STEAMplant, ESP-12S String Light Control

DESCRIPTION 

Joseph Morris’s is an Instructor and artist in residence at Pratt Institute's STEAMplant residency, in collaboration with theoretical nuclear physicist Professor Ágnes Mócsy and designer/architect/artist Che-Wei Wang he is creating a public art installation that will interact with incoming stellar rays. Using muon particle detectors, which sense the effects of interstellar cosmic rays, sensors will be mounted on the rooftop of Pratt Institute’s  Design Center. The piece will then connect to a computer to process incoming data, and with custom software and hardware, control a series of outdoor, hanging string lights suspended in the courtyard below. Based on particle information gathered in real time, a custom coded algorithm will articulate and abstract the data, creating a generative pattern choreographed with the fading and flickering of light bulbs hanging on string lights in the courtyard as stellar rays move around us.

To control the brightness of each individual bulb, there is an ESP-12S wifi control board inside a custom 3D printed enclosure, mounted in line with each bulb.  A signal is then send over wifi, instructing each bulb when to fade in and out.

Here's a link to the residency:

https://commons.pratt.edu/steamplant/

And my personal website:

www.emotivemachine.net

TECHNICAL DETAILS

The bulbs are 12v LED Edison style, and we need custom circuit boards on each (about 250 total) with 12 to 3v switching voltage regulation, an ESP-12S, and mosfet pwm control.

Would love to get sponsorship from PCBWay to make the custom boards, you guys have faster turnaround times and are one third of the price of fabricating locally!