Question about lighting for a small project

[yopo]

Hi guys,

currently, I'm working in the design of a small robot for a nice personal project. I would like to put a feedback illumination signal, and I like a lot the effect I saw some time ago in a Disney park (please see video attached).

As you can see in this small video, it's basicaly a light spinning continously, I can't see any discrete leds... ok, you can in the green ones at the end, but in the white illumination no, it's very continous, very smooth. Do you have any idea about how to do it something like that? I don't know if I have to buy some special hardware, or is just some regular leds, any optical trick and a smart control.

I have experience with electronics and PCB designing, but I cannot get an idea about how to get this effect

Best regards!

 

[BrunoARG]

Yes, of course you can do it!

It is very simple, and as you said, yes there are green LEDs at the end, but there are white LEDs too. The secret here is keeping a reasonable distance betweeen the LED and the plastic. Its function is to spread the light more smoothly than the LED does by itself, and to generate this effect.

You might have to do some tests with a plastic piece (maybe some shampoo or HDPE bottle) and try different distance between LEDs and between the piece. Try turning each LED on individually and see if you can perceive an abrupt change. You will, but at any point, and taking into account the short time between each LED, it will be as smooth as disney's one.

If there is something true about lighting and sound is that it's not only mathematics... you have to see or listen to things and make tests before doing anything, because it's all about how humans feel light/sound.

Hope being useful, and just ask if you come up with any doubt.

 

[yopo]

Yes, of course you can do it!

It is very simple, and as you said, yes there are green LEDs at the end, but there are white LEDs too. The secret here is keeping a reasonable distance betweeen the LED and the plastic. Its function is to spread the light more smoothly than the LED does by itself, and to generate this effect.

You might have to do some tests with a plastic piece (maybe some shampoo or HDPE bottle) and try different distance between LEDs and between the piece. Try turning each LED on individually and see if you can perceive an abrupt change. You will, but at any point, and taking into account the short time between each LED, it will be as smooth as disney's one.

If there is something true about lighting and sound is that it's not only mathematics... you have to see or listen to things and make tests before doing anything, because it's all about how humans feel light/sound.

Hope being useful, and just ask if you come up with any doubt.

Thanks for your answer, Bruno. Yes, I'm experimenting putting some distance between leds and some acrylic. Besides, I'm using a led stripe with individual led control, so I'm moving a "gaussian function" in the stripe. I'm still working on it, but I think it's going to work. As soon as I get it working, I'll upload a small video.

By the way, we're almost neighbors: I'm from Chile

Regards!