DisGlow:Re Inventing the Disco Ball.

Hi folks, and welcome to DisGlow, where we are re-inventing the disco ball!! This is my debut Instructables project,and was never conceived as a "final product"' but more of a test bench for the further development of smart lighting systems, powered by micro controllers such as Arduino and BBC Micro:bit, as will be used in this Instructable. The 3D printed body for this project is, however, designed to be able to accommodate a large range of different micro controllers, both great and small, offering a versitile selection of ways you can chose to control this device, including controlling it via Bluetooth and radio!!. Think of this this project as more a blank canvas for your own creative output with how you chose to program your lights.

This version of DisGlow is for the "Make it Glow" contest. I entered this contest very late, and due to the whopping 30+hours 3D printing time even at a fast and low quality print, I was unable to produce a physical disco ball, but this project will be made bigger and better over the coming months.

Never fear....I have included a full set of 3D printable parts as well as some circuit diagrams suitable for begginers and budding Nicola Teslas alike.

Hit that "I made this" button and join me on my quest to re-invent disco balls into the 21st century and beyond!!!

First of all, a computer and some awesome free design software is a must for this project. I used Autodesk Fusion 360 /Eagle, Tinkercad and Ultimaker Cura for this project. I also used Microsoft Make code, MIT app inventor and Arduino for the coding. GrabCAD is amazing for some of the 3d component models used in this project.

To construct this project you will require the following supplies:

• A 3d printer and filament of your choice
• A micro controller of your choice. (Arduino and BBC Micro:Bit reccommended.)
• Some wires
• A small breadboard or some veroboard.
• Neccecary breakouts and headers for your microcontroller of choice.
• Simple electrical tools.
• A DC/DC Boost(optional)
• LOTS OF LEDS!!!!!!!

3D Cad

The images above show the current design plus some original early concept drawings. The idea of the shape is for the light to radiate over 360 degrees, as opposed to just upwards like traditional disco lights. While this project contains details for 3d printing this device, the eventual plan is to use injection moulding or vacuum forming to produce it, especially the transparent ball at the top, as 3d printing will give the finish a more opaque look and diffuse the light rather than diffract it, as is shown in the renders above.

The picture to the left shows a basic test setup to experiment with using a Micro:Bit as a bluetooth reciever to send commands to the Arduino, which in turn controls the lights.

The central picture shows the lighting assembly and the wires connecting it to the micro controllers.

In this draft of this project, the arduino is being used as a power supply as well as a processor. At the moment, the electronics are in an early stage of development. The eventual plan is to use a DC Dc boost converter for the power to allow for the use of higher voltages on the LEDs.

At the moment, the coding for this project is in its very early stages. The images above show screen shots from the initial development of a bluetooth app. At the moment, there is a problem proceeding with this due to administrator rights while accessing bluetooth.

A rough assembly guide can be seen in the image above. Please refer to the electronics section for a more detailed view of the wiring.