Jacky Zou: The Noctilux

For the circuitry technology part of this project, I started off experimenting with the IR sensors, LED light bulbs, the IR remote control and programmed some of the easy lighting patterns on the Arduino UNO. However, my goal is not only to make the Noctilux work as expected, but also to make it visually pleasing, which requires some good amount of circuit simplification. And instead of using a bunch of low cost light bulbs, I adopted a more energy efficient, brighter and safer LED strip.

The frequency of the remote control that came with the Arduino starter kit was separately tested so that I can program different modes/light patterns on my LED lights. For example, changing colors of the Noctilux and having the LEDs shine in very interesting patterns.
(See demo video for an interesting pattern: The Heartbeat pattern I call it)

For the decorative component of the Noctilux, I adopted NVBots 3D printing technology for the complex shape I had in mind. The shape (Figure 4) looks like a bunch of wavy plates stacked together. I wanted it to resemble moonlight shed waves on a peaceful lake. The shape is designed such that it maximizes the visual effect with the LED lights and create a soothing and relaxed feeling for the user.

Each undulating plate is designed by a face curve feature in the sketch tools and connected through a lofted cut feature in the central axis. The lofted space in the central axis provides me the necessary space to place my ugly circuits and LED strip.

For the exterior container, I laser cut the 1 in clear acrylic for the two sides and the front, 8

cork wood on the top and bottom and 1in acrylic on the back side. It’s noteworthy that I 4

intentionally used a slightly thicker acrylic on the back. The reason is that I don’t want the user to see the back side of the Noctilux because it’s where the circuits are placed. However, because it’s a luminary, I did not want to completely block the light from shining though the surface so the material has to be transparent. Therefore, I thought of using a slightly thicker piece of acrylic and sand-papered it so that the frosting finish would hide the circuits in a beautiful and slick way while letting all the lights shine through and diffusing the lights into the environment in a more gentle way. I adopted cork for the top and bottom because I wanted it have enough friction and have a nice contact with the user’s table. Moreover, acrylic on the bottom is very easy to get scratched and it will jeopardize the visual aesthetics of the Noctilux. I made a hole for the cable to sneak out of the box for whatever power source the user is willing to use. It works with any computer USB outlets or portable battery. Because it’s LED lights, it does not dissipate much energy into heat, so it’s safe to use.