This Raspberry Pi project is ready just in time for the holidays. If you’re looking for something fun to create over the winter season, check out this awesome Raspberry Pi-powered control box created by Shane Bourgeois for inspiration.
Bourgeois dubs his creation “The Football” and uses it to operate a series of custom effects for his exterior Christmas Lights. He uses ws2811 string LEDs which can be programmed to synchronize with music and much more.
Okay, we said this was Pi-powered but it’s actually using four Raspberry Pi 4s. The Football also features a 5-port switch, an I2C output connector, an FM transmitter, a 100-watt stereo amp, and a P10 panel output. It’s also totally mobile, using a power supply for portability.
According to Bourgeois, the hardware is mounted using custom 3D-printed assets. The lights are operated using xLights, an open-source application designed for creating light displays alongside Falcon Pi Player which operates as a controller for ws2811 LEDs.
If you want to see this project in action, check out the original thread shared to Reddit and be sure to follow Bourgeois for future projects.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
