Introduction: Nine Ladies Dancing (with Microbit)

By Visit our community here!
About: Get hacking in the most unconventional ways! Analog prototyping, digital tinkering, and everything in between. Get inspired to make, and share your making knowledge. 📲Follow us on Instagram @letsgethacking …

Make a cardboard carousel of nine ladies with a microbit and watch as they dance around the Christmas tree!

Supplies

  • Micro:bit
  • Breakout board
  • Continuous servo
  • Cardboard
  • Drawing block/ thick paper (150 GSM or higher)
  • Hot glue/ Craft glue
  • Ball of yarn
  • Double-sided tape
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Scissors

Step 1: Prepare the Base

Cut the four circular cardboard pieces to make the base of the carousel. Also, cut out the nine lady figures using cardboard and the cone shape with drawing block or thick paper.

Use Measurement_Guide.PDF as a guide or print out Template.PDF to help with manual cutting. If you have access to a laser cutter, download the .svg files and laser away!

Attachments

Step 2: Christmas Tree

Let's create our Christmas tree.
  • To make the Christmas tree, wrap the cone net (Christmas tree cone) around the 5cm circle (Christmas tree base) and tape the pieces together.
  • Secure the ends of the cone with double-sided tape.
  • Coil the yarn on the cone with glue or tape, starting from the bottom.
  • When you reach the top, coil downwards covering all the gaps from the first layer, continuing to use the glue to secure the yarn. Cut the yarn off at the bottom when you are done with the tree.

Step 3: Carousel Frame

Wrap and secure the drawing block/paper around the carousel base cardboard circle. The height of this should roughly be 10 cm / 3.9 inches, and you may have to attach two pieces or more pieces to achieve the desired height.

Tape a straw to the underneath of square piece, this will act as a handle to allow us to access the inside later.

Step 4: Micro:Bit

Connect the servo to the micro:bit as shown in the picture, we used P0 on the breakout board.

Write a simple start/stop command on makecode and upload that to the micro:bit.

You can also refer to our screenshot if you're lost. Button A starts the servo spinning in a clockwise direction while Button B stops the servo from spinning.

Step 5: Almost There

Secure the servo on to the carousel base (13 cm/ 5.1-inch circle) through the flap.

Attach the mid base cardboard circle with a diameter of 10 cm/ 3.9-inch on the circular plate of the continuous servo using double-sided tape.

Step 6: Connecting the Tree

Make a cardboard flange with the toilet roll by cutting 1cm slits around the bottom of the toilet roll. Fold one side in and the other side out as shown.

Secure the folded-in side of the flange to the tree using double-sided tape.

Secure the folded-out side of the flange to the mid base circle (10 cm/ 3.9-inch) using double-sided tape.

Step 7: The Ladies

Poke 9 holes 2cm away from the centre hole of the Christmas tree cone cardboard ring using a pencil as shown.

Stick the dancers into the holes one by one while securing the feet from underneath using Blu tack or hot glue.

Step 8: Watch It Spin

Attach the Christmas tree cone cardboard to the Christmas tree. If it's loose, you might have to add some hot glue or blu tack at the point where the Christmas tree cone cardboard meets the Christmas tree.

Press button A on the micro:bit to get the dancers spinning with the tree! Enjoy!