I'm at the point where I want to test what kind of patterns could look good on the skates. I have two basic patterns in mind that I've seen used in other projects, that just need to be adapted for a smaller LED array and to favor the Y axis to detect forward and reverse acceleration.

I was initially going to hunt around for existing code in github repos to understand how they accomplished it, but decided to try to describe what I had in mind to a coding agent (OpenCode + GTP5.1 Codex). I first described the array and how the LEDs were numbered. I then described how to use thresholds of acceleration for the patterns. Then I did my best to described the patterns I had seen in the past. Surprisingly the agent was able to update my arduino test code which had all the pin assignments already defined. The output passed the build process. I loaded the code onto the first prototype with anticipation...

It worked first try! I rolled the frame forward and backwards across my desk and the first pattern looked like what i expected. I then pressed one of the button to change to the second patter. Repeated the movement and while not exactly what wanted, it was pretty close.

I know putting this code together would have taken me days, if not weeks with my meager embedded coding skills. Getting this project to a functional state just got a lot easier. I'm looking forward to exploring new possibilities with the help of an LLM.