Introduction: Making a Cardboard Ghetto Blaster With Fancy Flashing LEDs
I made a cardboard box ghetto blaster for an 80s themed fancy dress party. I thought I'd share how I made it here.
What I used/What you will need:
Here is a video of the finished product in action.
What I used/What you will need:
- Cardboard box
- Various paints
- Masking tape
- 20 LEDs
- 40 wires about 10 inches long (depending on size of your box)
- Arduino kit
- Prototype board
- 12V battery (if you want to make this mobile)
- Arduino code: http://github.com/mrben/Arduino-Projects/blob/master/ghetto.pde
Here is a video of the finished product in action.
Step 1: Sketch a Rough Design on Your Box
Sketch out a rough idea of your ghetto blaster design on the box and take a picture for reference later on when we're painting it.
Use your favourite search engine to find some picture for inspiration if you need.
Use your favourite search engine to find some picture for inspiration if you need.
Step 2: Paint Your Base Colour
Spray/Paint your box with the base colour. Leave to dry and get cracking with the electronics.
Step 3: Program the LEDs
Hook up your Arduino kit and 10 LEDs so we can get playing. Write your own code or use mine from GitHub to make your LEDs dance and flash in an 80s manner!
This project on Arduino.cc show you how to connect multiple LEDs with an Arduino board and prototype board.
Upload the code to the Arduino board.
Once that's working you'll need to alter the circuitry to use 20 LEDs (each speaker has 10 LEDs around it). It'll be a squash but you need to have 1 resistor per LED, but you'll need to connect the anode (positive side (longer pin)) of 2 LEDs to 1 output pin form the Arduino.
This project on Arduino.cc show you how to connect multiple LEDs with an Arduino board and prototype board.
Upload the code to the Arduino board.
Once that's working you'll need to alter the circuitry to use 20 LEDs (each speaker has 10 LEDs around it). It'll be a squash but you need to have 1 resistor per LED, but you'll need to connect the anode (positive side (longer pin)) of 2 LEDs to 1 output pin form the Arduino.
Step 4: Paint the Detail
Referring to the picture of the detail you made earlier, ghetto-ify your boring box!
Step 5: Assemble
Now you need to solder all the wires to the LEDs if you haven't already. Colour code the wires to make it easier to plug it all together. It's best if you "tin" the ends of the wires before soldering onto the LEDs - it's just makes it easier for them to bond.
Mark out the points around the speakers where the LEDs will reside and push the end of a pencil almost all the way through. Lay your circuitry in the middle of the box and masking tape it in place. Connect all the LEDs, and add a tiny piece of masking tape to hold each one in place and stop them being pushed back into the box.
Connect the battery up and masking tap it in place.
Here's a video of the one I made.
Mark out the points around the speakers where the LEDs will reside and push the end of a pencil almost all the way through. Lay your circuitry in the middle of the box and masking tape it in place. Connect all the LEDs, and add a tiny piece of masking tape to hold each one in place and stop them being pushed back into the box.
Connect the battery up and masking tap it in place.
Here's a video of the one I made.