Peek-a-boo Dragon

Hey everyone!

For school we had a project for the Arduino and this is my end result for it! I'd love to share on how I created this and hopefully others will try so as well. Who knows. I will try to explain this project the best I can seeing I am not a pro with technology. My excuses on that part!
But yeah! I will try to show you on how I created my Peek-a-boo Dragon. This little bugger is a real sneaky one. If you're not looking it will look from behind the tree if someone is there or not. But once you turn around to look back at it, it hides! It's a great way to entertain childeren with this quirky little creature. It even worked on adults!

What you will need for this project:
An Arduino (I have an Arduino Uno but a cheaper one should be okay too)
A servo
A PIR motion sensor
Jumpwires (Male and female)
Breadboard
A Lasercutter or a fretsaw

Wood
(Hot)glue

Required skills are:
Soldering knowledge (If plan to not use1 Female Jumpwires)
Basic Arduino knowledge (I will provide you with the code and explain it the best I can)
Basic Lazercutting knowledge (if you plan on using the lazercutter)

Lets get started!

Step 1: Step 1: Attach the Motionsensor and Servo

Attach a jumperwire to the 5V and ground slot on the Arduino. The wire that's in the 5V slot will need to be attached to the "+" slot on the Breadboard. After that you attach the wire going from the "Ground" slot to the " - " slot also on the breadboard. This will allow your motion sensor and servo to have power.

The middel wire of the sensor will be attached to the "2" slot on the arduino. (If you dont have Female Jumperwires then you'll have to solder wires to the pins of the sensor themselves)
With the bottom of the sensor facing towards you and the pins are on the top then the right pin will be attached to the "+" and the left pin to the "-" on the breadboard. Now your sensor has power!! It wont work correctly without code but i'll come back to that in a later step.

You do the same thing with the servo. The dark brown wire needs to go to the "-" slot on the breadboard. The red one to the "+" slot on the breadboard and the yellow one will have to go to the 9 slot on the arduino.
You can still change these slots but do know you'll have to edit the slot numbers in the code to the corresponding numbers.

Step 2: Step 2: Code!

The code might seem complicated for an inexperienced user but it's quite simple once you understand the basics.
The code needed for the servo to work when motion is detected is available in this link.
http://pastebin.com/CdFex3zs

If done exactly the same the way I did it then it should work without any problems. If you did place data pins(jumper wires) in different slots then you might need to edit the code to go to the right pins or otherwise your components wont work.

Send the code to the arduino and see if it works!

If all goes well your motion sensor should be able to detect you. For my tests I also included a led to see if the arduino detected me or not. This led is already inside written in the code on the "ground" and "13" slots. I found it handy to have but you dont need to do so yourself.
Do know that it might take a while for the PIR motion sensor to start up. It always took a small while with me for it to function propperly.

Step 3: Step 3: Time to Design and Craft!

It is time to design your casing and design!!
Though I do want you guys to try and design your own case and design for the "tree" and "dragon". This will give you alot more freedom to design your own thing like a complete forest with somewhere a hidden creature or 3!

I do give you guys some tips. It is best to have a top part of your casing to attach the servo on on the spot where you want your create to peek behind tree's from and to have enough space for your arduino and breadboard to sit in.
And don't be like me where I forgot to make an opening for my sensor so it had to dangle infront of the project. It can be quite unflattering. Same counts for a hole in the back for a cable to extend out of for a power source and easy access.

to attach the cut out dragon to the servo you simply have to attach one of those attachments to the creature. Do make sure the creature will sit straight up if attached to the servo.

I cant explain much about the lazercutting process cause I have bare minimum knowledge about the subject it self. Sorry about that. Though i do encourage people to go crazy with a fretsaw and paint! Make it your own creation you can be proud of! Or take the design of creatures one of your kids have drawn if you have those!

Don't be scared to experiment and be creative!

Step 4: Step 4: Enjoy

And now after finishing touches your project should be done! Power it up and start interacting with your own shy creature!

I hope I explained everything the best I could. I am not the best with technology but i would love to try and help if needed so feel free to message me!