Upgrade your ride with LEDs and 3D printing

Popular Electronics shop Adafruit loves to create innovative projects using 3D printing. This week Adafruit shows NeoPixel LEDs that lets you upgrade your long board for a very bright and safe summer night ride.

In this project Adafruit’s Noe Ruiz has used the Trinket micro-controller to power 100 NeoPixel LEDs with a Powerboost 500C and 2500mAh lithium polymer battery. The 3d printed parts are designed to house the electronics and can be customized to fit your project. You can download the 3D printable parts onThingiverse. The design will print on any FDM 3D printer with a build area of 100mm x 100mm x 100mm. Noe recommends printing the parts in PLA filament using 10% infill and 0.2 layer height. The trinket-box part has geometry that requires support material in order to print properly.

NeoPixel LEDs strips are mounted to the bottom of the board with 3D printed clips and can be secured with adhesives or screws. The components are secured to the enclosure and mounted to the board with a 3D printed sliding lock adapter. NeoPixel rings can be mounted to the trucks with a 3d printed adapter and make a great set of headlights.