An Amazing Fiber Optic Shadow Box

It takes a lot for something to be called the ultimate shadow box, but this fiber optic device with nearly 100 individually controllable RGB LEDs could indeed be worthy of the claim.

The project was envisioned by creator Centas in part as a way to use his new laser cutter, and the design of the apple tree on the front chosen to signify the changing of the seasons. Birds light up on the tree's branches, along with leaves, apples, and blossoms that appear to signify the time of year. There’s also a ringed light effect, meant to represent Christmas light decorations.

Inside the fantastic wooden enclosure is a large bundle of fiber optics, and around 300 feet of wire was used to properly route the signals. An Arduino Nano powers the box's 86 diodes, with the help of seven PCA9685 driver boards. Each of these can provide 16 PWM outputs, and while “only” 93 of these signals were needed for the build, he decided to add an extra just to be safe.

If you want to try this yourself, code and cutting files are available on GitHub. Even with that shared, the build would certainly require a massive amount of wiring work and patience. For another luminescent creation, Centas decorated his “star” ceiling with fiber optics, using the same sort of circuitry.