Every installation will be different…it depends on where you’re putting this and what tools, materials and techniques you have access to…so I won’t go into intricate detail on the actual build. But I can show you a couple things along the way that might be insightful…
Even though my icicle lights will be inside the window, I wanted to keep the weatherproof covering in case these are re-used in different situations later. This requires sealing the ends of the strips with hot glue and 1/2" clear heat-shrink.
This is already well illustrated in both the NeoPixel Curtain and Cyber Falls Wig guides for ideas…please take a look at both!
In the original Ooze Master 3000 project, every strip was carefully “tuned” to a specific length. Here, all the strips are the same length. Half a meter is especially convenient because NeoPixel strips already have solder joints at exactly that interval!
If using this strictly indoors, you could skip the weatherproofing step if you want, but it does make the strips a little more robust for handling.
Either way, take an important lesson from the Ooze Master guide: test every strip at every opportunity. After soldering, after weatherproofing, etc.
My “splat” pixels were strip-end cuttings from prior NeoPixel projects. Originally I was going to glue these to a strip of molding or maybe a dowel, but the local hardware store had this clear “L” corner protector stuff. I cut it to length for the window, hot-glued the pixels in place, and held it to the window with a couple small pieces of double-stick foam tape.
The strips are held to the glass using clear packing tape…both top and bottom, because the strips tend to curl a little otherwise. Originally I thought the JST wires would be bearing the load, but no, tape handles it fine.
The tape will peel off the window cleanly unless it’s been left up way too long and/or in direct sunlight.
If you do end up with tape residue on your window, it can be loosened up with Goo-Gone®, WD-40® and/or a hair dryer.
Up top, the same plastic “L” channel (with holes drilled at suitable intervals) supports the wires, held with zip-ties. The Feather hardware is out of frame to the right.
Of course, feel free to improvise with whatever you have.
Looks pretty rough from the inside. From outside though, nobody has to know what’s going on, they just see pretty lights.
A view of the Feather, Wing and Perma-Proto power distribution after moving to a different window.
Since it’s a temporary install and I’m not expecting company, it was all put up roughly with tape. Those with more patience and higher aesthetic standards can dress it up with an enclosure, maybe something 3D-printed.
As with the Ooze Master project, copious amounts of hot glue were used as strain relief for the wires. After testing that everything works, of course.
There’s a whole lot of talk here about windows, but that’s really not a requirement! Just like the original Ooze Master project, maybe there’s something suitably holiday-themed you can wrap this around…a tree, a wreath, a snowman. Just make sure, if outdoors, that everything’s suitably weatherproofed.
The next page is mirrored directly from the Ooze Master 3000 guide, so please excuse any reference to skulls and ectoplasm. That’s just to get the code installed and working, then we’ll proceed to make some Christmas-y adjustments!
Page last edited March 08, 2024
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