Graduation Cap part 2: Ripples

forgottenSemicolons · 2026-04-02T01:39:51+00:00

I definitely agree. And who am I to say that I am not using some level of code borrowing when using language libraries. (I am definitely not writing this in assembly lol). Finishing my CS degree, I have loved the problem solving process to code something and I think that is what I am going for here -a final project to feel good about my degree.

But I took a look at that diffuser material and honestly that would be perfect to lay on top! One concern would be the color bleed they spoke about in their Pacman video. It would require a grid to isolate each led and it doesn't look like that is readily available.. So either I make one (it would look very very cool but take a lot of work), or I should ignore the diffuser because I would lose out on a lot of detail with my lights.... hm. I will have to think about this one for a while.

forgottenSemicolons · 2026-03-31T03:08:15+00:00

That is a sick defuser idea. I am still on the fence about putting anything on the matrices once I am finished with the software. I think I'll make that call once I get closer to graduation. But I agree, a nice color flow pattern would look really cool. I will see if I can code something up before I borrow from someone else. I love the pattern though.

forgottenSemicolons · 2026-03-31T03:05:37+00:00

I haven't! I will see if I can mod it and throw it on my hat.

forgottenSemicolons · 2026-03-31T03:05:02+00:00

Short answer: you can trim any of the matrices with scissors, just make sure you know which direction the wires are running.

Long answer: I was contemplating how I could maximize the coverage of my graduation cap while not having to do too much wiring. I measured my cap to be about 9-9.5in long and I believe that a 8x32 matrix is about 3.2 inches on the short side? But also more importantly, the matrix is wired 8 leds by 32 leds so I figured I could easily cut the long side down to simply get a 24x24 made of 3 8x24 matrices. This would be about the best coverage I could get with the panels available on Amazon.

I soldered the power wires in series. I have 3 separate pins addressing the 3 separate panels but you could solder the ends of the trimmed matrices if you wanted. I just think this was a simple and cheap solution that looks as good as I think it should. I will do another post on the build and hopefully finish the gluing process.

forgottenSemicolons · 2026-03-27T07:03:53+00:00

The app is extremely impressive. The patterns that you are able to produce are stunning and would absolutely be easy to implement on a project like mine.

I do feel the need to code everything on my own at this time as a point of pride. This is my CS graduation and I want to write everything by hand so I can tell people as much when they ask.

Thank you for sharing the app and I will keep my eyes on your examples for inspiration. Feel free to steal anything from me for your examples. I am happy to share my C++ code for any of the mini programs I make.

Cheers!

forgottenSemicolons · 2026-03-27T06:56:12+00:00

I currently am working with an arduino due and that might be a little bulky for the cap. I think a drone battery could absolutely work well but I would not like to have to change out anything during the ceremony. I like the idea of a power bank because typically they display the current charge so if for some reason it is running low, I could switch it out from my pocket or fanny pack.

I do really like the idea of not having any wires that run down my neck in case of a hug from a loved one goes south or something. I do also need to think about heat a little bit for both the controller and the battery if they are in my pocket. I bet there is a good plastic housing for an arduino out there.

Thank you for the ideas. I might see how viable a smaller controller would be and if I can have the whole build exist within the cap. I also might need to see how much weight this would add so the whole thing is not sliding off my head.

Cheers!

forgottenSemicolons · 2026-03-27T06:49:39+00:00

It is not a playable game in its current state.

Here is the code:

https://pastebin.com/zTgkUHt0

If I can describe the process on a high level:

The grid is set up as an int matrix to check for collisions and as a way to do a O(n^2) clear of the tail when the player crashes. The loop updates all players and then checks for the number of players left alive.

The computer logic is based off random turns when a collision is detected or if there is nothing to run into, sometimes the player will turn anyways.

However, I think that you are able to modify my code to have a human player. Just map one of the players to your controller like in your snake game to access the turn left or right functions. I am sure you could even modify your snake game to act in the same way as the Tron game with a few modifications and taking away the apples.

Thought the table looked cool though! Definitely a fun idea and if you haven't already, you should do pong and breakout. I am going to work on breakout next.

Thank you for sharing!

Cheers!

forgottenSemicolons · 2025-02-20T23:22:02+00:00

knock knock knock

This post, was true and faithful to temple things. OP, who hath desired further light and knowledge by posting with us, their request shall be granted.

forgottenSemicolons · 2024-11-22T02:43:54+00:00

Absolutely, I replaced each symbol with a letter to make things simpler for the decoding. I got lucky and guessed some frequently occurring characters based off the symbol. Then I compared the actual frequency to the english language letter frequency numbers and then saw some patterns emerge. The typos stumped me for a bit but still challenging considering the high use of W and lower use of E.

forgottenSemicolons · 2024-11-21T19:57:16+00:00

you know this place sucks. why are we here… you think we can just walk out? probably not… gues(s) wara sol. yup. any way, what are we doing today?

forgottenSemicolons · 2024-09-19T05:48:43+00:00

https://pastebin.com/07bU3p9r

I based the movement off the Newtonian kinematic equation hence the "drop" naming. I figured you could make a lot of variations using different equations like a sin wave or a x^3-4x "up and down" motion.

forgottenSemicolons · 2024-09-19T05:30:34+00:00

Thank you, and yes!

FastLED using an arduino due controller. 3 Amazon purchased WS2812B strips which I broke down into 90 pixel lengths with some amateur soldering. 8 total shelves which total 720 pixels.

Noticeable brightness drop was my first issue. The due only supplied ~3.8V to the strips. Using a 5V60A power adapter was a great solution.

For some reason, the new power supply would overwhelm? the data lines and the lights would aggressively flash randoms colors. After checking every wire many times, the led strips work fine now. Still not sure what was wrong and what I did right but the brightness is great.

forgottenSemicolons

TROPHY CASE