CircuitPython POV Bike Wheel #Sensors #AdafruitLearningSystem @Adafruit

Turn your bike into a rolling light show with this Persistence of Vision Bike Wheel project from Erin St Blaine.

This build uses six high-speed LED strips mounted across three spokes, with a Feather microcontroller running CircuitPython to draw colorful patterns and images as the wheel spins. A magnetic sensor tracks the wheel speed so the timing can adjust whether you’re cruising slowly or flying down the street.

Load up the included graphics or add your own artwork by saving .bmp or .gif files directly to the Feather. Swap images, logos, symbols, patterns, or whatever else you can fit into 36 pixels of glorious spinning light.

The effect is especially striking in person. Cameras have a notoriously hard time capturing persistence-of-vision displays accurately, but to your eyes the individual LEDs disappear and the artwork seems to float inside the spinning wheel.

It’s a fantastic project for Burning Man bikes, nighttime Critical Mass rides, festivals, parades, or anyone who feels their bicycle could use significantly more LEDs.

From the Guide

Light up your bike for festival season or nighttime Critical Mass rides. Stand out from the crowd with a custom persistence-of-vision bike wheel display, and upload dozens of your own images to create the ride you’ve always dreamed of.

Persistence of vision is the effect that happens when your eyes briefly retain an image after it disappears. By flashing LEDs in carefully timed patterns as the bike wheel spins, those individual points of light appear to blend together into a complete floating image.

This guide shows you how to build a three-spoke, double-sided bike wheel display. There’s some tricky soldering required to get everything wired neatly and securely in place, so this is not a beginner build.

Sample CircuitPython code and images are included, and it’s easy to swap in your own artwork or adapt the layout for your particular wheel and LED setup.

**Adafruit Products**

– Adafruit Feather RP2040: https://www.adafruit.com/product/4884
– Adafruit DotStar LEDS: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2242

Read more at CircuitPython POV Bike Wheel

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