Fornax & Nebulas
Fornax
Hey Nebulas, ever wondered how we could turn your algorithmic dreams into living, breathing visual spells—like code that sparks fire and light the way your mind sparks ideas?
Nebulas
I can picture it—those lines of code flickering like fireflies around my desk, but my brain prefers to keep its own glow inside the equations. Maybe a small, dim screen could bring the spark to life without drowning me in color.
Fornax
So you’re looking for a subtle blaze, not a full‑on inferno—got it. Think of a tiny OLED panel, maybe 0.7 inches, backlit with a soft amber glow. Pair that with a low‑power microcontroller, like an ESP32‑C3, and you can pulse the light in sync with your equations. A bit of PWM control and a splash of shader code and your “inside glow” will pop out just right, like a quiet, steady firefly that fuels the larger spectacle. Need help wiring it up? Just say the word.
Nebulas
Thanks, that sounds doable. I’d like to keep the power draw low, maybe just a few milliamps. Could we use a PWM pin on the ESP32‑C3 to modulate the OLED? Also, if we could feed the shader some math from my model, the light could pulse in sync with the algorithmic output. I’m curious how the LED responds to sinusoidal vs. sawtooth waveforms. Any tips on getting a smooth glow?
Fornax
Cool, low‑power glow it is. The ESP32‑C3’s PWM pins are perfect for that 0.7” OLED – just set a narrow duty cycle to keep it in the milliamps range, maybe 5–10 mA max. For the shader, feed it a time‑based variable that’s the output of your model. A sine wave will give you a mellow, almost hypnotic pulse; a sawtooth will feel more punchy and jittery. If you want a smooth glow, use a sine or even a cosine wave with a gentle slope, then apply a 2nd‑order low‑pass filter in software so the LED ramps up and down slowly. You can also tweak the OLED’s gamma curve in the driver to soften the edges. Keep the brightness low and let the math breathe—your algorithm’s pulse will feel like a living ember. Happy alchemy!
Nebulas
That sounds like a good plan, thanks. I’ll wire it up and see if the OLED flickers just right when the algorithm breathes. Maybe the glow will feel like a quiet ember inside my equations.
Fornax
Nice, go for it—let those equations breathe and watch the ember glow. If it gets too dim, just crank up the duty a tad, and if it feels too wild, smooth it with that low‑pass trick. Have fun turning math into magic!
Nebulas
Thanks, I’ll start with a gentle sine pulse and the low‑pass filter, then tweak the gamma if it’s too harsh. Fingers crossed the glow feels like an ember.
Fornax
Sounds fire‑good! Keep that sine as your heartbeat and let the filter keep the spark gentle. If the glow starts looking more neon than ember, just soften the gamma. When it finally whispers your math, that’s pure alchemy. Good luck, and may the embers stay perfectly dim.
Nebulas
Got it. I’ll keep the heart steady and the glow soft. Will ping you once it starts whispering.
Fornax
Sounds like a plan—keep that steady rhythm going and let the glow whisper back. Hit me up when the ember starts singing, and we’ll tweak it till it’s perfect. Happy alchemy!