Interactive NeoPixels

In this project we'll build an LED Trampoline. This is a really fun project that lights up when you jump on it! These trampolines are meant for exercising and jumping on this thing for just a few minutes feels like a working out so perfect for tiring out kids, just be sure to supervise them. It works really well and looks amazing at night, especially around a fire pit with a fog machine.

Trampoline

I found this trampoline at my local Wal-Mart near the sporting goods isle. It was about $25. It has 6 detachable legs which is convenient for storing. It's meant for cardio workouts and features elastic straps instead of metal springs, which is pretty nice.

1 x 36" Trampoline
Calm 36-Inch Trampoline Cardio

Reel of NeoPixel LEDs

The trampoline is about 36 inches in diameter, which is fairly large so I used a 3 meter long LED strip to wrap around the whole framing. There's a little bit extra here, about 10 pixels, but this should give us plenty of LEDs to work with. The Low density strip contains 30 LEDs per meter, giving us a total of 90 RBG LEDs. You can choose to use a medium/high density, but be aware there are hardware limitations in Circuit Python.

Prerequisite Guides

If you're new to Circuit Python, NeoPixels and Soldering, take a moment to walk through the following guides to get you started.

Electronic Components

The Adafruit ItsyBitsy M0 and NeoPixel strip are the main electronic components used in this project.

1 x Adafruit ItsyBitsy M0
Adafruit ItsyBitsy M0 Express - for CircuitPython
1 x Vibration Sensor Switch
Medium sensitivity non-directional vibration
1 x Adafruit NeoPixel Digital RGB LED Strip
3 meters - White 60 LEDs per meter
1 x Soft Tactile Button
8mm x 8mm pack of 10
1 x USB Battery Pack
4000mAh - 5V @ 1A

Supplies

Wires and some handy supplies. 

1 x 26AWG Wire
Silicone Cover Stranded-Core Wire - 25ft
1 x Solder Wire
Solder Spool - 1/4 lb SAC305 RoHS lead-free / 0.031" rosin-core - 0.25 lb / 100 g
1 x Heat Shrink Tubing
Multi-Colored Heat Shrink Pack - 3/32" + 1/8" + 3/16" Diameters

Cool Tools!

These help make the project a smooth building experience. You don't need them all of them, but I recommend them.

1 x Wire Strippers
Hakko Professsional Quality 20-30 AWG Wire Strippers - CSP-30-1
1 x Wire Cutters
Flush diagonal cutters - CHP170
1 x Soldering Iron
Adjustable 30W 110V soldering iron - XY-258 110V
1 x Panavise
Panavise Jr. - PV-201
1 x Helping Third Hands
Helping Third Hand Magnifier W/Magnifying Glass Tool - MZ101
1 x Ultimaker 2+
3D Printer

This guide was first published on Apr 11, 2018. It was last updated on Mar 30, 2018.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Mar 30, 2018.

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