It seems all anyone is talking about right now is the virus scare that has most of us with a little extra time on our hands. [Paul Klinger] — a name we’ve seen before — built a blinking LED project to pass the time. So what? Well, the lights are made to look like a SARS-CoV-2 virus and the LEDs blink the virus RNA code. You can see the results in the video below.

This isn’t very surprising when you consider we’ve seen [Paul] make tiny things and even blink out his own DNA, so he’s clearly got some specific interests in this area.

The project requires 22 LEDs of various colors. A tiny CPU makes it practical. As you might expect, the real issue is getting everything to stay in one place while you are building it. The wire frame has a makeshift hinge so you can crack the virtual virus open and replace the battery or reprogram the controller.

Even with all the LEDs, [Paul] says he gets a day on a single CR2032 coin cell. We suppose after the crisis is over, you could repurpose this as a Christmas tree ornament. Or make a few copies for a baby mobile (as long as it was too far away for the tyke to reach).