The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department was recently asked by BYU’s Marching Band to help add a high tech element to their performances. A group of students led by senior Trevor Decker used LED light strips, a pressure sensor, control circuitry, and a hefty rechargeable battery to add dynamic light effects to the band’s drumline. Each drum was equipped with its own circuit which activated the bank of lights in response to a drumstick strike. The drums are capable of flashing in multiple colors using a switch on the side of the drum body, but during the official homecoming unveiling, only blue was used.
The ECE student team, which also included Kyle Davidson, Kevin Cuzner, Peter Zabriskie, and Craig Lowe completed the project as part of their engineering outreach assignment for the IMMERSE program. They felt a great sense of relief and satisfaction watching the final result on the field after many late nights of circuit construction and debugging. Adjustments were being made right up to the moment of the first public performance. The band plans to continue performing with the LED drums for the rest of the 2015 season and beyond.