This is an early electronics project of mine that was conceptualized in late 2013 before I had the ability to program with Arduino. Built simultaneously with the Mosaic Super Mario Bros. Lamp, this project was a real challenge to say the least. Inside this hollow yellow structure is a “brain” – a microchip from a model railroad set, which controls three LED spotlight bulbs rigged up in a series and powered with an AC adapter. The bulbs then shine behind a grid of Technic bricks with transparent colored plates in the holes – in the same “Lite Brite” fashion as the Mario Lamps. I spent about a month experimenting with the bulbs and electronics, to get failed results, when I eventually learned that I needed to remove some of the resistors from the circuit board. After completing this project, I would go on to learn Arduino programming and would then make more sophisticated electronics in the subsequent years.

In 2018, a museum in Chicago reached out to me and requested to obtain this project as a donation, which I obliged. Sadly the museum was shut down in 2020, and as of 2024 the traffic light’s current whereabouts are unknown.

Build your own (tutorial on Instructables) • Review on Hack A Day