This project will guide you through the process of animating and illuminating your own version of Van Gogh's famous Starry Night painting.

This project uses readily available household materials, and also serves as a fun introduction to CircuitPython.

Materials

1 x Adafruit CRICKIT for Circuit Playground Express
Creative Robotics and Interactive Construction Kit is an add-on to our popular Circuit Playground Express that lets you #MakeRobotFriend using CircuitPython
1 x Circuit Playground Express
Circuit Playground Express is the perfect introduction to electronics and programming
1 x USB cable - A/MicroB - 3ft
Standard A to micro-B USB cable
1 x DC Gearbox Motor - "TT Motor" - 200RPM - 3 to 6VDC
TT DC Gearbox Motor with a gear ratio of 1:48 and 2 x 200mm wires with breadboard-friendly 0.1" male connectors
1 x Wire Light LED Strand - 12 Cool White LEDs + Coin Cell Holder
Silver wire strand of 12 epoxy coated 1000mcd LEDs
1 x Hakko Professsional Quality 20-30 AWG Wire Strippers
Professional quality wire strippers with precision ground notches to strip wires cleanly and quickly every time
1 x 5V 2A (2000mA) switching power supply
Power supply that gives a clean regulated 5V output at up to 2000mA, 110 or 240 input

In addition, this project uses:

  • Scrap cardboard (~10"x10" square)
  • Double sided tape
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue (optional)

Getting to know CircuitPython

CircuitPython is a programming language based on Python, one of the fastest growing programming languages in the world. It is specifically designed to simplify experimenting and learning to code on low-cost microcontroller boards.

To run CircuitPython we recommend using Mu. If this is your first time using Mu, this guide is a good introduction to get you up and running.

Mu is a simple code editor that works with all Adafruit CircuitPython boards. It's written in Python and works on Windows, MacOS, Linux and Raspberry Pi. The serial console is built right in so you get immediate feedback from your board's serial output!

Once you have Mu installed you're ready to rock with CircuitPython.

Let's get started!

This guide was first published on May 18, 2018. It was last updated on Mar 17, 2024.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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