Wednesday, November 1

The Internet of Jack-O’-Lanterns

As the candy rush fades, the Halloween hacks continue pouring in. [Jeremy S Cook] has taken a few fundamental concepts and dressed them up inside the smartest pumpkin on the block.

This pumpkin has a WEMOS D1 Mini ESP8266 brain, LED eyes in place of a candle for illumination, and a small USB power bank for power. The code [Cook] is using is a modified sketch by YouTuber [Innovative Tom], which creates a server on your network — don’t forget to insert your network credentials! — that enable control of the LEDs from your computer or smart phone.

[Cook] has wired the LEDs to the relevant pins on the D1 Mini, zip-tied the battery and board together and stuff them in a plastic bag to keep them dry. Stick that into the pumpkin, hot glue the LEDs in place, and test it out!

[Cook] points out that you don’t have to limit yourself to a few LEDs here — an array of such pumpkins and some servos for added effects are the beginnings of a full-on haunted house right at your fingertips.

Here’s another quickly whipped-up Halloween decoration, but don’t discount the more involved, electrifying hacks we’ve previously featured.


Filed under: Holiday Hacks

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