Ah…the Arduino.  The super powerful, easy to program microcontroller brings us another fantastic DIY project.  We’ve seen a few hard drive LED clocks in the past, but this one looks outstanding and is easier to create.  It uses POV (persistence of vision) to create the illusion of a clock while the drive is spinning.  The code will be released soon and you can also view more details about the project.  You can buy dirt cheap LEDs for your projects in our store.

Useful Links:

• Make a DIY Arduino Word Clock
• See all of our LED and Light projects
• Dirt Cheap, Epic DIY Pong Clock

Previously, we’ve shown you how to setup your own projection bombing system allowing you to “tag” and monument or building with your own, custom messages.  Typically, a green laser was used to draw a design on a building, but now you can use your finger and an iPhone to accomplish the same thing.  Enjoy!

Related iPhone Projects:

• 10 Outstanding DIY iPhone Hacks
• iPhone Controlled Tank using Arduino
• POV iPhone App Writes Messages in Midair

By using an Arduino, GPS, and an accelerometer, this group put together the “Urban Defender” – A hyper-local geolocation based game which allows users to “claim” various districts of a city by throwing the ball against a wall to claim the territory.  The ball tells you whether you’re in friendly or enemy territory through it’s built in speakers and LEDs. The concept video below does a great job of demonstrating the project.

The map above is how the users can track which geo-locations are owned by different groups.  It’s just a concept for now, but it would make for a great iPhone app to use to monitor which territories are owned by each team.

The Concept:

The Execution:

The Plan: The entire project is incredibly well documented, full of flow charts, diagrams, concept photos and videos so you can learn how to recreate the build.

The Code: Full details including flow charts, initial sketches, and source code can be obtained under their coding section.

The Build: Pictured above is their first prototype with all the electronics stuffed inside the ball, comfortably protected by foam.  You can view a walk through of the entire project build if you’d like to learn more.

Final Results:

The final result reminds us a lot of Foursquare, a popular location based game.  Full project details can be found at the links above at the project build site.  Be sure to subscribe to HacknMod for free to stay in the loop on future projects.

• If you’re a beginner to LED lights, buy a few and learn how to use them.

Make your own Motion Activated Display

POV (persistence of vision) is the blur you see when you wave an object quickly. In this case, by flashing LEDs at certain times while a wheel turns, a design appears in thin air. Learn how to make it.

How to Make your Clothing Glow

The creator of the suits for the band Daft Punk has written a tutorial on exactly how to stitch the glowing wire into any clothing. Step by step instructions and close up pictures of Daft Punk gear help you along the way.

Ambient lighting for your Computer

Some of the best do it yourself projects are ones that give you the functionality of an expensive commercial product. Such is the case with this mod which lets you endow your laptop or PC monitor with the same type of peripheral lighting found in Philips’ Ambilight display Learn how to do it yourself.

Make Party LEDs Blink to your Music

This would definitely be an awesome addition to any party. Using an output from your computer speakers, you can hook up a few LEDs, and they’ll pulsate to the beat of your music. Learn how to make your own.

A massive UFO using 3,000 LEDs

Using three thousand LEDs, engineering, and design, one group developed a massive, flying UFO. This 23 feet long beast was flown over Poland on the 4th of July amid laughs and shrieks of terror.� Read more about this project.

Model Porsche LED Computer Case Mod

Built in a 1/6th scale 1997 911 Twin Turbo Porsche, painted in color shifting car paint. After gutting the RC innards, inside we placed the motherboard of the computer. Then, we added cathodes underneath, LEDs, and water cooling. Learn how to build this project.

Make your own LED Cube

The warm, ambient glow of the LED Cube – A fantastic display of illuminated animation and hours of programming. They’re actually easier to create than you may think. We’ll show you how in plain English using simple designs and multiplexing.

Illuminated Balloon Party Decorations

Take an LED, strap a battery to it, shove it into a balloon, fill it with helium, and there you have it – a downright awesome decoration for any party. Then, when the party is over (and you don’t mind sparing a few LEDs and batteries) let them fly away into the night.  See step by step instructions.

Build a Fiber optic Star Ceiling

Using thousands of fiber optic strands, this man created his own star gazing sanctuary right in his living room. There are plenty of helpful tips and pictures to guide you through the build process. Build your own star filled ceiling.

Make an Iron Man Gadget

In the Iron Man movie, Tony Stark lifts his arm, palm facing toward his target. This replusor device releases a powerful blast of energy, blowing his opponents off their feet. Build your own which illuminates an array of energy emitting LEDs.

Subscribe to HacknMod

Stay tuned for more outstanding hacks, mods, and DIY projects – Subscribe to Hack N Mod

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, we’re having a HacknMod Challenge!  Here’s how it works: we give you a topic suggestion and you build the most impressive, exciting, and unique project you can come up with using any type of LEDs, lasers, and lighting.  Then, write up your project with pictures and videos and submit them to HacknMod.  On August 30, we’ll begin posting the best projects to the site and public voting will begin.

Note, your project cannot be posted anywhere on the web to be eligible for entry.

Prizes:

All top projects entered will be featured on the front page of the site and the project with the most votes will receive their choice of a 125mW SkyLasers green laser pointer worth $199 (capable of burning through all sorts of stuff) or a unique TokyoFlash Rogue watch worth $178.  We’ll also be giving out several HacknMod Store gift certificates worth $100 or more

Project Inspiration:

Need project inspiration or tutorials to help you get started?  Check out our collection of LED and Laser Hacks, a few of which are posted below:

• Mindblowing LED, Light and Laser Photography
• Create Outstanding Lighting Effects using EL Wire
• Open Source POV Bicycle Wheel Animation

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact me.  Now go build something extraordinary!

Joe Langvin
HacknMod Founder

This incredible, RGB LED light strip allows you to address each and every LED individually, creating splendid color patters. If you were challenged by the Open Source POV Bicycle Wheel Animation project we covered last week or were thinking of working on a RGB Computer Controlled LED Bottle Wall, then this LED hack can add to your project inspiration.

Controlling individual LED’s through the spectrum of red, green, blue is fairly rare because addressable RGB LED strips are difficult to find.

Synoptic Labs LED hack is an addressable RGB LED strip light based on the HL1606 controller chip operated by an Arduino. The HL1606 driver chip is the key component as this chip allows for individual control of the LEDs on the strip and also supports fade-in/fade-out effects.

Xander Hudson has done the hard work for you. Working around the original specsheet in Chinese for the HL1606, he has written an Arduino library for the HL1606. It is an open source project and should help the enthusiast to hit the ground running. Xander’s blog post gives first hand tips on how to go about the working and the sourcing for the HL1606 controller chips.

If you have set your ideas on LED hacks which you can program with custom sequences and effects, go through our Light and LED hacks section.

Via our friends at HackaDay

What is it about the combination of color and light which makes us automatically drawn to it ? Quite appropriately the video demo of Alex Beim’s LED bottle wall project is without sound. It’s all visual illumination as we watch 253 bottles light up with computer controlled LED bulbs. The glass bottles (probably Bacardi) are arranged in a grid of 23×11 on a flat mobile wall. Each bottle has a LED behind it. The bulbs are switched on and off in harmonic sequence by a programmed onboard computer thus creating patterns, letters and words.

The illuminated bottle wall project is a brilliant hit. If you need more creative uses light, check out some of our outstanding LED and light projects -

• Open Source POV Bicycle Wheel Animation
• Dirt Simple POV LED Display
  
• Giant Seven Segment LED Displays

We recently covered a fantastic POV system which displays animation or pictures on your bicycle tires as you ride.  Instead of buying that kit, you can learn to make your own quite easily.  This open source POV bike tutorial walks you through the build process of making your own system.  As you can see in the picture above and the video below, the results are fantastic!  Here are a few specs about the project:

• 16 RGB (Red+Green+Blue) LEDs
• Arduino compatibility (Supposedly)
• Single layer printed circuit board, suitable for home fab
• All through hole componentes, suitable for beginners
• Hall effect sensor, for image synchronization
• Least number of componentes possible
• Unfortunately, only one side of the wheel is illuminated
• Fits 26″ wheels for now

Above is the circuit board which attaches to your spokes.  Below is a video demo of the system.

Just a reminder that we’ve extended our t-shirt contest to accept entries until the end of tomorrow, June 10th. Please see our original post for full details and prizes.

Soon we’ll be launching our first HacknMod challenge allowing you to show off your hacking and modding skills.  Below are a few possible challenge topics, but feel free to suggest your own ideas:

• Most efficient green energy project (wind, wave, solar, etc)
• Best POV device – Our POV projects
• Best camera rig for capturing lightning, fireworks, water drops, etc.)
• Coolest use of DIY robotics
• Best new form of transportation
• Most impressive laser/LED display

Keep these topics in mind as we’ll annoucence the challenge next week.  As always, feel free to contact us and see what we’re up to.

• POV iPhone App Writes Messages in Midair
• LED Watch Flashes Time in Midair
• Dirt Simple POV LED Display