Introduction: ToYeM - the Turnable Toy

The idea:

My idea is to make a totem like toy (ToYeM). You can rotate each block and it can emmit light. When the blocks are alligned the right way the light will turn on.

Step 1: Getting the Tools and Materials

MoSCoW

Must: Blocks turning. It must emmit light.
Should: When you turned the ToYeM the right way it emmits light.
Could: When you turn a block a different collor is emmitted.
Won't: Detachable blocks.

Tools

  • Laser printer
  • Small drill
  • Solder


Materials

  • 3mm thick wood
  • 2 Nuts and Bolts
  • 2 plastic O-rings
  • Glue
  • 1 LED
  • Electrical wire
  • 4 Nails
  • 4 Ring terminals
  • Small battery
  • Electricity tape
  • Duct tape

Step 2: Fabricating the Woorden Pieces

Here are all the files to make the wooden pieces:

  • LeftRight = This part is used for the left and right side of a single cube. For all 3 cubes you need this part 6 times. This is a template so you can make your own design in this file.
  • TopBottom = This part is used for the top and bottom side of a single cube. For all 3 cubes you need this part 6 times. This is a template so you can make your own design in this file.
  • FrontBack = This part is used for the front and backside of a single cube. For all 3 cubes you need this part 6 times. This is a template so you can make your own design in this file.
  • Head1 and Head2 = The designs I made for the 2 head parts. From the template file FrontBack.
  • Body1 and Body2 = The designs I made for the 2 body parts. From the template file FrontBack.
  • Feet1 and Feet2 = The designs I made for the 2 feet parts. From the template file FrontBack.

For the ToYeM that I made you need the LeftRight, TopBottom and both Head designs, Body designs and Feet designs.

Attachments

Step 3: Drilling the Holes

You need a small drill to make some holes in the top and bottom parts of the cubes.

We need to make 4 holes in total.

  1. Top part of the bottom cube.
  2. Bottom part of the middle cube.
  3. Top part of the middle cube.
  4. Bottom part of the top cube.

Because we want to rotate the ToYeM and have all cube faces facing the same way we cant just drill all the holes in the same corner. The bottom parts of the cubes are upside down so to match the holes we need to drill them in a different corner (not the opposite corner). Look at picture 3.

After you drilled the holes you end up with something like this. Look at fourth picture.

Step 4: Getting Ready for Assembly

First we need all the top and bottom pieces. In 1 of those pieces where we didn't drill a hole we are going to insert a LED. And connect some wires to it.

Now put the nails inside the holes you drilled in the last step and glue them tight so they dont come back out again.
Cut the electrical tape in small rectangles and stick them over the end part of the nails (As shown in the fifth picture).

Step 5: Assembling

To connect all the cubes together we begin with the first connection. That is the top and the middle cube.

To make 1 of the connections we need:

  • 1 nut
  • 1 bolt
  • 2 ring terminals
  • 1 plastic O-ring
  • 2 parts of the cube, 1 top and 1 bottom part (make sure the 2 pieces of tape line up)
  1. We start with the bolt and put 1 of the ring terminals over it.
  2. Now we put the 2 pieces of the cube over the bolt with the plastic O-ring inbetween. Make sure that the 2 pieces of tape line up.
  3. Now we get the other ring terminal and put it over the bolt.
  4. And we finish with 1 of the nuts to hold everything together.
  5. If the nuts get loose ver quickly after a couple rotations get some glue and glue the nut to the bolt.

Repeat these steps again to make the second connection.

After you have succesfully made the 2 connections with the cubes we have to connect the wires. To make these connections we use the solder. We are going to do this in 3 parts. We are going to start with the Top cube.

  1. Connect 2 wires to the + and - part of the LED if not connected already.
  2. Connect 1 of the wires to the ring terminal.
  3. Connect the other wire to the nail.

This is the first connection done. Now we are going to do the second part that is the middle cube.

  1. Connect a wire to the ring terminal that is connected to the top cube.
  2. Connect that same wire to the ring terminal that is connected to the bottom cube.
  3. Connect a wire to the nail that is connected to the top cube.
  4. Connect that same wire to the nail that is connected tot the botom cube.

And that is the second connection done. Now for the final part we are going to do the bottom cube. For this part we also need the battery and some duct tape.

  1. Connect a wire to the ring terminal that is connected to the middle cube.
  2. Connect a wire to the nail that is connected to the middle cube.
  3. Test wich side is the + and - just to make sure we connect the battery the right way. To test this get the to wires that you just connected and hold 1 of them to the + side of the battery and the other wire to the - side. If the LED turns on you know how the battery has to be connected. If not turn the battery around. Now it should turn on the LED. Make sure that the electrical tape parts are touching (rotated the correct way).
  4. Connect the wires to the bettery using some duct tape.

That was the final part of the electrical connection done.

The final thing we need to do is glue the cubes together. Once you have done that the ToYeM is done.

Step 6: Play

You can now start playing with your awesome self made ToYeM. Turn the cubes and see how the light turns on only when the ToYeM is rotated in the correct state.