Project Hub /Basic Analog & Power Electronics/ColourSnow

Intermediate

OTHER CONTROLLER

₹1,500 – ₹5,000

3 – 6 Hours

Partial Kit

ColourSnow

ColourSnow is a snowflake-shaped Adafruit Feather wing featuring 19 independently-controlled RGB LEDs and advanced QFN soldering.

Originally published on Hackaday.io

View original tutorial

Parts You'll Need

This project is sourced from another site, not written by us — this list is our best match of their components against what we stock, not a verified bill of materials. Always check the original blog (linked above) for the actual parts list before buying.

10pcs 5mm RED Diffused Light Emitting Diodes - LEDs Set Rs. 39.00
400 Points Mini Solderless Prototype PCB Breadboard High Quality Rs. 89.00
MB102 Adjustable Breadboard Power Supply Module (3.3V & 5V) for Arduino & Raspberry Pi Rs. 139.00
Jumper Wire 10 Pin Male To Male 20cm Rs. 45.00
Jumper Wire 10 Pin Male To Female 20cm Rs. 45.00

Selected: Rs. 0.00

We don't carry yet: Passive Components (generic)
Other Dev Board (Indusboard / Maixduino / misc)
Custom PCB / PCB Fab

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How It Works

The ColourSnow project centers around a custom snowflake-shaped printed circuit board designed to function as an Adafruit Feather wing. At the heart of the display are 19 independently-controlled RGB LEDs, which are populated alongside supporting passive surface-mount components during assembly. The board interfaces with an Adafruit Feather controller, such as the Feather M4, which plugs directly into the wing. To bring the snowflake to life, you program the microcontroller using either the Arduino IDE or CircuitPython. The control software communicates with the display hardware to manipulate the color and intensity of each RGB LED individually. By managing the Red, Green, and Blue channels for all 19 lighting elements, the system can generate dynamic, colorful animated lighting patterns across the geometric snowflake branches. Power and control signals flow from the host Feather board through the shared pin headers, routing instructions to the onboard layout of LEDs and passives to create custom visual effects.

Why Build This

Create a custom, programmable holiday decoration or interactive LED art piece that stands out from standard commercial displays.

Practice advanced surface-mount technology (SMT) assembly and fine-pitch soldering techniques suitable for senior secondary electronics students.

Experiment with microcontroller programming in Arduino or CircuitPython to design custom lighting animations on modular hardware.

Real-World Application

Custom holiday decorations, LED art installations, and modular prototyping hardware compatible with the Adafruit Feather standard.

Skills You'll Learn

SMT soldering

QFN component assembly

RGB LED control

microcontroller programming

circuit board assembly

I2C animation control

Safety Precautions

Standard soldering safety precautions apply when working with SMT components and reflow or iron soldering.

Technology Tags

QFN SOLDERING

SMD

RGB LED

FEATHER WING

I2C

MICROCONTROLLER

HOLIDAY LIGHTING

Frequently Asked Questions

What microcontroller board do I need to run ColourSnow?

You need an Adafruit Feather compatible board, such as the Adafruit Feather M4, which mounts directly onto the ColourSnow PCB wing.

Can I program this using Python instead of C++?

Yes, the ColourSnow is compatible with CircuitPython as well as the standard Arduino IDE, allowing you to choose your preferred programming environment.

Is prior soldering experience required?

Yes, because the project involves SMT assembly and fine-pitch QFN components, it is recommended for builders who already have some basic soldering experience.

Gallery

This page is part of Kitkraft's Project Hub — a curated collection of electronics & robotics projects gathered from the maker community to help students and hobbyists discover and learn to build. Kitkraft does not claim authorship of the original project, and makes no representation as to the accuracy, completeness or safety of third-party source material. The summary and "How It Works" explanation above are AI-generated, rewritten with reference to the original tutorial — not a reproduction of it. Full credit and a direct link to the original source are provided above. If you're the original creator and have a concern about how your work is represented here, please contact us and we'll address it promptly.

Kitkraft Project Hub — curated from the maker community, credited at the source.

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