I know very basically how I am going to attack this problem. As a proof of concept using just what I have laying around, I have created a mini ping pong ball light feature using 1 LED and 1 ball.

It’s not much, but it does demonstrate exactly how simple this project can be when broken down into its individual components. (Which honestly gives me a sigh of relief knowing my biggest challenge is going to the the CS/ECE side.) I have been doing a lot or research recently to make sure I purchase the correct type of LED’s. I need to take into account what I want them to be able to do in terms of programming and color range, how large of an array I want to create, how much power the LED’s will draw, and if I can control the LED’s pattern/program remotely from my phone.

I am currently waiting on materials to come in including a large amount of ping pong balls and enough LEDs to match. I have been learning a lot from YouTube tutorials about similar projects involving LED arrays and programming them. I will definitely be banking a lot on their knowledge to learn what to do myself. I also have purchased a power supply and an ESP32 to run the LEDs. All my materials should be coming in by this Saturday.

LEDs: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0972BMZ4W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ESP32: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BK435ZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Power Supply: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BJ3N2W2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ping Pong Balls: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NSKBXWW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1