Spent most of the weekend converting the orgrial @pimoroni.com Unicorn hat Python library to work on MicroPython & the Pirates Plasma board. Their Plasma library does not have a brightness function & the LEDs are updated in real time not when required, both abilities have been restored.

It's a trap!

I have just finished making a badge for Potton Pi & Pints from an old School @pimoroni.com Unicorn hat, the brains 🧟 is a Raspberry Pi PicoW. The Pico is hosting a web site to select the current pattern display and brightness of the LEDs. Always forget how bright an Unicorn hat is when unleashed! 😎

Yes, it's now my box. Move on!

At Assemble :-)

Self portrait in 64 x 64 pixels displayed on my Giant Unicorn.

Finally tidying up the bird's nest of cables and floating PCBs before Assemble Darby tomorrow, the Colour Pixel Picker is hardware complete, just need to finish the software 😂 Part of my #GiganticUnicorn project.

For the day-walkers

Used the colour picker to create this 8-bit Pacman image. :-) software status is good enough. Need to make a couple changes to the function keys, currently too easy to wipe your hard work with one key press. This Saturday I will be showing off this project and others at assemble. #giganticUnicorn

I'm looking forward to showing off.... Er sharing my old school @pimoroni.com Unicorn hat projects this Saturday. It's a great making festival with all sorts of makers sharing their projects & the joy of making.

Update for the Giant Unicorn hat colour selector. It works! 😎 #GiganticUnicorn

Anywhere near #Derby this Saturday 25th October and interested in #making things or doing things with #technology? Then get along to #Assemble at #DerbyMuseum

I hit a bit of a brick wall this weekend programming a save buffer function for the colour picker. Then copied and then reinstated the saved data was lost! After a bit of thinking I realised that copying the buffer, that the data was not copied just the labels pointing to the original buffer 1/2

I will be at Assemble, Darby on Saturday, showing off the @pimoroni.com Giant Unicorn hat and other projects. #GiganticUnicorn

Software has been started, the LEDs buffer is sent to the PyGame on a Raspberry Pi. #GiganticUnicorn

Working on the layout for the colour sector for my #GiganticUnicorn project, you are able to change the colour of individual pixels on the Unicorn hats.... Well you will be able to when I finish the programming :-)

Fun times, cracking open a phone to replace the battery. Not scary at all 😱, letting Tom take the lead. He not worried, new battery or phone whatever the outcome 🤣

As mentioned by @cannonfodder.bsky.social a while ago there is a very good #maker event in #Derby later this month. If you are near Derby on the 25th October head along to #Assemble at #DerbyMuseum derbymuseums.org/assemble/

The faders are motorised and move to the stored value after selection, currently set up for RGB colour values. It's programmed in CircuitPython. The motor driver is a @pimoroni.com Motor 2040 and is handling all the inputs and outputs. #GiganticUnicorn

For the day walkers

Further update on my #GiganticUnicorn colour controller build, now have the Trellis keypad/display working and the fader is able to set colour level, currently only a single channel is connected, when selecting a pixel, fader is set automatically to current level.

Today, I have been working on a controller for the Giant Unicorn Hat. Have written a function to move the powered fadder to a set position, using a @pimoroni.com motor 2040, running CircuitPython to monitor/control the faders and the NeoTreilis. #GiganticUnicorn

And it's payday, Maker Gods please save me from the Pimoroni pirates, they after my maker funds!

Old school @pimoroni.com Unicorn hat running on a Raspberry Pi 500+ You can never have enough LEDs!

So pretty :-)

Things happen when you live and work close to the Raspberry Pi shop!

Quick and dirty test at 5v, that was quick! #GiganticUnicorn

I blame @usedbytes.com for this, motorised faders for selecting the colour values of the Giant Unicorn hat pixels, thinking about designing a PCB to make it pretty :-) select a pixel and the pots move to the correct values #GiganticUnicorn

Hannah's book has been released :-) Unplugged Tots, have been keeping small people occupied at the last few CamJams www.raspberrypi.com/news/new-fro...

I always loved the drawings of Heath Robinson, I remember looking at his drawings for hours in my school library and being lost in them until the bell rang for class, I just found about the Heath Robinson Museum. Hopefully be able to visit next time in London. share.google/ROhu52BC0WKR...

For my next Hacky Racers robot build 'Rubber Ducky', I bought this beauty :-) for the Moxy team badge the tag line will be 'Get out of my quacking way'.

I have been a type 1 diabetic for the last 5 years or so, and this Radio 4 program was created by a young diabetic about our condition summed up in three words 'Life in Numbers' www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

In a field in Suffolk :-) #footfest A giant thank you to @pimoroni.com for their support allowing me to create the Giant Unicorn Hat. #GiganticUnicorn

Guess where we were today?

I don't know what I did to piss off the master

It was great to have you, and I'm pleased the universe didn't explode when we aligned it to reflect off my WAVE 😂

On the way home from Tramlines, I popped into @pimoroni.com towers for a visit and showed off the Giant Unicorn Hat. A big thank you to Pimoroni for supporting me with this madness. I thought it was fitting to take some photos in the factory. Plus it was nice to catch up with Jon, Paul and crew

The Reytons knock it out of the park, great set.

Normal services resumed in Sheffield 😁

Pulp was amazing!

What's up Sheffield? The sky is blue and it's warm! 😎 At Tramlines with my lads. Looking forward to Pulp later :-) 😄

One more workday and then it’s Holiday time, starting by taking my lads to Tramlines, Pulp live on Friday Night :-) Then some time sorting out my home maker space, followed with a week in the Forest of Dean, mountain biking and exploring castles :-) then off to Footfest.

It's starts on my Birthday :-)

Good Maker event in Derby, I will hopefully be showing off my Giant Unicorn hat there in October. derbymuseums.org/assemble/

Monday the 21st July is our next open evening at #HitchinHackpace. Why not come along and see what the #hackspace is all about? From 19:30. Free tea or coffee and biccies 🫖☕🍪🙂 #make #craft #invent #learn #Hitchin #Stevenage #Letchworth #Baldock

The only thing I miss from X is the balloons on your birthday. 56 orbits around the sun for me today :-)

Getting ready for HackyRacing robot racing at FootFest. Having a swap around with my autonomous robot rig, @raspberrypi.com Pi 5, full frame shutter camera, LiDAR & GPS, driving the motors is @pimoroni.com Yukon. Details here hackyracers.co.uk

And they are here! Great set, most of "I should Coco" plus the classics, finished with "Pumping on your Stereo"

Soon! Seems this was not posted on Saturday evening, waiting for SuperGrass to play.

More details about the Gaussfest in London on the 7th September 2025 www.extremeelectronics.co.uk/the-gaussfest/ High voltage, tesla coils, electrostatic machines and another Victorian/Edwardian pumping station to look around. I can't think of a better day out :)