What Everyone Needs: An Eight-Foot LED Light Staff

Arduino Technology
Yep, that's a light staff - 'Darth Maul Urges Intensifie'
Yep, that’s a light staff – ‘Darth Maul Urges Intensifie’

If you love tech, have too much time on your hands, or a shockingly short attention span, then you are going to love this DIY project. Hackaday.io contributor ‘Risknc’ updated his Light Staff prototype a couple months ago to create LED spectacles that are sure to impress and entertain. Or, it may at least make you laugh and wonder about the human condition.

The updated, revision 1 model of the staff can be seen below and it’s packed with tons of High Intensity RGB LEDs for a spectacle no one is going to be able to ignore. The model below used a round, .75” carbon tube.

The revised and updated version of the Light Staff with more LED magic
The revised and updated version of the Light Staff with more LED magic

The updated revision 2 model (seen below) features a square 1” carbon tube with a carbon bridge in the center to house the Arduino pro mini micro-controller which uses adafruit’s neopixel library to generate light shows and light controls that are adjusted with mode buttons and knobs.

There are 2811 RGB LEDs that he ordered from hackerspace Crashspace, which are fitted to either side of the staff and have a polycarbon protective cover over them. The LEDs required some 7.4v packs, and he used some regulators to bring the voltage down to 5v. However, I imagine that this thing can eat through a lot of batteries after a hard night or LARPing. For more on Risknc’s project see the hackaday.io entry after the link.

The improved, revision 2 Light Staff lit with full rainbow lights, which can also pulse
The improved, revision 2 Light Staff lit with full rainbow lights, which can also pulse
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