If you're into customization (and you probably wouldn't be here if you aren't), this page will show you how to create your own Fortune Generator on GitHub Pages. It's free and easy to set up, and you can add as many custom fortunes as you'd like.

Why GitHub?

We are using GitHub Pages to host a simple little webpage that displays a random, kid-friendly fortune. This site lives entirely in your browser—no backend code or servers needed. When someone scans your NFC cookie, it will open this webpage and pull a new fortune from a list every time. It's free!

🛠️ Step 1: Create a GitHub Account

If you do not already have one, head over to github.com and create a free account.

\📁 Step 2: Make a New Repository

1. Go to https://github.com/new

2. Name your repository something like fortune-cookie

3. Set it to Public

4. Click Create repository

Hello, my name is Erin St Blaine and I love making things that light up.

When I'm not writing tutorials for the Adafruit Learning System, I spend my time creating beautiful things, and exploring the meeting of art and technology whenever I get the chance. Over the last several years I've been focusing on creating larger scale LED artwork, home decor and chandeliers. I started out using Arduino with FastLED and learned to code the hard way, but nowadays there are so many software packages out there that I've been learning and exploring them. This article is about my experience of LED mapping my newest chandelier commission using WLED, PixelBlaze and LEDLabs.

What is Pixel Mapping?

Pixel mapping is a technique used to control and program individual LEDs or pixels within a lighting display, allowing each light to be addressed and manipulated independently. By mapping out the exact location of each pixel in a 2D or 3D space, artists and designers can create intricate patterns, animations, and effects that synchronize with the physical layout of the lights. This method is essential for creating dynamic, visually stunning displays, as it enables precise control over color, intensity, and timing across complex setups like LED walls, chandeliers, and sculptures.

A pixel map is needed when the LED layout is not precisely rectangular. Basically, a pixel map forces a non-rectangular shape into a rectangle that can be divided into rows and columns so the animations lay out correctly in the physical space.

My first foray into pixel mapping was making an LED Festival Coat using WLED. This was a fairly straightforward map -- the layout was generally rectangular, with just a few "holes" in the rectangle to account for -- I needed the map to fill in the arm hole areas so that my animations would look even across the whole coat. I used WLED for this, and found it to be a little mind-bending and tricky even with a simple map. 

After the success of that project I decided to give mapping my chandelier a try. The chandelier is shaped like a hot-air balloon with eight spokes and no rectangles at all. This looked to be a challenge but I knew the end result could be absolutely stunning if I succeeded.

I just moved into a new neighborhood. On my morning walk I discovered the best "neighborhood score" of my whole life: a brand-new electric fireplace, still in the box, with a "free" sign on it, sitting at my neighbor's curb. I snagged it immediately. I've been eyeing these since I saw one at the State Fair a while back. They produce a really cool flame-like effect, and also include a heater module. 

Apparently my neighbors were getting rid of it because it "beeps from time to time". Well, being the DIY hacker that I am, I decided to crack it open and see if I could disable the beep, and also upgrade the LED strips inside while I was in there. 

Teardown / How it Works

This fireplace has two 12v analog RGB strips -- one at the bottom and one at the top -- plus a custom PCB with super-bright LEDs that control the flames. It comes with an IR remote control and a capacitive touch panel, both of which trigger a VERY LOUD annoying beep whenever a button is pressed. The LED light strips are both programmed to cycle through 14 different color modes, but the lights just change from one solid color to the next with no brightness controls or animations available. 

I was really interested to learn how the flame effect was created. Turns out it's a very clever spin on the popular "Pepper's Ghost" illusion. This is the same illusion used at the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland to make ghosts seem to appear in mirrors all around.