Kilauea Cove: Raspberry Pi-controlled Active Volcano!

Since the last Kilauea Cove update, there have been a lot of updates to the Cove, and the Raspberry Pi-controlled volcano feature is now active in my basement tiki nook. Have a look at the finished product in the video!

Previously, we decided between Arduino and Raspberry Pi, controlling a cheap DJ smoke machine and we learned how to control both Adafruit Neopixels and their older WS2801 addressable RGB pixels with the Raspberry Pi. Since then, I’ve built out the space to have a more classic tiki look, and completed what I’m calling “Stage One” of the volcano feature. This includes animated LEDs, other controlled lights, and sound effects.

I guess I wouldn’t call it animatronics, since here’s no robotics involved (…yet), only animated lights and smoke. What would you call this kind of feature?

Next Up

Over the next week or so, we’ll be posting more details on the making of the volcano feature. We’ll show making the animations, building out the space, designing the animations, and planning the smoke feature. What else would you like to know?

Update

Here’s the complete list of behind-the-scenes articles on the building of Kilauea Cove:

• Part 1
• Part 2: Raspberry Pi LED Control
• Part 3: Paint, Reed & Bamboo
• Part 4: Shelves, Trim & Decor
• Part 5: Smoke & Lights