Utter newbie, never ever, seeks consultant for LED project

[Suz665]

I’m so frustrated! I have a specific project I contracted to have made and the guy bailed on me. I call it the jellyfish. It stood 12-15’ tall, had strings of leds that shot fireball, twinkles, made patterns, and I would love to know where to start.
I have pictures but don’t know how to adjust to requirements here.
Sad, sad panda, please help!

[dastels]

To clarify: what exactly do you need done? Hardware? Software? Both? Is this your "jellyfish" or something you wish to replicate?

Dave

[Suz665]

Hello and thank you! The guy that made this said he’d make me one. I saved up and now he won’t answer texts or emails.

[Suz665]

Sorry, accidentally hit send. I need help with the whole shebang, please.

[jaldunate]

Hi!

I recommend using "smart led" strips. They come with WS2812 leds or similar, which are super easy to use thanks to libraries. Also, nearly any micro-controller will be able to run these.

The slightly more challenging part is giving it enough power, there are good guides for that.

I think this is your perfect starting point:
https://www.adafruit.com/product/1138?length=2

[dastels]

Yes, NeoPixel strips are what you want. A feather M4 should have computing power enough to run the show with multiple lighting modes and such. I'd use a NeoPXL8 Featherwing to drive the strips https://www.adafruit.com/product/4537. A large 5v power supply will be required. 8 strips of 2m (60pixels/m) will need (at worst case: all on bright white) nearly 60A. Typical use should be far less. Multiple 10A supplies could be use (each powering several strips). https://www.adafruit.com/product/658

I've used similar hardware for a similar but smaller project.

Dave