This Halloween, I designed a unique “cloud umbrella” that lights up like a storm! 🌧️✨ The canopy is covered with fluffy cotton clouds, and raindrop-like details that dangle around the edges. Inside the umbrella, an Arduino setup creates a dramatic lightning effect, with light strips flashing in different intensities to mimic the rumbling storm. ⚡️💡
In past Halloweens, I always went with smaller accessories, like masks or hats. But this year, with a bit more time and the chance to get creative, I wanted to make something bigger – and that’s how the Storm Cloud Umbrella was born! I have to admit, I’m really happy with how it looks. However, it turned out way heavier than I expected. (I used the cheapest umbrella I could find, and the frame couldn’t handle the weight of the chains, so I had to reinforce it with wire, which made it even heavier.) Carrying it around is definitely a workout!
My materials are: clear umbrella, cotton, wire, decorations that look like raindrops, glue gun, strong glue, insulating tape, and my circuit board.
This is what it looks like without the cotton, a bald head~🧑🦲
Circuit Diagram:
Here’s the final look. ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
This is what it looks like after it’s been through the crowds. 😱
My Code：
// Simple demonstration on using an input device to trigger changes on your
// NeoPixels. Wire a momentary push button to connect from ground to a
// digital IO pin. When the button is pressed it will change to a new pixel
// animation. Initial state has all pixels off -- press the button once to
// start the first animation. As written, the button does not interrupt an
// animation in-progress, it works only when idle.
// Here is where you can put in your favorite colors that will appear!
// just add new {nnn, nnn, nnn}, lines. They will be picked out randomly
// R G B
uint8_t myFavoriteColors[][3] = {{200, 200, 200}, // white
{200, 200, 0}, // yellow
{200, 200, 200}, // white
};
// don't edit the line below
#define FAVCOLORS sizeof(myFavoriteColors) / 3
#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>
#ifdef __AVR__
#include <avr/power.h> // Required for 16 MHz Adafruit Trinket
#endif
// Digital IO pin connected to the button. This will be driven with a
// pull-up resistor so the switch pulls the pin to ground momentarily.
// On a high -> low transition the button press logic will execute.
#define BUTTON_PIN 2
#define PIXEL_PIN 1 // Digital IO pin connected to the NeoPixels.
#define PIXEL_COUNT 28 // Number of NeoPixels
// Declare our NeoPixel strip object:
Adafruit_NeoPixel strip(PIXEL_COUNT, PIXEL_PIN, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);
// Argument 1 = Number of pixels in NeoPixel strip
// Argument 2 = Arduino pin number (most are valid)
// Argument 3 = Pixel type flags, add together as needed:
// NEO_KHZ800 800 KHz bitstream (most NeoPixel products w/WS2812 LEDs)
// NEO_KHZ400 400 KHz (classic 'v1' (not v2) FLORA pixels, WS2811 drivers)
// NEO_GRB Pixels are wired for GRB bitstream (most NeoPixel products)
// NEO_RGB Pixels are wired for RGB bitstream (v1 FLORA pixels, not v2)
// NEO_RGBW Pixels are wired for RGBW bitstream (NeoPixel RGBW products)
boolean oldState = HIGH;
int mode = 0; // Currently-active animation mode, 0-9
void setup() {
pinMode(BUTTON_PIN, INPUT_PULLUP);
strip.begin(); // Initialize NeoPixel strip object (REQUIRED)
strip.show(); // Initialize all pixels to 'off'
}
void loop() {
// Get current button state.
boolean newState = digitalRead(BUTTON_PIN);
// Check if state changed from high to low (button press).
if((newState == LOW) && (oldState == HIGH)) {
// Short delay to debounce button.
delay(20);
// Check if button is still low after debounce.
newState = digitalRead(BUTTON_PIN);
if(newState == LOW) { // Yes, still low
if(++mode > 2) mode = 0; // Advance to next mode, wrap around after #8
switch(mode) { // Start the new animation...
case 0:
//colorWipe(strip.Color( 0, 0, 0), 50); // Black/off
flashRandom(5, 20);
flashRandom(5, 20);
flashRandom(5, 20);
flashRandom(5, 20);
break;
case 1:
flashRandom(5, 20);
flashRandom(5, 12);
flashRandom(5, 15);
flashRandom(5, 10);
flashRandom(5, 2);
flashRandom(5, 2);
flashRandom(5, 2);
flashRandom(5, 2);
break;
}
}
}
// Set the last-read button state to the old state.
oldState = newState;
}
// Fill strip pixels one after another with a color. Strip is NOT cleared
// first; anything there will be covered pixel by pixel. Pass in color
// (as a single 'packed' 32-bit value, which you can get by calling
// strip.Color(red, green, blue) as shown in the loop() function above),
// and a delay time (in milliseconds) between pixels.
void colorWipe(uint32_t color, int wait) {
for(int i=0; i<strip.numPixels(); i++) { // For each pixel in strip...
strip.setPixelColor(i, color); // Set pixel's color (in RAM)
strip.show(); // Update strip to match
delay(wait); // Pause for a moment
}
}
// Theater-marquee-style chasing lights. Pass in a color (32-bit value,
// a la strip.Color(r,g,b) as mentioned above), and a delay time (in ms)
// between frames.
void theaterChase(uint32_t color, int wait) {
for(int a=0; a<10; a++) { // Repeat 10 times...
for(int b=0; b<3; b++) { // 'b' counts from 0 to 2...
strip.clear(); // Set all pixels in RAM to 0 (off)
// 'c' counts up from 'b' to end of strip in steps of 3...
for(int c=b; c<strip.numPixels(); c += 3) {
strip.setPixelColor(c, color); // Set pixel 'c' to value 'color'
}
strip.show(); // Update strip with new contents
delay(wait); // Pause for a moment
}
}
}
// Rainbow cycle along whole strip. Pass delay time (in ms) between frames.
void rainbow(int wait) {
// Hue of first pixel runs 3 complete loops through the color wheel.
// Color wheel has a range of 65536 but it's OK if we roll over, so
// just count from 0 to 3*65536. Adding 256 to firstPixelHue each time
// means we'll make 3*65536/256 = 768 passes through this outer loop:
for(long firstPixelHue = 0; firstPixelHue < 3*65536; firstPixelHue += 256) {
for(int i=0; i<strip.numPixels(); i++) { // For each pixel in strip...
// Offset pixel hue by an amount to make one full revolution of the
// color wheel (range of 65536) along the length of the strip
// (strip.numPixels() steps):
int pixelHue = firstPixelHue + (i * 65536L / strip.numPixels());
// strip.ColorHSV() can take 1 or 3 arguments: a hue (0 to 65535) or
// optionally add saturation and value (brightness) (each 0 to 255).
// Here we're using just the single-argument hue variant. The result
// is passed through strip.gamma32() to provide 'truer' colors
// before assigning to each pixel:
strip.setPixelColor(i, strip.gamma32(strip.ColorHSV(pixelHue)));
}
strip.show(); // Update strip with new contents
delay(wait); // Pause for a moment
}
}
// Rainbow-enhanced theater marquee. Pass delay time (in ms) between frames.
void theaterChaseRainbow(int wait) {
int firstPixelHue = 0; // First pixel starts at red (hue 0)
for(int a=0; a<30; a++) { // Repeat 30 times...
for(int b=0; b<3; b++) { // 'b' counts from 0 to 2...
strip.clear(); // Set all pixels in RAM to 0 (off)
// 'c' counts up from 'b' to end of strip in increments of 3...
for(int c=b; c<strip.numPixels(); c += 3) {
// hue of pixel 'c' is offset by an amount to make one full
// revolution of the color wheel (range 65536) along the length
// of the strip (strip.numPixels() steps):
int hue = firstPixelHue + c * 65536L / strip.numPixels();
uint32_t color = strip.gamma32(strip.ColorHSV(hue)); // hue -> RGB
strip.setPixelColor(c, color); // Set pixel 'c' to value 'color'
}
strip.show(); // Update strip with new contents
delay(wait); // Pause for a moment
firstPixelHue += 65536 / 90; // One cycle of color wheel over 90 frames
}
}
}
void flashRandom(int wait, uint8_t howmany) {
for(uint16_t i=0; i<howmany; i++) {
// pick a random favorite color!
int c = random(FAVCOLORS);
int red = myFavoriteColors[c][0];
int green = myFavoriteColors[c][1];
int blue = myFavoriteColors[c][2];
// get a random pixel from the list
int j = random(strip.numPixels());
//Serial.print("Lighting up "); Serial.println(j);
// now we will 'fade' it in 5 steps
for (int x=0; x < 5; x++) {
int r = red * (x+1); r /= 5;
int g = green * (x+1); g /= 5;
int b = blue * (x+1); b /= 5;
strip.setPixelColor(j, strip.Color(r, g, b));
strip.show();
delay(wait);
}
// & fade out in 5 steps
for (int x=5; x >= 0; x--) {
int r = red * x; r /= 5;
int g = green * x; g /= 5;
int b = blue * x; b /= 5;
strip.setPixelColor(j, strip.Color(r, g, b));
strip.show();
delay(wait);
}
}
// LEDs will be off when done (they are faded to 0)
}And, I like all of us in our costumes! This Halloween was awesome!
