HackSpace – September 2019

olour sensors are a novel way

to create mood lighting. Place an

object over the sensor and this lamp

will shine with the matching colour.

The sensors are easy to use with an

Arduino, and are widely available.

In this tutorial, we’ll embed a colour sensor in a log

and use biodegradable plastic and multicoloured LEDs to

make mushroom lights. The instructions use an Arduino

Uno for the electronics because it’s a popular board for

beginners, but it can also be made with a Nano, ESP, or

Flora, which are smaller and easier to enclose.

A BIT OF WOODWORK

Find a piece of wood that you could imagine

seeing mushrooms growing on, with enough bulk

to hide the electronics. A section approximately

C

Rustic lamp

with colour-

sensing lights

20×12×12 cm works well. If necessary, use a band-

saw to adjust the size and create a level base.

On the underside, choose where to hollow out

a space for the electronics. It needs to be close to

where your mushrooms will stand so that a drill

bit will reach through from the top, and at least

8×6×3 cm to fit an Arduino Uno. Use a chisel and

hammer, or power tools, to create the recess. Sand

any rough edges to avoid splinters.

Put the Arduino in position to see where the

power cord needs to go, and chisel a channel

through the wood for the cord to come out the

back of the lamp.

Decide where the mushrooms will stand and drill

a hole for each one. Also, choose a position for the

colour sensor and drill two holes close together for

the wires to go through.

TUTORIAL

Rustic lamp with colour-sensing lights

Poppy

Mosbacher

@PoppyMosbacher

Poppy loves getting

tech into the hands

of people who do

traditional crafts. She

is helping set up a

makerspace in Devon

and was a director

of Build Brighton

MakerSpace.

Create glowing mushrooms that change colour to match an object