Interior Orbs
Approach not yet decided. See notes below.
Large glowing spheres distributed throughout the scaffolding structure — approximately 26 orbs, beach-ball scale (~40–50cm diameter). Placed to look random but intentionally weighted for visual depth and warmth inside the structure.
Likely approach
DIY assembly: frosted polycarbonate globe shell + WS2811 globe nodes inside.
- Shell: post-top polycarbonate lamp globes (~$20–40 each), frosted for diffusion
- Guts: 3–5 WS2811 nodes per orb (same type used for spires/canopy), wired through a sealed cable gland at the base
- Control: each orb = a small pixel cluster on the F48V5 system, fully addressable
- Diffusion material spreads light well — even 1–3 nodes gives convincing full-globe glow
- Estimated cost: ~$40–60/orb × 26 = ~$1,000–1,500
Heat is a real concern in enclosed spheres. Needs a small vent or careful power management.
Why not off-the-shelf?
Consumer LED orbs (IP68, 40–50cm) exist from brands like PK Green and Spectrum Spheres but have built-in controllers — they can’t be driven from the F48V5. Addressable “pixel sphere” products for events are either tiny string globes or enormous (6–11ft) and very expensive.
Open questions
- Final size — basketball (~25cm) or beach ball (~50cm)?
- Number of nodes per orb
- Mounting method inside scaffold
- Venting / heat management
- Source for polycarbonate globe shells