A Seemingly Floating Luminary
As part of the Design 3 course I was asked to conceive a desktop luminary with which the user could interact in some way. One of the designs happened to be this one, where I expected that a series of rings look like floating as if the light itself were pushing the top section and pushing the rings apart. Each space between the rings would allow the light to pass through and project a light ring in the surface. Also the light would be able to change the hue at the tap of the user on the top section.
The circuit resulted pretty expensive for such a tiny project. A power boost module was the priciest component and key for the success of the circuit as the Arduino Nano works with 5V and the battery would only provide 3.7V. With the power boost connected to the battery the breach in voltage was eliminated as it would lift it to the desired 5V.
For the materials if was key to find a clear tube to hold everything together. Initially a clear acrylic pipe was thought as the best solution, however it was available only in large sections and the price above for the budget for the project. Instead I bought a clear glass cylindric food container, which I masked with tape to cover the clear rings and spray-painted the rest in matte white.
The container for the circuit was built from laser cut MDF rings to shape the cylinder (a budget solution from pricy 3D printing), which where sanded, then applied putty and sanded again.
