That is really too nice to hang a bunch of wires on it. Get some self flickering LEDs and fine wire and call it done.

I haven't tried it or even checked yet, but Arduino Studio should have libraries for the micrcontrollers it can work with that are capable of running WS2812. If you want some adventure check into that and Adafruit has information and some videos also for their Neopixel line which are WS2812 LEDs. Maybe another project someday...

 

FYI
https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/project-led-candle.61705/

 

I used an Arduino to have 8 RGB LEDs change colors randomly within a range I liked via a PWM signal to the 3 resistors of each LED. I then used 8 pnp transistors to provide an enable function to turn them on or off individually as the LEDs are common anode.

To find what colours I liked I used 3 trimpots and the ADC of the Arduino to define an almost complete range of colours available. The entire setup was easy to do and is easily adapted to your goal as any timing sequence is then available in the code and with enough shift registers you can control any number of LEDs and color combinations.

I can provide the guides if interested.

 

I forgot that I wrote an Instructable on making this prop cake, which included the code and assembly instructions. Just click on this link.

 

geek of the week.
“That is really too nice to hang a bunch of wires on it. Get some self flickering LEDs and fine wire and call it done.”

Exactly! This seems to be the way to go.
So with flicker leds running at about 3volt and about 20mA each, What’s the thinnest wire I could use, over 1 meter each way. Running them in parallel.
I think(!) that 20mA is the same as 0.02amps so 8 leds would need 0.16amps at 3 volts.
Looking at wire charts, could I go down to 28awg which runs power transmitting at 0.228?

I think this Is right!

Thanks again all for your inpu.

 

geek of the week.
“That is really too nice to hang a bunch of wires on it. Get some self flickering LEDs and fine wire and call it done.”

Exactly! This seems to be the way to go.
So with flicker leds running at about 3volt and about 20mA each, What’s the thinnest wire I could use, over 1 meter each way. Running them in parallel.
I think(!) that 20mA is the same as 0.02amps so 8 leds would need 0.16amps at 3 volts.
Looking at wire charts, could I go down to 28awg which runs power transmitting at 0.228?

I think this Is right!

Thanks again all for your inpu.

Each wire won’t be carrying the total current if they’re wired in parallel and only connected at the hub.

AWG 38 can carry 23mA of currrht, and should be fine for one LED at 20mA. Between the ‘hub’ and the power supply, you could use 28AWG.