I built this scary go round to go with my Beetle juice outfit for Halloween this year. It took me about a little over a week to build.

Supplies

Items Needed

EVA Foam 1/4” black and white

EVA Foam 1/8” black and white

Steel wire 3/32” X 36

Small Figures ( I used nightmare before Christmas figures and two ghosts).

Small plastic skull

Small rubber bat

Additional Items

Light strings 2 ½ on the top, 1 on the bottom. 8 neodymium block magnets

12v battery holders ( 3 on top, 2 on bottom) 8' dia. Basswood circle

2 Arduino voltage regulator boards Project board jumper wires

2 3” plastic circles Small servo motor (modified).

Plastic stand offs & plastic screws

1 Piece of 4"X6" hook and pile.

Tools needed

Glue gun file & awl

Soldering iron small torch

Needle nose pliers wire cutters

Consumables:

Contact cement Q tips & flux

glue gun glue sticks

Goo gone 1/4” screw and two nuts

4” plastic disc 2 ea.

1 black locking switch

2 conductor ribbon cable

Step 1:

Top is made out of two 14” X 28" X 1/8” EV foam one black and one white glued together.

A 28” circle is cut from this, then cut into 16 pieces 8 black and 8 white. Dis-guard

Two of each color. Glue the reaming 12 together with contact cement in alternating colors.

** note: I use wooden applicators (Q-tip) to apply contact cement to edges of foam.**

Step 2: Finished Product Will Look Like This

dis-guard four pieces of 16 pieces you just cut out, two black and two white.
Glue the remaining 12 together along the Stright edges in alternating colors.
the finished product will be quit flimsy, but that will change.

Step 3: Assembling the Frame

using 3/32" steel rod, use needle nose pliers to bend a small loop large enough for a 1/4" bolt to go through.
Put a slight bend where the loop meets the rod.
the opposite end will be bent around the base ring. then bent up words like the photo that loop will be facing inwards.
12 posts will need to be made.

Step 4: Base Ring

using 3/32" steel rod a 66" diameter circle will need to be made.
Secure end of ring together be filing steel rods at the ends. solder the ends together using a small piece of the steel rod across the joints, some extra flux may be needed.
Finished project will look like the photo.

Step 5: Competed Metal Frame

Assemble the frame by bolting the 12 frame pieces together at the top, bottom of the bolt facing up wards.
one at a time bend the other end of the wire around the outside of the circle.
loop it around the circle, about a1/2" up bend it slightly inward, a half inch from that bend another loop.
do this for all 12 rods. make sure rods are about 5 1/2" apart.

Step 6: Installing Frame and Lights

Install the frame first. Insert the bolt through the top center. Off set the frame slightly from the seams.

Glue into place with a small piece of color matching foam, let dry.

Using an awl punch hole in the seams About 1” apart.

Fold the wires as close to the led as possible, then push

through hole fold wire down on the underside. It takes two strings to complete the top section.

Start from end closest to batteries at the top down

Step 7: Light Strings

These can be bought from Amazon. They are modified by

removing the control board from the battery holder. Then one half of the

Jumper wires are soldered to the terminals (blue +, White -).

To make it easy to disconnect form the batteries.

Step 8: Skull

Skull has a 1/4” nut melted in place unsed the skull. This will allow you to thread

it on the screw sticking out of the top.

Step 9: Bat

Bat is attached with a 3/32” steel rod. One end melted into bat.

The other end melted into top of skull. some hot glue may be needed.

Step 10: Top With Lights , Skull and Gusset Installed.

The gusset is a 66” circumference 1/8” EV Foam. White one on top and a

black one glued behind it about 1/2” down form the top. Metal frame sits on the

black piece. The base is glued to the back side of the gusset. The skull is attached to

The top by heating a 1/4” nut and melting it to the bottom of the skull. The Skull

is then threaded to the bolt stickung through the top. If you wish to light it up, just poke

a small hole in the chin. Then tread a coup spare leds through the top. And tread inside

the skull after is intreaded in place.

Step 11: Power Module Modification

Modify the power modules as follows:

1. remove all of the connectors from the bottom.

2. remover the power jack.

3. use the jumper wires and connect one half to the power connectors,

oneblack one red to power jack connections.

4. attach one blue(+) and one white (-) jumper wire were the 3v/5v terminals

were removed. 3V for lighting and 5v for the servo.

Step 12: Upper Electronics

This is made by cutting out a 13” circle out of thick poster board. Then measure in

one inch and cut v's about 1” apart fold fown. This is your attachment points.

Take one 3” plastic discfind the center point, then glue servo mother arm so that

the centers match up. Then hot glue a power module to one side. This one should

Have three outs for 3v installed. Hot glue 3 12v battery holers in parallel on plastic disc.

Cut 2 small squares for the switches for the dome lighting to fit through. Guel 3” disc

to center of 13” circle. Hot gle two light control boards to other side with switches

sticking through holes. Poke hole and feed power wires for light boards through holes.

Glue 13” circle to center of dome.

Step 13: Bottom Assembly

Bottom assembly is made up of 8 black 2” X 1/4” AV foam, and 8 white

1 1/4” X1/4” AV foam glued in alternating colors together. Follwed by

2 1/8” bat wings glued to the sides. A small arch is cut into the front of the

foam point of arch to start in middle of head. Then ending behind the ear.

Step 14: Bottom Lights

Base lights are installed in the white sections. Starting 2” from the top and

1” apart stop at 1” from bottom on sides and back.

Step 15: Motor Switch

A black motor switch was added to back center of lower section, just above the head area.

Wires were fed up through the top.

Step 16: Adding Velcro

using the base plate trace and cut a circle from both the hook and pile strips.

Step 17: Attaching Velcro for Extra Support

glue the pile piece to the under side of the 4" base plate. Glue the 4: hook to the center of the top of the bottom section. This will allow extra support to the scary go round base to the top of the hat.

Step 18: Attached Base Plate

Base plate is attached to top of hat by eight neodymium magnets four glued to top

Of 4” plastic disc and four glued to the underside of 8” basswood circle. in addition a 4" piece of pile tape glued to the underside of thebase plate.

Step 19: Base Plate

Base plate is a 4” plastic circle with 4 neodymium magnets glued to the top across

the center lines. Servo motor is mounted in center so that center of the shaft is in

the center of the plastic disc. Two 12v battery holders are mounted in parallel with

two terminal connectors off of them to connect to Arduion power board.

Step 20: Lower Half Electronics

Servo was attached to 4” plastic disc using plastic stand offs glued to the sides,

The stand offs were bolted to Plastic circle from the other side. Center of servo shaft

was lined up with center of circle. Magnets lin up with magnets glued to the under

side of the basswood.

Step 21: Brim Bat Pattern

Lenght wise on an 8x11 sheet of paper, drawl one half of a bat figure about 5” long.

When happy with drawling fold in half and cut the bat pattern out. This will give

you two identical halves.

Step 22: Bat Pattern

Use this pattern to cut out 6 black bat from 1/8” foam.

Step 23: Bats Added to Brim

Glue the 6 black bats to the brim of the top section. Some timing may be needed.

Step 24: Figures

Figures are attached by a piece of 3/16” steel rod cut at different lengths to

Simulate Movement as they turn. A hook bent at one end, heated with a torch

until it glows red then melted into topof figures. Then hooked to loop in rod under

the dome. Sealed in place with a little hot glue. you will need 12 figures for this project. I chose 10 nightmare before Christmas figures and two ghosts.

Step 25: Additional Foam

Additional foam may be needed for a tighter fit. In this case I added another

layer of black 1/4” Foam around the inside. On additonal small piece in the

very back for a very snug fit.

Step 26: Completed Scary Go Round

Completed project width every thing assembled. For final touches use a

Q-tip and som goo gone to remove any unwanted glue from project.

** Note roll of tape is just sed to prop up scary go round. **

Introduction: Betel Juice Inspired Scary Go Round