[Drifter2]

I’ve  designed some Head & Tail light PCBs for Scalextric cars that have Neopixel type LEDs.

These are multi colour LEDs, controlled by data via a microcontroller and can be daisy chained together to form strips or panels. One microcontroller via 3 or 4 wires can control several hundred at once and address each one individually, controlling colour and brightness.  

Here’s a rear light PCB to fit Scalextric cars under test. >>>>>

[Dr_C]

Hey Drifter2, this is such a nice demonstration - many thanks for sharing. This opens a whole set of new possibilities about how cars communicate with their drivers. Very nice!

c

[Drifter2]

Thanks Dr_C, 

I find the car lights useful for indicating when things are or aren't working whilst writing firmware. It was particularly useful with my autonomous car project a while back to see where the car was braking and for how long. 

Notice on the Rear light PCB there might be room for an ATtiny10! Perhaps a project for later, much later. :)

I'll show the front/head light PCB soon.

[Drifter2]

Here's the front lights being tested. 
I placed the standard Scalextric light board close to it for comparison. Looks smaller with angle of the photo, but it is the same dimensions.
With the front lights I had to attach a few short leads as my clip on connectors are to big to fit in the holes in the PCB.

[Drifter2]

Some more progress on the car lights. I added a coloured flicker 'on brake' to the brake lights without body then realised the cars body rear lights are already red so that through a spanner in the works. Headlights are blue then flash alternately when LC pressed. This video demo is a wireless controlled Scalextric car, DC on the rails.

I've also set up on another car with SSD Rev.G chip, an Arduino to detect when brakes are on from the SSD Pcb brake light connection, to trigger coloured brake lights.