Backlit Clemson Tiger Paw

If you generally like the college you go to, you may wear their shirts or attend sporting events. Jacob Thompson, not satisfied with normal ways of showing the world that he is a Clemson Tiger, decided to create his own sound-reactive backlit Tiger Paw, using a pair of Arduinos and five meters of WS2812 LED strip.

For control, Thompson chose to use an Arduino Uno to receive IR signals from a remote, as well as sound input via a microphone. This board then passes signal information to an Arduino Mega, utilized beacuse of its larger memory capacity, to control the lights directly. Power is provided by a PC-style PSU that sits on the floor to power the very bright and power-hungry LEDs

The paw itself was constructed on a laser cutter at Clemson’s student Makerspace, the outside of which was crafted out of 1/4” wood, while the inside of the Paw’s fingers were made out of clear acrylic etched with various school symbols. Thompson notes that this type of edge-lit etching looks much better if it’s on the back of the acrylic, a good thing to keep in mind if making something similar.

More build details can be found on his project page or his website. Also be sure to check out the video below to see a wide array of light pulsing options, some of which are synced to music! Go Tigers!