Animated LED Crystal Shadow Box

A simple project that uses the lensing effects of a crystal dish(desert plate? not sure) and diffraction grating(like fireworks glasses) to create a rainbow/kaleidoscope/fractal scene animated with addressable LED strip. The frame is from a cheap analog(with hands) clock. The clock mechanism was used for something else and the frame was left over and re-purposed. It was painted with 3 different colors of glitter spray paint. Reflective black, reflective silver, and an iridescent shimmer type. The addressable/smart/pixel LEDs cast 3 beams of light, red, blue, and green. Each are slightly out of alignment with each other and when the light hits the crystal dish it is distorted, warped, split and recast in a different directions, the ridges and texture on the crystal dish are reflected in the altered light output. This makes many textured beams of light(of the different colors) that hits the diffraction grating splitting again. This bouncing and distorting makes the interesting effect seen in this rainbow shadow box.

A NLED Pixel Controller Ion is small enough to fit inside the frame and provides an easy way to create and upload color sequences specific for the project. The LEDs are arranged in 3 groups, but are controlled all in one string. The software NLED Aurora Control allows the user to create custom color sequences that can be uploaded to compatible controllers to run by itself, without a computer connection.

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