Suggestions and technical advice for enchanting my Christmas tree
November 10, 2022 10:09 AM Subscribe
I just got back from Great Wolf Lodge. So much fun!! Anyway, part of the deal is that my kid got a magic wand. Apparently this is an IR transmitter. That means if you buy an IR receiver you can ...? Something really cool...but what? Well, if I can, then I must. I'd love it if I could set up something Christmas-y for Christmas, but other ideas welcome. I need ideas, and technical expertise.
My son is 5.
So, I'll put the details in five sections:
1. what to do.
2. What I have (devices, knowledge, tools, skill, time)
3. So how do I do it/what do I buy? (er...how much is this fun little trick going to cost me).
4. Just tell me everything you think.
5. Can this make some money for metafilter?
1. What should I make the wand do?
It would be awesome if I could set something up in my Christmas tree. Other Christmas Ideas welcome. Other non-christmas-idea welcome. The point here is to delight my kid and/or to make something that would otherwise be less fun more fun.
Note: My christmas tree has a remote. The remote cycles through the light modes. I think i'd be ok with "make the lights blink for a few seconds" but I don't think that's possible, I think it can only cycle through the modes, most of which are super anyone and then since you're cycling it takes forever to get back to a less annoying mode.
Would it be possible to make it do multiple things? Either randomly selecting from some list of things, or doing different things based on time of day or something else? Maybe an advent calendar of enchantment where it will do a different thing each day? (But what?). Could I have multiple IR receivers and it does different things when the wand casts a spell in different directions? (could this be done somewhat wirelessly because I don't want to have multiple computers for multiple IR receivers.
Ohh...if this involves the google home or the Alexa, can I have magic words? Like can he cast the wand towards the Alexa and say "sleep baseball" (or I"ll write a clever spell for it) and it plays the sleep baseball podcast at bedtime? This is only really cool if he doesn't ahve to say alexa/ok Google (like if the wand can wake it).
Ohh...can I make a crystal ball? I'm thinking a ball, you cast your and at it and say ? and it says...? But you can ask it lots of stuff...I'm thinking like somehow relay answers from Google home or Alexa....but geez that's probably too hard. Anyway, feel free to think outside the box.
2. What I have
I have a christmas tree with a remote.
I have Google Home Mini and Alexa Dot.
I have plenty of computers, including a desktop within "set up a USB cord" distance of where the tree will be.
I have done some very basic programming and i believe that with some basic how-to website instruction could write the code for whatever is necessary.
I have some arduino experience, but would like to avoid anything requiring soldering.
I don't have a raspberry pi or any arduino equipment, but these are cheap right?
3. So How do I Do it?
OK, what do I need to buy? Like can you point me to the specific IR receivers I should get (must ship to Canada, bonus for amazon.ca) or tell me "make sure the IR receiver says "Level 4 " or "IPC 12" or... you know however they're classified. Should I just go to the nearest store that sells all the raspberry and arduino gadgets and say "Give me a ...?"
What do I need computer-wise? Can i make this work with Google or Alexa Somehow? oOOH...could it play christmas music? (Note: I don't have any music subscriptions service on either device, because I'm old and i buy CDs and rip them and I don't understand how music streaming services work. Also, I don't want him to cast a spell and get an ad).
How much would this cost me? Like I think this would be super cool, but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on it.
4. Please spill forth all your ideas and thoughts
Don't feel limited by the specific questions asked. I have this idea. ANything you can say to help me make it happen is helpful. If I'm crazy to even think about it, I guess I'd rather know sooner rather than later.
5. Hey, can Metafilter make money off of this?
If somebody with a Great Wolf Lodge wand and the necessary expertise wants to run an online course on doing this, for the benefit of the metafilter fundraiser, I would definitely sign up. And I bet other people -- not just mefites-- would too if you publicized it more widely. There are a lot of these wands sitting in people's houses.
My son is 5.
So, I'll put the details in five sections:
1. what to do.
2. What I have (devices, knowledge, tools, skill, time)
3. So how do I do it/what do I buy? (er...how much is this fun little trick going to cost me).
4. Just tell me everything you think.
5. Can this make some money for metafilter?
1. What should I make the wand do?
It would be awesome if I could set something up in my Christmas tree. Other Christmas Ideas welcome. Other non-christmas-idea welcome. The point here is to delight my kid and/or to make something that would otherwise be less fun more fun.
Note: My christmas tree has a remote. The remote cycles through the light modes. I think i'd be ok with "make the lights blink for a few seconds" but I don't think that's possible, I think it can only cycle through the modes, most of which are super anyone and then since you're cycling it takes forever to get back to a less annoying mode.
Would it be possible to make it do multiple things? Either randomly selecting from some list of things, or doing different things based on time of day or something else? Maybe an advent calendar of enchantment where it will do a different thing each day? (But what?). Could I have multiple IR receivers and it does different things when the wand casts a spell in different directions? (could this be done somewhat wirelessly because I don't want to have multiple computers for multiple IR receivers.
Ohh...if this involves the google home or the Alexa, can I have magic words? Like can he cast the wand towards the Alexa and say "sleep baseball" (or I"ll write a clever spell for it) and it plays the sleep baseball podcast at bedtime? This is only really cool if he doesn't ahve to say alexa/ok Google (like if the wand can wake it).
Ohh...can I make a crystal ball? I'm thinking a ball, you cast your and at it and say ? and it says...? But you can ask it lots of stuff...I'm thinking like somehow relay answers from Google home or Alexa....but geez that's probably too hard. Anyway, feel free to think outside the box.
2. What I have
I have a christmas tree with a remote.
I have Google Home Mini and Alexa Dot.
I have plenty of computers, including a desktop within "set up a USB cord" distance of where the tree will be.
I have done some very basic programming and i believe that with some basic how-to website instruction could write the code for whatever is necessary.
I have some arduino experience, but would like to avoid anything requiring soldering.
I don't have a raspberry pi or any arduino equipment, but these are cheap right?
3. So How do I Do it?
OK, what do I need to buy? Like can you point me to the specific IR receivers I should get (must ship to Canada, bonus for amazon.ca) or tell me "make sure the IR receiver says "Level 4 " or "IPC 12" or... you know however they're classified. Should I just go to the nearest store that sells all the raspberry and arduino gadgets and say "Give me a ...?"
What do I need computer-wise? Can i make this work with Google or Alexa Somehow? oOOH...could it play christmas music? (Note: I don't have any music subscriptions service on either device, because I'm old and i buy CDs and rip them and I don't understand how music streaming services work. Also, I don't want him to cast a spell and get an ad).
How much would this cost me? Like I think this would be super cool, but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on it.
4. Please spill forth all your ideas and thoughts
Don't feel limited by the specific questions asked. I have this idea. ANything you can say to help me make it happen is helpful. If I'm crazy to even think about it, I guess I'd rather know sooner rather than later.
5. Hey, can Metafilter make money off of this?
If somebody with a Great Wolf Lodge wand and the necessary expertise wants to run an online course on doing this, for the benefit of the metafilter fundraiser, I would definitely sign up. And I bet other people -- not just mefites-- would too if you publicized it more widely. There are a lot of these wands sitting in people's houses.
Get a small ESP32 or 8266 microcontroller and flash it with the WLED firmware. That has WiFi built in, and many predefined routines for animating LED strips.
Then get a small IR receiver and hook it up, as described here: https://kno.wled.ge/interfaces/infrared/
Connect the controller to a strip of LEDs and wind it through the tree. Then the wand's IR signal should be able to launch some preset routines in holiday colors.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:34 AM on November 10, 2022
Then get a small IR receiver and hook it up, as described here: https://kno.wled.ge/interfaces/infrared/
Connect the controller to a strip of LEDs and wind it through the tree. Then the wand's IR signal should be able to launch some preset routines in holiday colors.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:34 AM on November 10, 2022
Also, Raspberry Pi's are really scarce these days, which is why I suggest WLED.
You can also throw the 8266 & LEDs into a cheap decor lantern, and put vellum paper inside the glass so the color is diffused and the electronics are hidden. I did that for Halloween this year, and ran WLED's "Candle" effect for a sweet ambience to mark the top of the driveway for trick-or-treaters.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:37 AM on November 10, 2022
You can also throw the 8266 & LEDs into a cheap decor lantern, and put vellum paper inside the glass so the color is diffused and the electronics are hidden. I did that for Halloween this year, and ran WLED's "Candle" effect for a sweet ambience to mark the top of the driveway for trick-or-treaters.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:37 AM on November 10, 2022
Response by poster: Thanks, Wenestevedt...I don't want you to regret getting yourself into this, but I need an explanation for a dumber person. So if I buy one of those microcontrollers, they look like a board not like something I should just leave out. Can I stick it in a tupperware or something? Presumably they will come with a plug to plug in or a battery attachment? And then does the IR receiver connect to that or somehow sync up wirelessly? I assume the microcontroller needs to be connected (physically) to the lights?
The wand only emits one signal, so I assume I can somehow hook this up to a computer like an arduino and program it to select randomly from the light patterns I let it select from?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:49 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
The wand only emits one signal, so I assume I can somehow hook this up to a computer like an arduino and program it to select randomly from the light patterns I let it select from?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:49 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
It looks like someone reverse-engineered the IR signal part-way through this SparkFun thread. it looks like there might be a working Arduino project linked there, but I don’t have any hardware to try it.
For the record, you’ll probably need to build up an IR receiver circuit on a breadboard, or buy some pre-assembled module that works with the microcontroller you select.
posted by Alterscape at 11:14 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
For the record, you’ll probably need to build up an IR receiver circuit on a breadboard, or buy some pre-assembled module that works with the microcontroller you select.
posted by Alterscape at 11:14 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
You can buy controllers in nice cases with WLED already installed: (scroll down)
https://kno.wled.ge/basics/compatible-hardware/
You could also ask online if one exists with an IR receiver built in.
I haven't played with IR, but as a total n00b I was able to add a microphone to WLED to make the lights dance to music, for instance.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:45 PM on November 10, 2022
https://kno.wled.ge/basics/compatible-hardware/
You could also ask online if one exists with an IR receiver built in.
I haven't played with IR, but as a total n00b I was able to add a microphone to WLED to make the lights dance to music, for instance.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:45 PM on November 10, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:22 AM on November 10, 2022