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A project report published on Sept. 24 describes an installation that ran a FLIP fluid simulation on salvaged flipdot panels for EMF2026. The display’s electromechanical dots physically flip and make sound, while the report details the effort to drive and assemble the panels. The source does not specify the installation’s full dimensions or provide performance measurements.
A maker has completed a FLIP fluid simulation for an installation at EMF2026, running the animation on electromechanical flipdot panels whose moving dots produce physical sound. The project combines a fluid simulation with a display technology more commonly associated with older public information boards, and its creator says the wordplay helped inspire the build.
The project report, published Sept. 24, describes FLIP as Fluid Implicit Particle, a method used for fluid simulation. The creator said they had previously made several fluid simulations, but those displays used LEDs and were silent. Flipdots offered a way for the displayed motion to make sound through the panels’ mechanical action.
The panels used for the installation were older salvaged units supplied by Sam, known as Look Mum No Computer, who had received a large collection of flipdot displays. The report describes one panel with a resolution of 13 by 28 dots; it does not establish that every panel in the installation had that specification.
Driving the panels required substantial electronics work. The report says the original circuitry was slow, taking about one second to update a display, and the panels’ circuit boards protruded beyond their edges, complicating seamless tiling in one direction. The creator developed replacement drive circuitry and supporting hardware, with the page outlining boards, power distribution, mounting and control components.
Mechanical Pixels Make Their Own Sound
The installation makes the display part of the experience rather than a silent surface for an animation. Each flipdot changes state by moving a small disc, so a fluid simulation can be seen and heard through the physical movement of the pixels. That connection between image and sound is the project’s central technical and artistic premise.
The work also demonstrates a use for hardware that is difficult to obtain and operate. The creator describes flipdot panels as costly and their manufacture as complicated, while the salvaged units arrived in mixed condition. Making them work for an installation required a custom approach to control, mounting and power, rather than simply connecting a video source.
From Silent LEDs to Salvaged Panels
The creator says the idea emerged from earlier fluid simulation projects. They had considered simulating the swishing sounds of liquid, then realized an electromechanical display could produce sound directly as its dots moved. The pun in “FLIP fluid” helped settle the concept.
According to the report, the creator first tried to gain access to a large flipdot display owned by a former contract client, without success. They later found panels through conversations at hacker events and contact with Sam, who had accumulated donated units. The report says many panels were in poor condition, and their original history—whether reclaimed from buses or held as new old stock—was unclear.
Flipdots retain their displayed state without continuous power. The report describes each dot as using permanent magnets and cores that can be polarized to set its position. A dot takes roughly 60 milliseconds to flip, while the pulse that sets its state may need to last only about a millisecond. Those timings shaped the challenge of updating a matrix quickly; the source presents them as approximate observations, not a measured specification for every panel.
““the LED liquid is utterly silent.””
— Project creator
Installation Specs Still Unreported
The report marks the project complete and says it was built for EMF2026, but the supplied material does not state the installation’s total panel count, overall resolution, exact update rate or measured sound levels. It also does not describe how audiences interacted with the finished display or provide independent evaluation of its performance.
The provenance and condition of the salvaged panels remain partly uncertain. The creator says it is unclear whether the collection came from retired buses or was new old stock, and notes that some units were in poor condition. The report does not say how many panels were ultimately used or how many remain available for future builds.
Project Report Marks Completion
The creator’s report lists the project as complete and identifies EMF2026 as the installation venue. It points readers to a video for an overview and demonstration, while the written page focuses on the technical build. The supplied source gives no further exhibition schedule, plans for additional installations or announced release of construction files.
Any next steps beyond the completed installation are unclear. The creator says in the report that some earlier fluid simulation projects remain unpublished, but does not give publication dates or connect those projects to a specific follow-up for the flipdot display.
Key Questions
What does FLIP stand for in the project?
It stands for Fluid Implicit Particle, the fluid simulation approach named in the project report.
Where was the installation built for?
The creator says the installation was built for EMF2026. The report was published Sept. 24, 2026, and marks the project complete.
Why use flipdots for a fluid simulation?
The moving dots make physical sound as they change state. The creator said earlier LED fluid simulations were silent, which prompted the experiment with an electromechanical display.
How large was the display?
The report describes a panel measuring 13 by 28 dots, but the supplied material does not give the total number of panels or the finished installation’s overall resolution.
What remains unknown about the project?
The source does not provide a measured update rate, total panel count, sound level or future exhibition plans. It also says the original provenance of the salvaged panels is unclear.
Source: hn
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