โOh, the weather outside is frightfulโ โ honestly, itโs 56 degrees โ not bad for mid-December in Michigan? โBut the fire is so delightfulโ (frantically checks 3d printers, soldering equipment etc.) โ what fire?! โAnd since we’ve no place to goโ OK, fair… โLet it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!โ โ again, 56 degrees, no chance โ yet somehow Particleโs new Holiday Snowflake appeared, as if by magic, on my desk!
Imagine my delight as I opened the festive Particle blue and white padded mailer to reveal a pretty PCB adorned with 36 RGB LEDs, a capacitive touch Particle logo, and around back, a speaker, microphone, Qwiic (I2C) port, and of course Particleโs new P2 module providing the brains for it all.
Powering it on, I was further delighted by a voice greeting, instructing me to tap the logo to change the LED patterns, as well as reminding me to update to the latest firmware using Particleโs easy-to-use online tool. I did so, and while waiting the few minutes it took, dug into the firmware to see what other secrets it might hold. I noticed super_star.mp3 and tracked down the associated source code, discovering that โฆ well, Iโll let you find out for yourself, so itโs not too much of a spoiler!
The Holiday Snowflake is available to order from Particleโs web site for $34.95, or free with orders over $75 (hint: the Edge ML Kit plus the required Photon 2, sold separately, will get you there!), and is the perfect gift both for IoT nerds who want something to hack on over the holidays, as well as beginners and non-technical folks, since it can be enjoyed without modification, and is tree/mantlepiece/desk-ready thanks to the included power adapter and USB-C cable. May it be the only snow you encounter this season!
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