In this project we’re building an LED heart with NeoPixels. This uses Black LED acrylic to diffuse the NeoPixels inside a 3D printed case. The heart is made from pieces of strips that are daisy chained to create a custom matrix.
The ItsyBitsy nRF52840 and 500mah lipo battery are housed in a separate 3D printed case. With a lipo backpack, you can recharge the battery over USB. We think this case will work nicely for your next wearable project. A button lets you trigger the reset so you can easily update the firmware.
You can change the colors of the LEDs using the Adafruit BLE connect app for iOS or android. You can also trigger LED animations like the classic paint your dragon rainbow swirl. With the ItsyBitsy nRF52840 you can easily add BLE to your wearable projects.
Learn Guide
https://learn.adafruit.com/neopixel-led-heart-necklace/
ItsyBitsy nRF52840
https://www.adafruit.com/product/4481
Mini Skinny NeoPixel Strip
https://www.adafruit.com/product/2970
Lipo Backpack
https://www.adafruit.com/product/2124
500mAh Battery
https://www.adafruit.com/product/1578
Slide Switch
https://www.adafruit.com/product/805
10-wire ribbon cable
https://www.adafruit.com/product/3890
Black LED Acrylic
https://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/cut_to_size_plastic/black_led_sheet/668
Project inspired by Charyln
https://charlyn.codes/magic-acrylic-stays-opaque-until-light-shines-through/
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
