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TR-010 / Smart Hardware

Wooden Reactor Simulator

A wooden reactor simulator with animated light, optical fibres, sound and two entirely practical charging systems.

WOODELECTRONICSLIGHTAUDIOESP32
Wooden Reactor running its red-and-blue light sequence
DOCUMENTED36 PHOTOS

THE ILLUSION / LIGHT + SOUND

A reactor that mostly obeys.

Oak, alder and walnut veneer form a reactor shell around animated LED filaments, optical fibres and light-based particle effects. Nothing radioactive moves inside; the particles are an animation, which is safer for the desk and easier on the insurance. An ESP32 running WLED coordinates the colour sequences and sound phases over Wi-Fi. Wireless charging and USB quick charging are already built into the structure rather than left as mysterious future potential. The result is an elaborate science-fiction nightlight that can charge a phone while convincingly suggesting it should not be left unattended.

Category
Smart Hardware
Project ID
TR-010
Source files
Available
Photographs
36

BUILD GALLERY / 36

Wooden Reactor Simulator: wooden Reactor running its red-and-blue light sequence
01Wooden Reactor running its red-and-blue light sequence
Wooden Reactor Simulator: reactor viewed from above
02Reactor viewed from above
Wooden Reactor Simulator: layered top ring with TimberRough emblem
03Layered top ring with TimberRough emblem
Wooden Reactor Simulator: lower charging platform and curved supports
04Lower charging platform and curved supports
Wooden Reactor Simulator: central filament chamber in daylight
05Central filament chamber in daylight
Wooden Reactor Simulator: full reactor shell before illumination
06Full reactor shell before illumination
Wooden Reactor Simulator: rear view of the wooden frame
07Rear view of the wooden frame
Wooden Reactor Simulator: animated filament chamber in blue light
08Animated filament chamber in blue light
Wooden Reactor Simulator: optical-fibre and particle-light section
09Optical-fibre and particle-light section
Wooden Reactor Simulator: warm orange operating sequence
10Warm orange operating sequence
Wooden Reactor Simulator: red reactor sequence in low light
11Red reactor sequence in low light
Wooden Reactor Simulator: blue particle-animation test
12Blue particle-animation test
Wooden Reactor Simulator: purple operating sequence
13Purple operating sequence
Wooden Reactor Simulator: magenta operating sequence
14Magenta operating sequence
Wooden Reactor Simulator: reactor at full mixed colour
15Reactor at full mixed colour
Wooden Reactor Simulator: top and side light test
16Top and side light test
Wooden Reactor Simulator: completed reactor in blue mode
17Completed reactor in blue mode
Wooden Reactor Simulator: laser-cut base layout on veneer
18Laser-cut base layout on veneer
Wooden Reactor Simulator: clamping the vertical frame parts
19Clamping the vertical frame parts
Wooden Reactor Simulator: circular layer set before assembly
20Circular layer set before assembly
Wooden Reactor Simulator: aligning the main frame on the centre axis
21Aligning the main frame on the centre axis
Wooden Reactor Simulator: installing the central charging module
22Installing the central charging module
Wooden Reactor Simulator: laser-cut wiring panel
23Laser-cut wiring panel
Wooden Reactor Simulator: cutting the cable channels
24Cutting the cable channels
Wooden Reactor Simulator: wiring looms prepared for installation
25Wiring looms prepared for installation
Wooden Reactor Simulator: assembling the filament supports
26Assembling the filament supports
Wooden Reactor Simulator: lED rings and controller mounted to the base
27LED rings and controller mounted to the base
Wooden Reactor Simulator: upper and lower electronics assemblies
28Upper and lower electronics assemblies
Wooden Reactor Simulator: joining the reactor modules
29Joining the reactor modules
Wooden Reactor Simulator: testing the charging platform coil
30Testing the charging platform coil
Wooden Reactor Simulator: fitting the TimberRough top emblem
31Fitting the TimberRough top emblem
Wooden Reactor Simulator: open reactor with the internal frame exposed
32Open reactor with the internal frame exposed
Wooden Reactor Simulator: final internal wiring before the shell closes
33Final internal wiring before the shell closes
Wooden Reactor Simulator: checking power output with a multimeter
34Checking power output with a multimeter
Wooden Reactor Simulator: wLED configuration used for the light sequences
35WLED configuration used for the light sequences
Wooden Reactor Simulator: uSB quick-charge module under test
36USB quick-charge module under test

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