The Adafruit nOOds Überguide mentions using nOOds LED filaments in combination with LED drivers such as the AW9523 or WS2811. Unfortunately the idea has yet to gain traction. Sometimes you just have to show the thing in use…

For a “Neo-nOOds” demonstration piece, my initial thought was to create a design on some bracers or the back of a vest. But then, during my annual pilgrimage to all the Halloween stores opening, I noticed these top hats…costume store-grade stuff but a little nicer than average for the price…

What is the deal with hats? They sure turn up a lot in Adafruit tutorials! It’s because in social settings — conventions and parties and such — items like hats and brooches are easily removed for explanation and tried on by others, unlike more closely-fit fashion. The item itself is part of the teaching process. But nothing in the Neo-nOOds concept it hat-specific…it could apply to any nOOds project, fashion or otherwise.

While the idea should work in principle — I’d tested with a single WS2811 LED driver and three nOOds — whether the idea would scale up and look good and interesting was unproven, so I committed to just the most boring design: all white nOOds in a parallel arrangement.

In hindsight: it most definitely does work, and wish I’d committed to something more artistic, with shapes and colors. Something like a Wurlitzer jukebox, or classic Las Vegas neon signs, or the groundbreaking-for-the-time animation produced by Robert Abel & Associates for 7-Up’s See the Light ad campaign:

For now though, boring parallel white nOOds…

I’d planned to model and 3D print some little channel doohickeys to hold all the nOOds in parallel. But then…while rummaging through junk for an unrelated project, as one does…found I already had this rubber floor runner material, and the channels were nearly perfect! This did require a little silicone glue later during assembly, where a custom 3D printed bit could be precisely designed to pinch the nOOds just right.

The length of each nOOd is less than half the circumference of the hat, so the plan is to pair them up, with a bit of a gap in-between. The left/right sides will be individually controlled.

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

Check back for updates.