Author: Eva Mo

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!