The Starry Sky Table Lamp

The Starry Sky Table Lamp is a kinetic light sculpture that bridges digital fabrication with traditional craftsmanship. By integrating 3D printing, laser cutting, and woodworking, the project features a custom-built mechanical assembly powered by a rotary motor and Arduino microcomputer. The design is anchored by a central ring-light and crowned with a high-density panel of 684 LEDs, creating a dynamic, rotating visual experience.

1. 15 inch Plywood stick
2. 1/8″ Acrylic Board_black
3. 1/8″ Acrylic Board_white
4. 1/8″ Acrylic Board_Transparent
5. LED strips
6. LED Pad 16*16
7. Arduino Board
8. Wires
9. Automobile bearing
10. Stepper Motor
11. Cardboard

I designed the gear models in Adobe Illustrator and used the Epilog Fusion Pro (36” x 24”) for laser cutting

1. Adafruit STSPIN220 Stepper Motor Driver Breakout Board
2. Stepper motor - NEMA-17 size - 200 steps/rev, 12V 350mA

Codes:

#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>

#include <Adafruit_STSPIN220.h>

#ifdef __AVR__

#include <avr/power.h>

#endif

// ==========================================

// CONFIGURATION

// ==========================================

// — LED PINS & SETTINGS —

#define LED_BUTTON_PIN 12

#define LED_PIXEL_PIN 8

#define NUM_LEDS 428

#define RAINBOW_SPEED 10 // Lower is faster (ms between updates)

// — MOTOR PINS & SETTINGS —

// Motor Control Pins

const int DIR_PIN = 2;

const int STEP_PIN = 3;

const int MODE1_PIN = 4;

const int MODE2_PIN = 5;

const int EN_FAULT_PIN = 6;

const int STBY_RESET_PIN = 7;

const int SPEED_PIN = A0; // Potentiometer

const int stepsPerRevolution = 200; // Standard Stepper

// ==========================================

// OBJECTS & VARIABLES

// ==========================================

// Define the NeoPixel object

Adafruit_NeoPixel strip(NUM_LEDS, LED_PIXEL_PIN, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);

// Define Stepper object

Adafruit_STSPIN220 myStepper(stepsPerRevolution, STEP_PIN, DIR_PIN,

MODE1_PIN, MODE2_PIN, EN_FAULT_PIN, STBY_RESET_PIN);

// LED Variables

int ledMode = 0; // 0=Off, 1=Dim, 2=Bright, 3=Rainbow

int lastButtonState = HIGH;

long firstPixelHue = 0;

unsigned long lastRainbowUpdate = 0; // Timer for animation

// Motor Variables

int currentSpeed = 0;

unsigned long lastSpeedPrint = 0; // NEW: Timer for printing speed

void setup() {

Serial.begin(115200); // Make sure your Serial Monitor matches this number!

// — SETUP LEDS —

pinMode(LED_BUTTON_PIN, INPUT_PULLUP);

strip.begin();

strip.show(); // Initialize off

// — SETUP MOTOR —

// Set microstepping mode to 1/16 steps (smoother)

myStepper.setStepMode(STSPIN220_STEP_1_16);

Serial.println(“System Ready: LEDs & Motor Combined.”);

}

void loop() {

// ==========================================

// 1. LED BUTTON LOGIC

// ==========================================

int currentButtonState = digitalRead(LED_BUTTON_PIN);

if (currentButtonState == LOW && lastButtonState == HIGH) {

ledMode++;

if (ledMode > 3) ledMode = 0;

// Handle Static Modes (One-time update)

if (ledMode == 0) {

strip.clear();

strip.show();

Serial.println(“LED: OFF”);

}

else if (ledMode == 1) {

strip.setBrightness(10);

strip.fill(strip.Color(255, 255, 0)); // Yellow

strip.show();

Serial.println(“LED: Yellow (Low)”);

}

else if (ledMode == 2) {

strip.setBrightness(80);

strip.fill(strip.Color(255, 255, 0)); // Yellow

strip.show();

Serial.println(“LED: Yellow (High)”);

}

else if (ledMode == 3) {

strip.setBrightness(80);

Serial.println(“LED: Rainbow Mode”);

}

delay(50); // Small debounce

}

lastButtonState = currentButtonState;

// ==========================================

// 2. LED ANIMATION (If in Rainbow Mode)

// ==========================================

if (ledMode == 3) {

// Non-blocking timer: Only update if enough time has passed

if (millis() – lastRainbowUpdate > RAINBOW_SPEED) {

lastRainbowUpdate = millis();

drawRainbowHorizon();

}

}

// ==========================================

// 3. MOTOR LOGIC

// ==========================================

// Read Potentiometer

int sensorValue = analogRead(SPEED_PIN);

currentSpeed = map(sensorValue, 0, 1023, 0, 120); // Map to 0-120 RPM

// — NEW: PRINT SPEED EVERY 500ms —

if (millis() – lastSpeedPrint > 500) {

lastSpeedPrint = millis();

Serial.print(“Motor Speed: “);

Serial.print(currentSpeed);

Serial.println(” RPM”);

}

if (currentSpeed > 0) {

myStepper.setSpeed(currentSpeed);

// Take 1 step per loop iteration

myStepper.step(1);

}

}

// — HELPER FUNCTION: RAINBOW —

void drawRainbowHorizon() {

// Update Hue

firstPixelHue += 256;

for(int i=0; i<strip.numPixels(); i++) {

int pixelHue = firstPixelHue + (i * 65536L / strip.numPixels());

strip.setPixelColor(i, strip.gamma32(strip.ColorHSV(pixelHue)));

}

strip.show();

}

Trial and Error

The most significant challenge was power distribution. Driving both the motor and the high-density array of 684 LEDs simultaneously exceeded the current capacity of my initial single-Arduino setup. While the system could handle the ring light and low-speed motor rotation, activating the main LED panel caused a voltage drop that crashed the system (brownout). To resolve this, I isolated the loads by introducing a second Arduino dedicated solely to controlling the LED matrix.

My next steps are to optimize the electrical system and design a housing unit that seamlessly integrates the internal electronics with an external control panel.