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Open Heart Kit

A fun soldering project from Jimmie P Rodgers. It's the programmable Open Heart LED Kit!

The Open Heart is an LED matrix of individually addressable LEDs. It can be used to create a broach or bag light with highly customizable animations. It can be configured so that you can temporarily attach it to fabrics with headers that you simply push through, or you can sew it into a project using conductive thread/wire for a more permanent setup. I have also created a simple flash programmer that you can design animations with, and it will generate the Arduino code for you. That way you just copy, paste, upload, and enjoy.
The Open Heart Kit uses a Charliplexing technique for addressing the LEDs. What this means is that you only need 6 wires from a micro controller to light things up. This kit supports the Arduino microcontroller, because it has a low cost of entry, it is easy to program for, and it is easy to find information on. An Arduino can run up to three of these at once, as well as take input. You can also store up to 1,000 frames of animation(with an Atmega328, but only 500 with the Atmega168), which could lead to some very complex animations. There are many versions of the Arduino out there, including the Lilly pad, which can be used for sew-able projects.

Learn how to make the Open Heart
Learn how to program the Open Heart

Open Heart Possibilities:



Open Heart Beating Heart: