Blog post about the making of my Isis wings.
http://firepixiefashion.blogspot.com/2014/11/led-isis-wings-arduino-controlled-magic.html
Very cool-- I like the notes on fabricating with resin. I’ve been thinking about that a little recently. Any tips?
Sure! The resin’s super easy to use. It’s a 1:1 ratio, just measure it out and mix like crazy. And WEAR GLOVES for chrissake, this stuff will take your skin right off. (Ask Me How I Know(™))
For this project I used these jewelry molds: http://bitly.com/1HDO9gP The smallest molds on this sheet are the perfect size for neopixels.
The Amazing Resin I referenced in the blog post is great because it cures really fast - like 10 minutes - but it is white and really opaque. That worked for this project because I wanted the pretty round bit on the back of the light and the flat bit at the front, since that’s how the lights attach to the wings.
For other projects I use Easy Cast which is clear: http://bitly.com/1rlJpCg
I mix a little bit of iridescent pigment in for diffusion. If I’m making, say, a necklace, and I want the light to shine through the pretty round front of the resin button, I’ll do a 2-part cast… fill the mold halfway and let it set up completely, then hot glue the wired up neopixel in there and fill the mold the rest of the way. This keeps it centered and keeps it from floating out, as it always wants to do. 
The resin + pixel + hot glue + resin sandwich is a great idea!
Thanks for the info and tips on the resin. It’s something I’m interesting in experimenting with as well.
I’m interested in my you went the custom wiring route, rather than buying pre-made IP68-rated resin-filled modules off Alibaba. You couldn’t find the shape or pixel density you wanted in the pre-made strings? Or was it the diffusion?
Also, have you had power problems or are you using the dynamic power adjustment feature of FastLED to keep everything under the 3A that UBEC you linked can supply? I reckon you’d draw a little over 7A at full bore there.
Hey Erin- I had another question: what kind of wire did you use? Single-core or stranded? I’m wondering how soft and flexible vs stiff and ‘wire-y’ it was.
Related link to the dangerously awesome DIY sources-and-materials site http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/ and their page on ‘flexible wire’.
http://www.kobakant.at/DIY/?p=514
@Robert_Atkins I shopped around on alibaba a lot but all the premade modules are really bulky and heavy compared to my final solution. The wings need to gently flutter in the breeze and they can’t do that with 5 lbs of clunky lights. Also the wire is really visible on the wings and all the premade modules have wire in bright red, green and white or whatever. I wanted teensy weensy wire and all in white. Yes it was a small headache keeping it all straight but worth it in the long run.
The wire I used is https://www.adafruit.com/product/2006 though I am gonna have to check out that other site @Mark_Kriegsman posted. This wire is super thin and stranded but with lots of strands inside. The silicone coating makes it uber super flexible and it is thin enough to pass fully shielded through a hole in a neopixel. So I was able to strand the neopixel power rails without cutting the wire. I “stripped” it every 4" or so using a creme brulee torch (heh heh… Fire… Heh) and then just threaded the pixels on and wound them around a few times before soldering. Fewer breaks in the wire == fewer breaking pixels down the road.
As for the power question. Um. I’m our of my depth here. It seems to work fine even at all-white-full-bright. Let me know if I’m in danger of burning things out… I asked a VerySmartGuy for help in choosing the power setup and he said this would be fine and that I’m likely hanging out in the neighborhood of 2A … But I don’t know how to tell really.
I can’t argue with your observations. But stand by for a “way to tell”