SEED146 - CrowPanel 1.46inch gen-art experiment

SEED146 - CrowPanel 1.46-inch generative art experiment

SEED146 is an experimental piece of generative art built around the Elecrow CrowPanel 1.46-inch rotary display. I wanted to make something different from a clock or a temperature display: a small object for my desk that lets me explore moving mathematical patterns.

The artwork is the main interface. I chose to create the screen visuals in black and white, with color coming from the eight built-in LEDs. Their light extends the movement into the 3D-printed object.

This concept comes from my own design exploration, and I hope the project gives other makers ideas for using this display creatively 😉

Seven generative models

Each model has its own movement and one parameter you can adjust with the knob:

• VORTEX - TURBULENCE: fine lines flow around a moving vortex. Turbulence changes how orderly or restless the flow feels.

• RADIAL - TWIST: rotating arms and curves grow from a radial system designed for the round screen. Twist changes their shape.

• ATTRACTOR - CHAOS: a mathematical attractor creates a shifting volume of particles that appears to move through depth. Chaos changes the paths they follow.

• PARTICLES - ENERGY: particles burst, cross paths and bounce against the circular boundary. Energy changes the strength of their movement.

• ORBIT - ECCENTRICITY: bodies travel around several attractors. Mirrored views turn their paths into a moving kaleidoscope.

• BLOBS - DRIFT: soft masses slowly merge, stretch and separate. Drift changes how far they wander.

• CELLULAR - MUTATION: inspired by Conway’s Game of Life, this model gives its cells an age and a finite lifetime. Mutation introduces controlled births and deaths.

The LEDs respond to what each model is doing. For example, when particles reach the edge, when ORBIT rebounds, or when BLOBS touch the boundary. They are part of the artwork rather than a separate light animation.

How to use it

At startup, the SEED146 logo appears for two seconds with a synchronized LED pulse. The device then opens VORTEX.

While an artwork is displayed:

• Rotate the knob to adjust its parameter from 0 to 100%.

• Press briefly to generate a new variation. Its seed follows a reproducible sequence.

• Press and hold to open the circular model menu.

• Touch the screen twice to enter standby. Two more touches restore the same artwork.

The LEDs briefly show the parameter value while you turn the knob. Each model starts at 50%, shown in white. Turning left moves towards green at 0%; turning right moves towards red at 100%. The LEDs flash twice when you reach 0%, pass through 50%, or reach 100%, using the corresponding green, white or red color.

In the circular menu, rotate to browse the seven models and SETTINGS. A brief press opens the selected item; a long press returns to the artwork without changing it. The LEDs also indicate the selected menu position.

SETTINGS contains two controls. Touch the screen to switch between them, then rotate the knob to change the selected value:

• AUTOMAT: OFF or a period from 15 to 120 seconds. At each interval, SEED146 randomly selects a different model and a new value from 0 to 100% for that model’s parameter. Choosing a model manually turns AUTOMAT off.

• LUMINOSITY: OFF or 10 to 100% for the LEDs. This setting does not change the screen brightness.

AUTOMAT and LUMINOSITY are saved in the ESP32’s non-volatile flash memory (NVS) and restored after a restart. The individual model parameters are not saved; they return to their default 50% values when the device restarts.

In SETTINGS, a brief press returns to the model menu; a long press returns directly to the artwork. The accompanying infographic shows the screens and their interactions in more detail.

Designing and making it

I designed the overall object manually in Autodesk Fusion. The base attaches with a bayonet fitting and includes a space that can be filled with concrete to add weight. The dish was designed for magnetic attachment, but I left the magnets out of my print: the fit between the parts was already tight enough to hold it securely.

The small upper cup hides the less attractive lower part of the CrowPanel. It also refines the way the LED light appears around the dish. Codex, connected to Fusion through MCP, helped me model the final bayonet and magnetic fittings.

Building the software with Codex

This was my first complete coding project made with AI. Codex (using Astra, Sol and Luna) wrote the code, which I compiled in Arduino IDE. My role was to define the experience, test each version on the CrowPanel and guide the visual result through many hours of iteration.

Codex also helped me choose and validate the software setup step by step. We started from Elecrow’s examples, checked which library versions worked together, then tested one part at a time: serial communication, LEDs, knob and button, display, touch, and finally a minimal LVGL interface. Only after those parts worked together on the physical device did we develop VORTEX and the other models. Some versions compiled but did not give the right result on screen, so we adjusted them and tested again.

The final setup is Arduino IDE 2.3.10, ESP32 core 3.3.8, LVGL 9.1.0, LovyanGFX 1.2.26 with initialization adapted for this display, cst816t 1.5.1 for touch, and Adafruit NeoPixel 1.15.5 for the LEDs. The logo and interface icons were generated with ChatGPT Images.

Creating the interface and mathematical visuals myself would have taken much longer. This process let me spend more time on the form, the movement and the interaction I wanted. The code is available on GitHub if you want to explore it or create your own models.

A note on adding electronics

The prototype shown here uses only the CrowPanel and its supplied USB cable, which powers the device and lets me program the ESP32. No additional electronic components are needed.

Adding sensors or actuators

For future extensions, the CrowPanel has external I²C and UART connections with 4-pin ZX-MX 1.25 mm connectors. There are very few general-purpose GPIO pins accessible.

I measured 5 V on the I²C connector pins and on the UART connector signals of my unit.
Before connecting a 3.3 V sensor or actuator, check its power requirements and provide a suitable 3.3 V supply and logic-level conversion where needed. Do not assume that these external signals are 3.3 V.

Possible next steps

SEED146 is a minimum viable product that allowed me to validate both the visual concept and how the object works. There is space inside the enclosure for more electronics. I would like to try a presence sensor so SEED146 can switch off when I leave my desk and wake when I return. Other sensors could also influence the models and make the artwork respond to its surroundings.

You could also use AI to create entirely new generative art algorithms, perhaps ones that react to their environment. Experiment and see where it takes you, imagination is the only limit! 🧠

If you have questions or would like more detail about a particular part of the project, feel free to ask in the comments.

Bill of Materials (BOM)

• Elecrow CrowPanel 1.46inch

• (optional) 12x Circular Neodym Magnets 6x2mm

• (optional) Concrete: 270g of Kreativ-Beton (Rayher) + 27ml water

• (optional) Non-slip pads that can be glued to the bottom

• Prototype printed with :

  • eSUN PLA-CF Black

  • PrimaValue PLA+ Light Grey

3D Printing notes

Printed with a Bambu Lab X1C, but I’d love to try out a Prusa... 😉

• Walls: 4

• Layer height: 0.16mm, 0.12mm for the dish

• Fill: Gyroid or Adaptative Cubic 15%

• External walls speed: 80 mm/s

• External walls acceleration: 2000 mm/s2

• Supports: See notes with each STL

• Seam: Back (rotate the STLs so that the seam is at the back (base and tube) or at the bottom (dish and ring).

Elecrow provided me the CrowPanel 1.46-inch rotary display free of charge for this personal project, with no creative brief or constraints. Thank you, Elecrow!