I struggled with this project from the beginning because the prompt allowed to make “anything.” Too many possibilities? I decided I wanted to make a lamp because the lights in my bedroom can only be controlled from the living room…oh, how I longed to have a light that I could switch on and off while lying in bed.
Inspiration, then success, then failure…
I wanted to create a lamp that responded to motion. The design of my lamp would allow the lights to fade in and out if it sensed motion. I used a tilt switch for motion sensing, a 4-pin switch for on/off capability and Tip 120 for using the Voltage In. After much “circuiting”, I got the lights to work exactly like I wanted, yay!
I was going to use a Leonardo Ardunio that would attach to my lamp and I soldered the many wires together. The tilt switch was to be connected to the one of the brass rods that would hang from the lamp. So, I proceed to create the mess you see below:
…but then a lamp!
I realized later that I created a short circuit and managed to kill my Arduino, but I decided to make my lamp anyway, and it does work like other lamps, so it won’t fade, but it will give you light when you want. Here it is:
It’s inspired by fall and each of the big maple leaves are personalized with elements of my life. I used the CNC to cut out the shelf piece which plays the “tree branch” and I used the laser cutter to make the leaves.
Here it is, in action: