CIE Components in Electronics
Latest project idea from Kitronik fuses textiles, the BBC micro:bit and Kitronik’s ZIP Halo to create unique Halloween costumes
As Halloween approaches, Kitronik, a leading developer of electronic project kits and learning resources for schools, makers and coders, has unveiled its latest project idea designed to inspire the creation of unique spooktastic Halloween costumes and accessories.
The project combines Kitronik’s ZIP Halo with the BBC micro:bit to enable coders to add a dazzling array of lights to their Halloween fancy dress. In the project shown on the Kitronik website here, the ZIP Halo is used to power LEDs which have been sewn into a witch’s hat. However, given the flexibility of the ZIP Halo and the BBC micro:bit, any costume could be customised to ensure the wearer in seen this Halo-ween!
The ZIP Halo not only enables the creation of unique costumes for a Halloween party but also helps children be seen when they are out trick or treating during the evening. Its versatility is made possible by the fact that the ZIP Halo powers the micro:bit, and provides a stable and responsive light source.
The ZIP Halo has 24 ZIP LEDs, which are individually addressable full colour LEDs. This means that each LED can display a huge spectrum of colours, allowing dazzling colourful effects to be achieved. All LEDs are connected using the same three wire bus. Each LED can produce a full spectrum of colours independent to all of the other LEDs on the bus and can achieve 256 levels of brightness, resulting in 16,777,216 possible output colours. An expansion connector allows additional ZIP LEDs to be connected to produce longer strips or rings, that can all be controlled by the ZIP Halo.
When not used in customizing Halloween projects, The ZIP Halo bolt on board can be used in a range of design projects involving electronics, helping to ensure the micro:bit is used across STEM subjects.
Always eager to encourage sharing of ideas, Kitronik would love makers to inspire others by sharing their use of the ZIP Halo on Twitter by mentioning @Kitronik in their tweets.
Commenting on the Halo Halloween projects Kitronik co-founder Kevin Spurr said: “The opportunities for fun creativity with the ZIP Halo are endless, indeed one could argue they are only limited by the user’s imagination! We’ve enjoyed applying the ZIP Halo to the witch’s hat and Dracula’s cape but I’m sure creative coders will come up with some great Halloween ideas.”
Prices and stockists
The ZIP Halo is priced at £11:50 excluding VAT and is available to order via the Kitronik website here. The product is also available worldwide through Kitronik’s distributor network. Stockists will include:
- Small Devices – Australia
- Code Electronics – Australia
- Switch Science – Japan
- Pod consult – Denmark
- Pimoroni – UK
- MCM – US
- Hands on Science – Sweden
- Witold Rugowski – Poland
- CLASSROOM – Hong Kong
- ETC – Hong Kong
