Introduction: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

By plus.google.com/1131941783440554

'The vast sky shimmers,

Twinkling angels of dark night,

So far yet so near,

Myriads of luminous,

Patterns gleam in harmony.'

This instructable will show you how to make a 3D printed star with two fading LEDs controlled by a vibration sensor. You will need approximately three hours to finish this project.

Materials

  • Filament in yellow
  • Jumper wires
  • Vibration sensor
  • Two 10mm red LEDs
  • CR2032 coincell battery
  • AVR 8-pin chip
  • Copper board

Tools

  • Makerbot 3D printer
  • Computer with Arduino IDE software
  • Soldering iron and solder
  • Hot glue gun

Step 1: Code Upload and Solder

Open Arduino software on your laptop. Upload the example code to your tiny AVR microchip. Try a few times if there is a connection problem. Subsequently, take ATtiny85 out of the tiny AVR Programmer. Use wires or copper board to solder pin 1 and 2 to the longer legs of the LEDs. Solder the voltage output pin to the right leg of vibration sensor, pin A1 to the left leg of the sensor. Finally, the ground pin should be connected to the middle leg of the sensor and the two shorter legs of the lights. Insert the battery between the two legs of each light.

Step 2: Printing and Assembly

I have attached the STL file of the prototype to this step. You can either download or tinker it before sending the 3D file to your MakeBot for printing. Prepare the file so that it is translated into a language that the machine can understand. Attach your extruder and build plate to your MakerBot 3D Printer, then load the plastic filament through the top. After the star is printed, cram the light sensor circuit into the hollow centre of the model.

Attachments

Step 3: Paste and Finish

Make sure there is a clear path for the melted glue to emerge from the tip of the nozzle. Plug the glue gun's cord into a power point, wait for it to heat up and soften the glue. Lightly squeeze the trigger to release the glue, then paste the two halves of the star together. Shake the final product and let it brighten your evening! Thanks for reading, good luck.