Nuts and Volts - September 2015

Okay, he's not that wild-eyed, but some of his characters are! Matt's passions fit right into the diversity that is Los Angeles: He makes everything from crazy plush characters to full animatronic displays. From time to time, Matt is contracted to repair or upgrade props and displays, which is what leads us to the topic at hand. Figure 1 shows Matt with his “Disco D2” prop at the San Diego, CA Comic-Con. Disco D2 is a Propeller powered prop.

(You know, on second thought, Matt does look a bit wild-eyed in that picture!)

A few months ago, Matt was commissioned to add lighting to a Gort prop (Figure 2) owned by legendary rock guitarist, Kirk Hammett. Matt knew he would use a strip of WS2812s, and wanted to make it really interesting with a pseudo flame effect.

He called on me for an assist because I'd recently coded a big project for Alliance Studio that was all about faux flames.

For the record, it is very hard to simulate fire and flames with LEDs — but here's the good news: We don't have to simulate, we only have to suggest. Let the last part of that sink in a moment — especially as you're planning your Halloween displays. The human mind is an amazing thing. With just a little bit of information nudged in the right direction, it will imply the rest. Our job, then, is to provide enough of the right information and the right direction, allowing the mind to handle everything else.

I know I must sound like a broken record at times, but I really do love living in Los Angeles, CA. Yes, there's traffic. Yes, there's heat and smog in the summer. Yes, the cost of living can be tough. Pushing those inconveniences aside, it's a great city filled with wildly creative people — especially in and around the entertainment industry which is where I do most of my work. Interestingly, I'm one of the few natives of Los Angeles; most people in “the business” come from across the nation and across the world. One of my friends is a guy named Matt, who's originally from Ohio and now makes his home in Los Angeles. By day he's a corporate IT expert; by night, he's a wild-eyed character creator! Flame On, Dude!