This product is a customizable moving flower glow lamp that will bring life and atmosphere to the user's room with the push of a button. The device is a flow in a pot with customizable LEDs and moving parts (petals, leaves). The lamp itself will be battery powered inside the pot and there will be a switch/button to press to turn the lamp on and off. The user will precode the color scheme beforehand all the while a motor will spin a spindle connected to the leaves or petals in order to move them up and down. This will give the product a sense of life rather than being a stationary lamp. The purpose of this project is to create an electromechanical device that someone in high school would be able to replicate for under $100. In creating the product, they are able to make something worthwhile as well as have purpose in order to give their room a little life and color to their favorite aesthetic. In recent years especially through social media, neon reminiscent lights have become quite popular especially with teens and young adults. It’s hard not to walk by any home or apartment complex that doesn’t have multiple windows shining a vibrant color from the rainbow with LED strip lights on the walls or the glow of some neon sign hung up on the wall. Many lamps have been made to provide this glowing aesthetic such as salt lamps or other objects like books that glow when opened and this product follows a similar scheme.

Supplies

Arduino (ATMega2560)
Stepper Motor
Tri-color LEDs
Ceramic Pot
Colored Film
Wire
Fake Flowers
Fake Moss
Fake Flower Stem
Napkin

Step 1: Create Code for Stepper Motor Function

Before integrating the electronic components into the design, they must first be coded. A stepper motor is used in order to spin the flower back and forth revolving around the stem. The stepper motor will be coded to spin one full rotation in one direction and then spin another full rotation in the opposite direction. This function will continue to run so long as the controller is powered. The code for the stepper motor is written in C and the controller used to power the system is an Arduino ATMega2560.

When it comes to the actual code it is quite simple to understand. We must first create an array that represents each position the stepper motor will reach. Once the array is created we must use a for loop to rotate between each element. As the for loop iterates the stepper motor will move to its next position. Now that we have the stepper motor rotating what's next is making it rotate in one direction and then the opposite direction. This can simply be done with another for loop that uses the same array but this time checks each element in the array backwards. This will then make the motor rotate in the other direction. Combining these two functions will gives a final result of a stepper motor rotating in one direction and then immediately rotate back to the original position.

Step 2: Create Code for LED Function

Another system that needs to be coded before integrating the design is the individual LEDs that will be placed throughout the flower. The LEDs will be coded to cycle through an array of colors at random. The LEDs will continue to transition between colors so long as the controller is powered. The code for the LEDs is written in C and the controller used to power the system is an Arduino ATMega2560

The code for the tricolor LED is a very simple operation. In order to fade colors, it works by randomly selecting a number from 0 to 255 and using that to adjust what color is displayed on the LED. Then, using a command that writes to the LED, it applies this number to shift the output to the desired number color. This creates a multi-color display that randomly shifts from one color to the next. Blinking the LEDs is a much simpler operation as it uses preset values and a delay function in order to rapidly shift between colors that are pre-selected.

Step 3: Create Petals

Once all the electronic parts have been programmed, the main flower and pot needs to be constructed. The flower itself is made using a rod for the stem and has petals constructed of a colored film and wire. When deciding how we wanted our flower itself to be glowing, we knew we needed some translucent material to allow the light to shine through. Options could’ve included glass, resin, acrylic base panes, etc. but we chose to go with gel sheets used in coloring stage lighting. The film is used in order to allow light to shine through the flower and diffuse the light that comes from the LEDs that will be placed inside. The constructed flower will be placed inside a ceramic pot. The pot will be used in order to hold all the electronic parts and fake moss will be placed over the top of the pot in order to conceal all the electronics and make the flower more visually appealing.

In order to create the flower, first the desired colored film needs to be selected. Once selected, a dry erase marker is used to outline each of the petals on the film. It’s helpful to only make 4 or 5 at a time as your hand or arm may erase marks you have already made. Cut out each petal and set them to the side. The next step is to unfurl the jewelry wire that will be used, and line a portion up with the bottom edge of the petal. Pliers are then used to bend the wire around the perimeter of the petal, a lastly hot glue is used to attach the petals to the wiring. Attaching to the wiring allows us to shape the petal into a curvy flower petal shape with movement in 3D space rather than just sticking straight out into the air. Repeat this step for all petals.

Step 4: Integrate Electronic Components

With all the coding done, the electrical parts can be combined to form the final pot. The stepper motor will be attached to the bottom of the flower stem so that it can rotate on its axis. The motor itself and Arduino used to power the motor will be placed inside the ceramic pot so that it does not show on the final design. One LED is put up the base of the stem while the other LEDs are affixed to the edge of the pot underneath the moss. LEDs will be strung throughout the flower and the wires coming from the controller to the LEDs will be tied to the stem and colored to blend into the overall design. Similar to the stepper motor, the Arduino will be stored inside the pot and covered with a layer of fake moss and fake flowers.

Step 5: Assemble Flower

To create the flower, the stem of the flower needs to be super glued onto the base of the stepper motor. Cut a slight notch into the stem base and super glue them together creating a stump of glue connected to to the motor. In order to keep the motor spinning, the user will need to cut a bit into the base of the glue stump to loosen it and allow the stem to turn with the stepper motor.

To hide the electrical components in the pot, a napkin or coffee filter is cut to shape around the stem and interior of the pot. Fake moss and flowers are then super glue onto this stability layer to hide the interior components. The stepper motor is glued down to the bottom of the pot to keep the flower stable and spinning in the middle. The Arduino is placed upside down with the connection port to be uploaded form the computer exposed. Holes are cut into the filter to allow the LEDs to fit through and shine through the moss onto the flower above. One LED with braided wires is affixed at the top of the flower in place of a bulb of a flower. Finally, the petals are then glued one by one around this center bulb and the flower should be complete.