LED project help, please?

[Kekewy]

Hey everyone. I'm new to Raspberry Pi, never worked with one before, but I have a lot of programming experience and used to be a computer tech. There's a lot of info out there, so I was hoping one of you all could point me in the right direction for a project I would like to make. A friend of mine needs a lighted prop for a costume she's making. The lights need to brighten, dim and change colours in different patterns, so I thought a strip of LED lights coiled inside the prop would give her the look she needs. It's a small prop so the lights would have to work on batteries. I've seen a lot of people use Raspberry Pis with programmable LEDs, but they all use a power cord. Can I use one with a small battery pack?

I'm still doing research on this so any tips, pointers, or tutorials would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[LTolledo]

Hi there!

Welcome to the Forums!

As I understood from your post, your project is in the realm of "wearable" tech. The RPi to be used must be small enough to be able to be "sewn" to the prop, for this the likely candidate will be a Raspberry Pi Zero, driving a LED strip based on 3528 SMD RGB LEDs.

If the prop do require that the lighting/color pattern changes via remote control (via WiFi) then a Raspberry Pi Zero W would be the better candidate.

The LED strip color/brightness pattern(s) may be programmed using either C++ or python scripts.

For just pre-programmed lighting/color patterns (not requiring remote intervention), an arduino nano (or micro) may be able to do the same job as well.

[xl97]

I too mirror the above comment of: "Arduino"...

I dont see anything in your post that needs the RPi...

Might even be easier to use an Arduino too!

Neopixels might also be what you want to look into for the individually addressable leds..etc

[Kekewy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not familiar with the Arduino. Can you make your own pattern into it or does it only use pre-set ones? Since the lights are going to be coiled, I need to customize them to make sure I get the effects she needs.

[LTolledo]

If you still want to proceed with the RPi (using RPiZW) use the following links as reference to get you started...

https://learn.adafruit.com/light-painti ... i/hardware
https://tutorials-raspberrypi.com/conne ... ed-strips/

a further internet search (am assuming you're using other search engine) will reveal quite a number of hits. Take your pick that best suits your requirements.

Some of the tutorials comes with sample codes. Take time to understand how it works so that you may be able to customize the code to your particular needs.

Good luck with your build.... do keep in touch if you want further assistance.

Do note that most of us will just point you to the direction you want to go, and not take you there by piggy pack.

[markkuk]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not familiar with the Arduino. Can you make your own pattern into it or does it only use pre-set ones?

Arduino devices are fully programmable microcontrollers. Check out the Adafruit Gemma and Gemma M0 that are specifically designed for wearable projects.

[PiGraham]

An Aduino based on ATTiny chip that has battery connection built in is a giood choice for compact battery powered devices.
Adafruit Trinket is one example. I like the Digispark / Digidtump boards that are super cheapon eBay, Banggood etc.


Consider also ESP 8266 or ESP 32 boards


You can of course use a PiZero, just be aware it won't last as long on a given battery and you will need to implement a safe shutdown and power switch.

[B.Goode]

I've seen a lot of people use Raspberry Pis with programmable LEDs, but they all use a power cord. Can I use one with a small battery pack?

An RPi demands a stable reliable 5 volt power supply that remains constant under peak current requirements.

The RPi board has no way of knowing whether that power has come from a battery pack or from a power 'brick' fed from a mains supply.

So Yes. You can use a battery pack. But it must meet the requirements stated above.