Drift is a very interesting product. I got the larger 21” version, and it’s bigger than I expected, I’ve placed it on top of my wife’s baby grand piano, where due to it’s 6” height, it might be a little too high for those that are altitude challenged to see. I might need to find a shorter table so that it’s easier to observe. The whole point of drift is to provide relaxation. It was very easy to set up, pour the 2 bags of fine white sand into the round “sand field” which has a bit of texture to it. The unit comes with a card which has “teeth” in it to smooth the sand out. You don’t need to be very accurate, as once you run it for a few hours, the sand will find its own level. You then drop the ball bearing onto the sand and put the glass cover on top on (I suggested to my wife we leave the cover off and see what the cat does, she did not think that it was funny as this is pretty expensive to let the cat at it, for whatever purpose). There is a single power adapter that gets connected to it and there are two buttons on it that may never get used once you install the app. An on/off button and a switch which manually causes the color to change/turn off.

This product has been tested and complies with the requirements for Federal Communication Commission, Part 18 and CAN ICES-1/NMB-1. Although this product is tested and complies with FCC, it may interfere with other devices. If this product is found to interfere with another device, separate the other device and this product. Conduct only the user maintenance found in this instruction manual. Other maintenance and servicing may cause harmful interference and can void the required FCC compliance.

which drift is right for you?

Update 2: For reasons I don't understand the device stopped communicating with my Pixel 6a even after using the phone to set it up. I had to switch to an old LG V30. It works about 7 out of 10 tries with the LG. Enough to change the settings and patterns. Once it's up and running it doesn't really need tweaking. But if you decide to change the lights and patterns it will need the app. I honestly don't understand why this is such a riddle for Homedics. Every other Bluetooth device I've ever owned works more consistently that the Drift. It's worth the hassle, though. The device is gorgeous. I was first exposed to the idea of a kinetic sand table through a “Dope Tech” video from YouTuber MKBHD. He had a large and very expensive version. The HoMedics Drift is a smaller and more affordable option that may be able to find a place in the living room, bedroom or small business. TL;DR The table came with two bags of fine white sand - the (online) directions only mentioned one. Turns out that using a single bag produced a covering that was too shallow to display stunning patterns - turns out that using both bags produced sand dunes that prevented the table from functioning properly. Seems like the whole sand issue should have been resolved prior to release.

Today, zen gardens are popular in Western culture in the form of desktop accessories. Rather than being places for Buddhist meditation, these compact sand gardens are meant to deliver an aesthetically pleasing moment of mindfulness. They’re meant to pull you and your thoughts into the moment so you can enjoy creativity, focus, and a calm, relaxed mental state at home or in the office. Overall, I am really enjoying watching that little metal ball make art in the sand. Also, setting it up was very simple and took less than 10 minutes after removing from the box. Within the first day of use, I had tapped play on close to a dozen designs. It’s addicting to watch the little sphere roll around and make intricate patterns come to life. HoMedics positions the device as one for wellness. Watching it is supposed to promote mindfulness and a calming feeling. I can see how Drift could do that for some people. For me, it was much less about a calming presence and more about a neat piece of decoration. It’s modern and simple enough to blend in, but with its light, it can be as attention-grabbing as you want it to be.

“day 5 with drift and i already feel so relaxed.” — Jess R.

For the generating and feeding the designs to the Sand Table to draw them, I started out by making my own "movement plans" by hand. I used some movement plans that were generated by Tom Dilatush in his GitHub project JSysiphus. The Sand Table uses (theta, rho) coordinates for movement, so I converted .thr files to .txt and placed all of the files in the "pending" folder of the repository, so that python can easily read them. The "read_files.py" program then converts the coordinates to simple number of steps and speed commands for the stepper motors to perform. mindfulness made easy: a metal ball rolls silently through sand, carving beautiful patterns and creating mindful moments in your day; 16” or 21” diameter fit on desktops, consoles, and side tables This is a sizeable round display box, mine is nearly 2 ft in diameter, that includes a shallow dusting of sand and a small magnetic ball that traces out insanely intricate patterns in the sand - then it overlays those patterns with new patterns. Watching it in practice is mesmerizing - but figuring things out was a mess! Whenever I return to the device and open the app, I have to tell it again which device I have. Really? I would have liked a little adjustable height stand to come with it making it even more usable as a piece of furniture.

The light color is fully controlled through the app and can be set to change automatically. TYLER HAYES Side note - HoMedics customer service was great and jumped right in to help with the pairing; I’d just prefer better instructions than the ones provided. Many of us have marveled at art installations that feature marbles quietly and ceaselessly tracing out beautiful patterns in sand. [DIY Machines] is here to show us that it’s entirely possible to build one yourself at home! The mechanics of this device are amazing and the sand table is engrossing and hypnotic and fully engaging. I can't fathom how a company spent so much attention to mechanical detail while creating an application that is practically unusable. There is no excuse for a modern device to have such embarrassing applications - HoMedics is not a new company and the user's experience should not be an impediment to use.

What I’d change

The top surface consists of one 1/2" sheet and one 1/4" sheet of wood that will be cut into different shapes and glued together. I added some diagrams for a better visualization of the milled cuts and channels. The HoMedics Drift Kinetic Sand Table is designed to make using a sand table easy. Unlike a manual sand table, the Drift’s sandscapes are fully controlled with an app on your smartphone. The Drift app contains patterns and playlists to play on your table, with customizations for speed, brightness, and LED colours. Using it, you can stop between patterns, shuffle between your favourites, and set up scheduling so that the Drift is on only when it can make an impact on your state of mind.

Next: the app needs to have a Bluetooth connection established with the device to send it pattern control. I thought that this must imply that the pattern creation algorithms were controlled directly from the app (and through Bluetooth). But it turns out that the sand table can continue to draw patterns continuously in my absence (so why did I need to start with the app in the first place?). And even now that I know how to access the pattern base, I'm still not clear how my choices in the app are reflected in the pattern cycle of the device. I've looked around a bit with no success, but I was wondering if I could import pictures into the app and have it render it into a drawable item. Doesn't seem like that functionality exists yet. Hoping for something like it in the future. The only library that you should need is the "rpi_ws281x" for LED strip. Install the library onto the Raspberry Pi by using: sudo pip install rpi_ws281x I bored a 1/2" hole in the center of the circle for the slip ring, and drilled 4 other holes for the screws that will secure the flange bearing to the base. Before securing the flange, you need to insert the slip ring in the 1/2" hole and secure it with wood screws so that the flange and the free-spinning node is facing upwards.

“drift allows you to achieve a much-desired state of relaxation by simply watching the selected patterns evolve.”

Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. I am extraordinarily satisfied with this new addition to my home. It is not only art but also wellness. The table is designed to boost mood, inspire creativity, enhance focus, and increase relaxation, which I can agree does it all. I am so thankful to own this statement piece that invites serenity. The HoMedics Drift Sandscape Kinetic Sand Table is a hypnotizing way to bring more mindfulness into your everyday life. With dozens of intricate patterns to choose from and lighting that seems to pulsate and breathe, it’s easy to find yourself staring contentedly at the Drift, letting your mind wander as it sorts through your thoughts. Overall - the HoMedics drift Meditation Sand Table is fun to use, definitely a conversation starter and help take away your stress while you watching the image unfold.