A Futuristic Plant To Inspire Bright Ideas

A good video game prop can really spruce up the decor — doubly so if it’s a glowing, futuristic potted plant transplanted(sorry!) straight from Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Since it’s a bit difficult to grow neon light vines, this project is more lamp than plant. The maker with the green thumb is [Phil], from [JumperOneTV], and he is using five meters of warm white strip LEDs cut to varying vine lengths. He’s also procured a store-bought flower pot that conveniently mirrors the in-game model. The vines are made of 16mm polyethylene tubing which he’s shaped using a heat gun — setting their shape by pumping water through it — and secured in the pot with insulation foam. Feeding the LED strips through and wiring them in parallel was simple compared to his next conundrum: supplying the power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyStNKpD0CA

In order to save some of the life of the LED strips, [Phil] is running them on 9V at about 1.5A using an adjustable power supply — well-hidden inside the flower pot’s base — emphasizing safety when turning your own. [Phil] doesn’t mention how he turns it on, but prodding slightly more living plant could be a neat trick when showing it off, provided your more musically inclined flora aren’t causing a ruckus.

16 thoughts on “A Futuristic Plant To Inspire Bright Ideas

      1. It’s not viewable in the United States either. What’s the point in hackaday posting a video nobody can see? In any case, it just appears to be side glow cable with some LED’s.

        1. No idea what’s going on. The post was contributed by a US writer, and checked by US editors. Bah!

          That said, it works fine from Germany. :)

          If you care a lot, take this as an opportunity to learn about Tor or remote proxy server options. You’ll find it useful in the future anyway.

  1. Apparently can’t watch the video in America, so now I’ll never know why the creator thought it was necessary to (presumably?) run the LEDs at a lower voltage to “save some of the life” in them.

    Like, is he trying to pass this thing on to his grandkids? Or is the life of these LED strips not 50K+ hours like normal LEDs?

      1. I had similar LEDs sealed in tubes on my bike. This made them weatherproof, but it also trapped the heat and eventually that killed them. Running them at a lower voltage is indeed the solution to the problem.

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