Simple Zoetrope Part 2 – Completion

Today I polished off the zoetrope.

I began by connecting a few breadboards together to create a length that would support enough super bright leds to accommodate the length of my laser cut slides.

Then I hooked up the leds and programmed the sequence in arduino.

I did a quick test by holding a slide above the lit strip.

 

Once this was complete, I took the components home to craft an encloser. I found the perfect piece of foam core in the scrap bin but, on my way home, it poured with rain and my piece got warped. I decided to use ultra thin corrugated cardboard instead.

I slide the slides into the slots. In order to make them stand up straight, I had to add spacers to the underside of the slots and bind the slides to them with tape. I also created spacers between the strips of leds so that the light could be better directed up to the slides.

Then I crossed my fingers and turned it on in hopes that it would work.

I think the effect came out well. I spent a long time calibrating the timing in order to create the illusion of blinking. This involved tweaking the length of time that each slide was illuminated.

Here are some beauty shots of the final product.

Here is a video of it in low lighting.

Here are some videos of it in darkness.