Overview

Save Subscribe

NeoPixel Heart

In this project we’re building an LED heart with NeoPixels. This uses Black LED acrylic to diffuse the NeoPixels inside a 3D printed case. The heart is made from pieces of strips that are daisy chained to create a custom matrix.

3d_printing_hero-bust-heart.jpg

3D Printed Case

The ItsyBitsy nRF52840 and 500mah lipo battery are housed in a separate 3D printed case. With a lipo backpack, you can recharge the battery over USB. We think this case will work nicely for your next wearable project. A button lets you trigger a reset, so you can easily update the firmware.

BLE with ItsyBitsy

You can change the colors of the LEDs using the Adafruit BLE Connect app for iOS or Android. You can also trigger LED animations like the classic Paint your Dragon rainbow swirl. With the ItsyBitsy nRF52840, you can easily add BLE to your wearable projects.

Parts List

List of parts used to build this project.

LED RGB matrix 12" x 12" with "Adafruit Industries LED Matrix" text showing, and LED acrylic slowly covering to make it nicely diffused
A nice whoppin' slab of some lovely black acrylic to add some extra diffusion to your LED Matrix project. This material is 2.6mm (0.1") thick and is made of special cast...
Out of Stock
Out of Stock
Angled shot of Adafruit ItsyBitsy nRF52840 Express - Bluetooth LE.
What's smaller than a Feather but larger than a Trinket? It's an Adafruit ItsyBitsy nRF52840 Express featuring the Nordic nRF52840 Bluetooth LE...
$19.95
In Stock
Add to Cart
Adafruit NeoPixel Digital RGB LED Strip wired to a microcontroller, with all the LEDs in a rainbow
So thin. So mini. So teeeeeeny-tiny. It's the 'skinny' version of our classic NeoPixel strips!These NeoPixel strips have 144 digitally-addressable pixel Mini LEDs...
Out of Stock
Out of Stock
Adafruit LiIon/LiPoly Backpack soldered onto a Pro Trinket, plugged into a solderless breadboard.
If you have an ItsyBitsy or Pro Trinket you probably know it's the perfect little size for a portable project. This LiPoly backpack makes it really easy to do! Instead of wiring 2...
$4.95
In Stock
Add to Cart
Angled shot of a Lithium Ion Polymer Battery 3.7V 500mAh with JST-PH connector.
Lithium-ion polymer (also known as 'lipo' or 'lipoly') batteries are thin, light, and powerful. The output ranges from 4.2V when completely charged to 3.7V. This...
$7.95
In Stock
Add to Cart
Breadboard-friendly SPDT Slide Switch
These nice switches are perfect for use with breadboard and perfboard projects. They have 0.1" spacing and snap in nicely into a solderless breadboard. They're easy to switch...
$0.95
In Stock
Add to Cart
Fully Reversible Pink/Purple USB A to micro B Cable
This cable is not only super-fashionable, with a woven pink and purple Blinka-like pattern, it's also fully reversible! That's right, you will save seconds a day by...
$3.95
In Stock
Add to Cart
1 x Black LED Acrylic
100mm x 100mm - 1/8in thickness
1 x 1/8in Flat End Mill
Single Flute Upcut
1 x Bantam Tools CNC
Desktop CNC Milling Machine
3d_printing_hero-bust-linda.jpg

Inspirational Source:

This project was inspired by Charlyn Gonda's Ring project. Check it out on her website:

https://charlyn.codes/magic-acrylic-stays-opaque-until-light-shines-through/

3D Printing 

This guide was first published on Feb 12, 2020. It was last updated on Feb 12, 2020.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Feb 06, 2020.

Text editor powered by tinymce.