Alex Eames runs RasPi.TV as a website and YouTube channel dedicated to building single board computer projects and publicizing the possibilities of the small boards. His new project is the RasPiO Night Light, a light that lets users customize their RGB LED needs, and Eames is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.
The Night Light kit project is a motion-activated light, but Eames also wanted the project to be fun to build, fun to customize, and visually appealing. There’s a great section on the campaign page where he discusses the Arduino nano clone used in the system and complications between wifi and the passive infrared sensor, with the design decision then made to remove wifi from the project. This does mean that the user will need to connect to a computer every time they want a new light configuration, but that seems like a minor annoyance.
A full kit contains the printed circuitboard, laser cut acrylic top and bottom covers, the Arduino nano clone, the motion sensor, fasteners, LEDs, resistors, and the USB cable. To assemble the kit a soldering iron, solder and clippers are needed. Full assembly videos are being developed now and the Arduino sketch is already available on GitHub. Beyond a multicolored nightlight some ideas from the campaign page are tweaking the RGB colors, adding temperature sensor and display to act as a digital thermometer, adding smoke or gas sensors, adding extra LEDS or animations, customizing fade effects, and using the system as an intruder detector for a bedroom or workshop.
RasPiO Night Light is a nice example of a short project with a set purpose but plenty of opportunities for users to build their own customizations into the system. Like many single board computer projects there are already several users in the comment section asking about possible modifications to the system and different options for the projects that they want. The crowdfunding campaign ends on August 28 and first units are currently scheduled to ship in October and November 2018.