A dual purpose device that not only repels ghosts, but provides a reassuring ambient glow for remote off grid locations.
Here's the wikipedia page for hypnagogia:-
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia
And the one for pareidolia:-
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia
Note that by "gallium nitride" I just mean standard white and blue LEDs.
I ran a poll on the channel about shadow sightings and 40% said they had seen them. It's nothing too scary, as it's probably just your brain reacting to visual noise in very dark environments, or fatigue/stress causing your brain to misinterpret random shapes and make a human outline out of them. After the poll I decided to release this video earlier than intended, as I think it could make life more comfortable for kids (and adults) who experience this a lot at night.
The device uses the extremely high efficiency of modern white LEDs to create an ambient glow that literally runs 24/7 for months on a single charge of good quality NiMH cells. With the solar hack it will potentially run for many years before the cells or LED need replaced.
I've always had a slight issue with what might be called "shadows in the dark". A very spooky effect where you can see the shadows of people moving around in a very dark room.
When I started having to spend a lot of time on the Isle of Man to look after my mother, I found the extreme blackness of island living very disconcerting, because the intense dark at night allowed ghostly images in my mind to be visible. If i was going to be all sci-fi about it, I'd describe it as if my bed was in a busy public place in an alternate dimension where I could perceive a continuous flow of people around me.
It necessitated the use of a low level lightsource to raise the threshold of detection and make for a much more relaxing sleep experience. Basically a night light.
This might cast a new "light" on kids who see "ghosts" in their room at night. And unfortunately many don't grow out of it. They just get used to it - but don't talk about it in case people think they're nuts.
This version uses a very standard two AA cell battery holder with a 56 ohm resistor and an LED of your choice, or alternatively a socket so you can choose between LEDs easily.
The unit does require low self discharge NiMH cells for maximum time between charges, and it's worth mentioning that some lesser LEDs (eBay!) may exhibit a parasitic resistance that results in less run time per charge. I found that I only need to charge the cells roughly every few months.
The light output is extremely low, but in a very dark environment it is surprising how well it illuminates a room. But not bright enough that it disturbs sleep. It also showcases the massive dynamic range of human eyes. From near zero light to intense sunlight.
I may have partaken of alcoholic beverages before making this video, but have no regrets whatsoever.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of KZfaq's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
#ElectronicsCreators