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GeekMomProjects

@geekmomprojects.com
1.9K followers 538 following 390 posts

Tinkerer Maker Solderer Mom • lateral thinker • LEDs improve everything • she/her

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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 25/08/2026
New soft polyhedron. This rhombicuboctahedeon was a trial to see if I could sew a polyhedron that didn't totally deform to a sphere when stuffed, so each face is lined with thick fusible interfacing and the exterior fabric is heavy canvas. It's surprisingly heavy for being stuffed with polyfill.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 10/07/2026
Just finished these prototype LED hats. I'll be teaching workshops to make them at #EMF2026 and #Teardown2026. The next few weeks will be busy!
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 16/05/2026
Designed three interlocking squares that come together in an octahedron. LEDs will be involved at some point.
A brown table with three 3d printed hollow squares, about 6 cm long on each edge and 6mm thick, lying on top. the corners of each square contain notches either on the inside or outside of the corner. Behind the squares is a 3D octahedron which is formed by assembling the three squares to form the octahedron's edges.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 13/04/2026
I made this hyperboloid years ago when LED strings were only available with 10 cm spacing. The old LED string broke, so I restrung it with higher density pixels, and am playing with 3D patterns on the Pixelblaze controller.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 22/03/2026
I am an orchid show taking a tour. The speaker, a lovely older lady, explained that growers are very generous in sharing cuttings freely and that their generosity "puts the 'whore' in 'horticulture!'" 😂
A beautiful white orchid plane with about thirty large blooms speckled with purple spots.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 03/02/2026
I recently returned from an incredible trip to Antarctica and need everyone to see these penguins.
A penguin on a rocky shore facing the camera with its its wings extended and one leg raisedA penguin on a rocky shore with its back leg extended behind it and its head tilted at a rakish angle while looking at the cameraA parent penguin sitting on a rocky nest with two adorable fuzzy baby penguin chicks underneath itTwo penguins who appear to be having a conversation on a rocky shore looking to each other while one has its beak wide open and appears to be shouting at the other
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 27/12/2025
Video of the illumination so far with a dumb LED controller. The plan is to program it to display messages.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 27/12/2025
Ended up needing a new sewing machine, but now that it's arrived, I've been able to finish sewing the Ouija messenger bag. The project has entered the hot-glue phase. Only a few LEDs left to go.
An exterior of a beige messenger bag with a Ouija board on the front flat. The board itself is made from etched faux leather with cutouts for 3D printed letters that are illuminated from behind.The view inside the front flap of the messenger bag with a panel zipped open to reveal the back side of the illuminated letters which are surrounded by EVA foam with cutouts at the letter positions. Each letter cutout is filled with hot glues and has two LEDs from an LED string attached to eliminate the letter from behind.The front of the LED Ouija board messenger bag with the letters and numbers illuminated from behind in rainbow colors
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 18/12/2025
It's one of those days... Before I can start sewing, I need to find and re-seat the foot petal plug which has disappeared inside the machine.
A sewing machine opened up so the two halves are separated and the interior machinery is accessible.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 14/12/2025
In my house it's the festival of LEDs
Two illuminated LED menorahs made from edgelit acrylic with the acrylic candles illuminated in a rainbow of colors and acrylic flames flickering with yellow light. In between the two menorahs is an illuminated stick figure shaped like a wacky waving inflatable car wash man with LEDs running up his metal
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 12/12/2025
Pixel mapped my friends Christmas tree last night using an awesome video mapping tool by @themariday.bsky.social and set it up with a Pixelblaze controller.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 27/11/2025
Thanksgiving prep smells very good right now
A freshly baked apple pie with a lattice crust resting on the stove to cool
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 21/11/2025
A terrible Hitchcock remake appears to be happening at UCLA this morning
A large cluster of abandoned Bird scooters on the UCLA campus.A large cluster of abandoned Bird scooters on the UCLA campus.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 21/10/2025
I got my SAO boards in for #SuperCon. I didn't leave enough time for revisions, so bodge wire is required. I'm just relieved it's fixable. Since SuperCon starts on Halloween this year, the "SAOuija" is nicely thematic. Still working on code to make messages settable through I2C or push buttons.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 18/10/2025
My favorite sign so far
A man holding a protest sign that says" for those who are still confused" with pictures of Americans raising a flag that is labeled "antifa" next to a picture of Hitler labeled "fa"
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 18/10/2025
My sign was last minute, but the shirt and hat have gotten a lot of use this year.
Four women holding protest signs and wearing anti fascism and No Kings shirts and hats.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 18/10/2025
Santa Monica #NoKings protest just started and the crowd is growing quickly.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 18/10/2025
Just started a few minutes ago and the crowd is growing quickly.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 18/10/2025
Inflatable costume game makes it to LA
Two No Kings protestors, one of whom is wearing a Blue inflatable dinosaur costume. The dinosaur is holding a sign saying stop the Extinction of democracy
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 18/10/2025
#NoKings with awesome people in Santa Monica this morning.
A group of people standing in front of a house holding protest signs for the No Kings march
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 30/09/2025
Made a 🌈 on the new #RaspberryPi 500+, and I'm not sure if ever I'll get past playing with the keyboard so I can use it for another purpose!
A mechanical keyboard which houses the new Raspberry Pi 500+ computer displaying a rainbow pattern across its keys.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 26/09/2025
Thank you! I wore it for a talk at Bay Area Maker Faire in 2019. I'm dressed less formally this time around.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 26/09/2025
Just set up a small wearables exhibit for this weekend's #BayAreaMakerFaire. I'll be giving workshops today and a talk tomorrow as well, so it's going to be a (fun) busy weekend!
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 15/09/2025
Video of the stunning pendant in action:
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 15/09/2025
At the Orange County Maker Faire this weekend I got to see @californiasteam.bsky.social and his gorgeous LED jewelry creations, and was super excited to get one of his brand new "Duonacci" pendants. It's powered by a super capacitor which charges fully in just minutes and lasts for many hours.
A selfie of me with Sander Van de Bowen and I am wearing a circular LED pendant.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 14/08/2025
Getting ready to bring some Bendy SAO boards to @crashspacela.bsky.social tonight for a presentation with @alpenglow.bsky.social on fun PCB projects. Attached the SAOs to the SuperCon 2024 badge and it's giving strong Medusa vibes!
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 07/08/2025
Maker Tom Keddie remixed the Bendy SAO board for a Pride event, and I love how it turned out! hackaday.io/project/2037...
A tabletop display of a multi-segmented car wash balloon man sculpture constructed of PCBs in different colors arranged at jaunty angles to each other with some the backlit LEDs running up the front center of the sculpture illuminated in an alternating blue and red pattern.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 06/08/2025
Riley (left) channeling his spirit animal on the UCLA campus.
A medium sized black and tan 2-year-old dog sits on a pedestal next to a giant bear statue that is life size or slightly larger. The dog is looking at the camera and his tongue is hanging out
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 02/08/2025
Experimenting with making an illuminated daisy chain by 3D printing snap-on circular covers for a pebble light string and cutting shiny vinyl flowers that fit around the glowy centers.
A black bucket cap rests on a table. Several silver flowers with illuminated red centers run around the middle of the hat. In front of the hat is a string of pebble lights in which the LEDs have been covered by translucent circular diffusers. Some of the diffusers form the center for vinyl flowers that have been placed around them. On the table in front of the LED string are two of the 3D printed diffusers, along with two flowers cut from vinyl with holes in their centers for placing the diffusers through.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 29/07/2025
This was a highlight!
Two very cool makers wearing similar sling bags with illuminated digital clocks on the front
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 28/07/2025
I'm belatedly posting this **GORGEOUS** crochet hat from the uber-talented @alpenglow.bsky.social. She integrated a light string and Pixelblaze controller. It's powered by a 18650 cell through a clever charge/discharge circuit from @clomads.bsky.social that snaps over the positive terminal. 😍🧢😍
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 13/06/2025
My prize from the Hackaday SuperCon SAO challenge just arrived! It is 100 copies of the Bendy SAO produced and assembled by SupplyFrame. They're getting flashed and paired with 3D printed stands, so now I have a cool giveaway for #teardown2025  next week!
Two green poseable PCB assemblies, shaped like inflatable car wash men are illuminated through translucent patches on the front of the PCBs. One assembly is laying on a table, connected to a programmer while the other assembly stands vertically with its base held by a round silver 3D printed stand. Begind the assemblies is a plastic bin filled with dozens more identical assemblies.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 27/05/2025
Walking in the UCLA campus today, I grabbed what I thought was a copy of the "Daily Bruin" student newspaper. Turns out it's a (quite good!) lookalike satire in the vein of @theonion.com Worth zooming in on the images to read the headlines.
A folded student newspaper named "The Westwood Enabler" with a main headline reading "UCPD ARRESTS STUDENT FOR THINKING ABOUT PALESTINE"A satire version of the Daily Bruin titled "The Westwood Enabler"A satire version of the Daily Bruin titled "The Westwood Enabler"A satire version of the Daily Bruin titled "The Westwood Enabler"
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 18/05/2025
Just finished sewing a new sling bag with a 32x18 LED matrix inside the pocket flap. The pocket flap snaps off so the matrix can be used in other designs. The #Pixelblaze controller and battery fit nicely inside the front pocket.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 16/05/2025
Was hiking when my dog emerged from the bushes with this large bone. texted my (doctor) husband to see what it was and he texted back "fibia," then immediately went offline before answering my second question, "not human, right?" Hoping somebody here can reassure me.
A hand holding a large bleached phibia bone
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 11/05/2025
The percussion section rocked!!! Was impressed that bucket drummer went so hard the bucket didn't survive.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 10/05/2025
It's my weekly #teslatakedown protest. This Saturday I'm in Santa Monica. Smallish but quite high impact protest with good energy and a very high visibility location at the 3rd Street promenade. Also, this couple is awesome.
A grey haired man and woman standing on a street corner holding up protest signs reading "Boycott Tesla" and "Elon Kills Babies"
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 04/05/2025
Gotta stay, the percussion section is pretty good
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 04/05/2025
Another small but mighty protest outside the Milken conference in Beverly Hills where Musk is speaking #teslatakedown
A small group of protesters holding anti-Musk signs across the street from the Beverly Hilton which has a sign announcing the Milken Institute conference A small group of anti Musk protestors on a street corner holding signs
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 02/05/2025
This is fine...
A cascading series of lever wire connectors, joined to each other with hookup wire, start with a single barrel jack to wire connector and end by sending voltage/ground to 15 different power wires to power 15 PCBs from a single cable.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 26/04/2025
It rained this morning, so the weekly Santa Barbara #teslatakedown protest is smaller than usual, but mighty in spirit.
A small but mighty group of protesters standing along a sidewalk holding signs outside of a Tesla dealership
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 22/04/2025
The diffusers on the new LED polyhedron (dihedral hexacontahedron, right) looked so much better than the first build that I had to print new ones for the truncated icosahedron (left). I also synced up the patterns (with #pixelblaze) and will be sitting here staring at them for the rest of the day.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 19/04/2025
Another Saturday, another #teslatakedown protest. This is a portion of the assembly outside the dealership in Santa Barbara.
A line of protesters holding signs and standing in front of a Tesla dealership
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 17/04/2025
Here it is next to the previous build, a truncated icosahedron. The LED diffusion is much better with the translucent white filament and a larger air gap. I'd like to go even larger for the next build, but am daunted by the current tariff situation.
The deltoidal hexacontahedron described in the previous post on a tabletop next to a similarly designed truncated icosahedron that is about 2/3 it's size.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 17/04/2025
The LED deltoidal hexacontahedron is complete! 60 identical PCB sides covered with 3D printed diffusers. Two #Pixelblaze controllers work in sync to provide a fast frame rate for patterns on the 1200 LEDs.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 16/04/2025
New LED polyhedron build is underway. It's a dihedral hexacontahedron with 60 kite-shaped sides. My PCB polyhedron builds are getting better. These 3D printed tile covers use a translucent PETG designed for lithophanes plus a larger air gap than the last build for much smoother diffusion.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 29/03/2025
Heading out to my weekly #teslatakedown protest
A protest poster laying on a wood with images of a Porsche, Ferrari and Cyber truck stacked vertically. The cybertruck sits next to an image of Musk giving a Nazi salute. Next to each car is a label reading "FAST" (Porsche), "FASTER" (Ferrari), "FASCIST" (Cybertruck)

Next to the poster is a camo baseball cap with yellow letters that read, "Resist Fascism"
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 28/03/2025
It's been a fun morning. I'm helping a Los Angeles STEM education nonprofit prepare a kids' event, and I got to build and play with this vertical wind tube. (Remarkably simple instructions here: gooddayswithkids.com/2015/02/08/b...)
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 02/03/2025
Finished V2 of the truncated icosahedron, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. The sides are 32 hexagonal and pentagonal PCBs, joined by 3D printed corner connectors and covered with 3D printed diffusers. The pixels are mapped and it's running 3D animation patterns on a Pixelblaze controller.
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GeekMomProjects @geekmomprojects.com · 01/03/2025
Went to a protest at SpaceX today. It felt good to join other people taking action.
Man carrying a protest sign reading, "Hey Elon: forget Mars, go explore Uranus"Woman carrying sign with the word "broligarchy" crossed out.A dog wearing a sign reading, "Paws off our democracy"A woman holding a sign with an acrostic in which the first letters of each word spell "DOGE", and the sign reads, "Deranged, Oligarch, Grifter, Elon Musk"
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