kitesurfer1404] built this for his home office, but we're sure he'll find fun stuff to use it for. The display has 512 LEDs driven by plain old 595 shift registers for the high-side columns, with an ULN2803A Darlington Array to pull the eight rows to ground. The whole … [Read more...]

Scrolling marquee made from GE Christmas lights

ge-christmas-light-scrolling-marquee

[John Riney] picked up three strands of addressable Christmas lights and used them to make a scrolling marquee. You may remember that the G-35 lights were hacked at the beginning of December, and we saw a project or two that involved these fun toys. In order to make the display [John] modified the original packing material to hold three strands in a six by eighteen grid for a total of 108 … [Read more...]