Want to Make Cool Visual Effects? Learn to S.W.I.M !!! - Make Your Own Sequential Wave Imprinting Machine

SWIM, or Sequential Wave Imprinting Machine, is a mind-bending invention by Steve Mann that brings light to life [1] [2] [3]! It's a device that uses an array of lights to paint images, text, and graphics in mid-air or onto long-exposure photographs. Imagine waving a magic wand and leaving trails of light behind - that's SWIM in action!

Supplies

Ready to dive into the world of light painting? Here's what you'll need:

- A stick (your magic wand)

- Programmable LED strip (the more LEDs, the merrier!)

- Wire stripper (for those pesky wires)

- Black tape (to keep things neat and tidy)

- A dark room (where the magic happens)

Build - Crafting Your SWIM

1. Strip the ends of your LED strip wires.

2. Attach the LED strip to your stick. Make sure it's secure - we don't want a light show on the floor!

3. Connect the wires to your microcontroller. Double-check those connections!

4. Use black tape to secure everything and give it a sleek look.

Code - Illuminating Your Creation

Now for the brain of your SWIM - the code! While FastLED is a popular choice, I went old school and coded without libraries. It's like learning to drive a stick shift - more work, but you really understand what's happening under the hood.

Here's a basic snippet to get you started:

#define LED_PIN 2

#define NUM_LEDS 30 // Adjust this to match your LED strip length

void setup() {

pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT);

digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW);

}

void loop() {

// Example: Red, Green, Blue pattern

for (int i = 0; i < NUM_LEDS; i++) {

if (i % 3 == 0) sendColor(255, 0, 0); // Red

else if (i % 3 == 1) sendColor(0, 255, 0); // Green

else sendColor(0, 0, 255); // Blue

}

showStrip();

delay(1000); // Wait for 1 second before next update

}

void sendColor(byte red, byte green, byte blue) {

sendByte(green);

sendByte(red);

sendByte(blue);

}

void sendByte(byte data) {

for (byte i = 8; i > 0; i--) {

if (data & (1 << (i - 1))) {

// Send a 1

digitalWrite(LED_PIN, HIGH);

delayMicroseconds(800);

digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW);

delayMicroseconds(450);

} else {

// Send a 0

digitalWrite(LED_PIN, HIGH);

delayMicroseconds(400);

digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW);

delayMicroseconds(850);

}

void showStrip() {

digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW);

delayMicroseconds(50); // Reset signal

}

Remember to consider your microcontroller's frequency, PWM waves, and clock speed. It's like conducting an orchestra of light!

Creating Patterns

Time to let your creativity shine! I whipped up a nifty tool to help create image arrays. Choose your dimensions, draw your masterpiece, and download the array.

Quick note: The array currently reads top to bottom. If you need left to right, give me a shout!

Results - Show Off & Have Fun!

Now, wave that your SWIM works, watch your creation come to life! Remember, in the world of SWIM, you're not just making art - you're painting with time and light. Happy SWIMming!

Bibliographic Reference Citations on SWIM

[1] Steve Mann, Campus Canada, ISSN 0823-4531, p55 Feb-Mar 1985, pp58-59 Apr-May 1986, p72 Sep-Oct 1986.

[2] Wavelets and Chirplets: Time-Frequency Perspectives With Applications, Steve Mann, 1992, https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814355841_0006 in "Advances in Machine Vision, Strategies and Applications", editors Archibald and Petriu, World Scientific, Singapore . New Jersey . London . Hong Kong, World Scientific Series in Computer Science - Vol. 32, ISBN 981-02-0976-2, Vol. 32.

This work describes the Sequential Wave Imprinting Machine (S. W. I. M.), an array of digitally addressed lights. As the array is waved back-and-forth its position is tracked by a miniature built-in radar set that controls the rate of readout of a "SWIM buffer" to imprint text, images, pictures, graphics, and graphs upon human vision or photographic or videographic media.

[3] Intelligent Image Processing, Steve Mann, 2001, John Wiley and Sons textbook, Wiley Interscience Series.