Maker SHED

The Povard is a large hand held POV device that is built onto a very cool laser cut and etched acrylic bezel. A POV “tricks” your eyes into seeing a full image when only part of the image is visible at one time. This effect is called the “Persistence Of Vision.” This is the way the Povard works. As you move the Povard you will see one slice of each letter at a time. Your brain assembles all the slices together for you to be able to see a complete word or image.

• Learn how to program your Povard here.

Like most POV devices that come in kits, the Povard is designed for those interested in hobby electronics. Unlike other POV devices the Povard is programmed using your Arduino.

Most other POVs require a serial port or parallel port to upload their messages. When we started working on the Povard, we wanted to build a device that would work without the need to buy or have any special adapters. We realized that 90%+ of people that build electronics kits, already have an Arduino. Bingo! Using the Arduino as a programmer / loader for the Povard messages was the answer. The Arduino can still be used for other projects when not programming the Povard and it works on all three major computer platforms (Mac, Windows and Linux).  All you need is the Povard sketch, no breadboards, jumper wires.  Just the bare Arduino!