By Alun Williams 13th September 2022
Fancy making a cool looking magnetic levitating lamp? Check out this Arduino Nano-based project that combines a magnet and LEDs.
What’s that you say? The lamp is not levitating, it’s being held up? Those are just wires, as you can see in the video below, which are not strong enough to hold the light upright by themselves.
Described as a fully 3D-printable project suitable for beginners, the Gadget Master is one Tom Ouwerkerk. The steps for building it are fully outlined on the Arduino Project Hub.
At the heart of the system, along with the Nano, is the magnetic switch he sourced from Seeed Studio – a Grove interface-compatible magnetic switch module, to be precise.
“It is based on encapsulated dry reed switch CT10. CT10 is single-pole, single throw (SPST) type, having normally open ruthenium contacts. The sensor is a double-ended type and may be actuated with an electromagnet, a permanent magnet or a combination of both. The magnetic switch is a wonderful tool for designers who would like to turn a circuit on and off based on proximity.”
The Nano then controls the operation of the switch.
“For me, it was an exploration as a beginning designer on how you can work with magnets and make something float out of nowhere. My goal was for people to be amazed the first time they see it working.”
The code is on GitHub and the parts listed by Tom include:
I think it’s a great design – what are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.
But first, check out this video:
See also: Touching the light, with the Electric Paint Lamp Kit
Ha! The laws of physics thwarting the aspirations of art…Two Cultures clashing
Yup. That’s the one.
Aided, in this & other cases, by that old bete noire: Health & Safety.
Some of the artistry I was involved with was quite stunning.
Their love of blue LEDs was remarkable.
That’s just reminded me of the Art & Design student who wanted to magnetically levitate a 75kg steel structure as part of his degree exhibition.
Ah, the art of the possible.
I disabused him of the notion.
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Homemade electronic gadgets, the latest dev boards, and the more interesting consumer devices. Written by Alun Williams.
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