Led Makerbot Night Light

This is my twist on the single LED version using led strips & a usb blinky to drive the LED strips.

BOM

1. 3D printer Makerbot Case (thingverse)

2. USB Blinky (Tindie or Hackaday Shop)

3. LED addressable strip(WS2812B RGB LED Strip - Amazon, Ebay etc.)

4. 4 PC power supply screws.

5. Bits of wire to connect the LED strips together

Step 1: 3D Printing

Print the Maker Bot Case using ABS with 30% infill.Pint the Maker Bot Case inserts using transparent PLA with 10% infill can go low as 5%, though these may break when being inserted into the case lid .

Step 2: LED Insert

Put the lid onto the case bottom then trace round the maker bot cutout using a pencil so you have a template on the bottom case so that you can align the leds on the bottom of the case.

Once you have your template you can position the leds on the template to get the effect you want.

For my version have chosen 2 leds for the head an center body 4 for Body and leds and 3 for the arms.

Step 3: Wiring Up the LED's

To wire up the LEDs you just needs to connect a set off three incoming wires from button (usb Blinky) to the two led's that make up the head lights. Red connects to +5v , Black connects to GND and the Green wire connects to DI (input on the LED strip).

Once you have these connected you can start wiring up the other strips , the pattern can vary I have set up all mine to branch off the initial led strip. By connecting the DO pin from the head LED to all the other strips DI inputs. then I also connected the +5v and GND from then initial strip to all the other strips. that is it wiring done , secured any visible bare connections with heat shrinking tubing, and after that secured the LED's into the case.

Step 4: Adding the Transparent Bits

Next insert the printed transparent part into the case top , be careful as you can see from my picture press a bit to hard on one of the parts it broke... (this was due to printing with a 5% infill = less strength but more transparency). Put the case top onto the case bottom and secure with 4 screws ( used old PC power supply screws).