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Overview
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I loved poi. It was something that interested me unlike any other
physical discipline ever had. Learning to spin wasn't easy, though. I
have very little background in physical coordination. I'm not a sports
person or a dance person. But through poi I did eventually become the
latter. At the start, it was two socks with tennis balls. Then I
purchased a pair of LED poi from flow arts. I wasn't very good for at
least a year, but throughout all of this I found immense enjoyment. I
loved observing the incremental improvements I'd make over
time. Coordination and physical intention would develop slowly over
many hours of practice. I don't know how many hours of poi I've spun,
but it feels like the accumulation approached one thousand. I would
spin everywhere! In parks, at clubs, at the beach, at festivals, at
home (I had an apartment with high ceilings). My passion for the flow
art subsided when I moved away from a big city. The outdoor was
different and no longer possessed the same sense of being swallowed up
in largess. Indeed, the city I live in now is smaller and I feel like
a freak walking down the sidewalk with my poi or staff.
Prototypes
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Acrylic Case
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For my first attempt at building Poi I used laser-printed acrylic
slices. The slices were assembled together into the poi capsule. LEDs,
an Arduino, some buttons, and a LiPo battery were stuffed inside the
capsule. I decided on these materials and build process only because
it involved things I knew. I hadn't yet learned how to design a PCB or
something that could be 3D printed. Anyways, the acrylic capsules
eventually shattered from impact into each other. That's why the
images below show them encased in tape and glue. What a mess!
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AA battery PCB
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This second attempt at building poi also included my first PCB
design. I went a bit crazy, as you can see. But I love it!
+Unfortunately, it had a hilarious issue: the button didn't work!
Somehow I failed at correctly implementing that into my design. Lol. I
guess I was too focused on the zig zags.+ Even the button worked,
provided the pin was set to pull down!
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Final Version
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Ahh! Finally. Everything came together for the final version of poi I
built. +Aside from the button not working (again!),+ everything was so
good (well, to me anyways)! Anyways, I am especially happy about the
clever enclosure and PCB I designed. The PCB slots into each side of
the enclosure. The PCB has two sides, but only one is used on each
board. It flips! One side contains the micro-controller (and some
LEDs), and the other side contains only LEDs.
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