My Reframe: Unraveled 2021 project is called Box of Wonder 2.0 because it's an upgraded version of what I did last year. Last year, I installed about 60 LEDs into a shadow box and then used an Arduino to hardcode a show to music. I only got 20 seconds into the show because hardcoding lights to music is really hard. I thought "there must be a better way!" and this year, I found that way. It's called xLights.
xLights is a program designed for making large scale choreographed holiday light shows on houses. It allows you to upload a mp3 and then click and drag effects that get sent to the LEDs. My controllers for the LED side are ESPixelSticks and I'm using WS2812b LED strips. I placed 30 LEDs into each shadow box and 110 LEDs around the outer edge.
One of my favorite parts about this design is that each shadow box is a completely self-contained unit. They each have their own controller and power supply. My vision is that I could place one shadow box on each wall in my eventual living room and have the board edge be a coffee table in the middle. Then with the click of a button, my entire living room will start dancing and visually immerse you in the song you're hearing.
Song: March March by the Chicks
Show choreographed by Emily Schooley using xLights
Shadow box images cut using the Cricut Maker and cardstock