Swirling Mustache

This was my second project in my Object class at the Atlas Institute at CU Boulder. In this project my goal was to create a switch within my circuit. I decided I was going to make a face that had LED eyes that would light up when activated by the switch. I decided to create a face because I wanted to make a project that would be silly but also interactive, and I got the idea after brainstorming that my circuit playground could be used as a nose in my piece. I wanted to create a project that really "melted" into the threadboard and used the threadboard elements to overall enhance the face. I created my switch by connecting a conductive thread to my mustache; the mustache was able to move back and forth because I used a magnet to create a hinge. I named this piece "Swirling Mustache" because the mustache is the most important item in this piece.

Supplies

(1) Threadboard

(1) Adafruit Circuit Playground

(2) LEDs

Paper

Fabric

Conductive threads

Magnets

A micro usb to usb cord

Step 1: Schematic

This schematic displays the set up of my LEDs, switch, and power source within my project. In this project, my LEDs are connected in parallel rather than a series and this can be seen in my schematic drawing.

Step 2: Wiring

I started by setting up the placement of my circuit playground in the middle, and then I started using the conductive wire to create the frame of the face. I placed the LEDs where I wanted the eyes to be and made sure the conductive thread was laid out appropriately to represent this. I used the thread that connects the LEDs to my ground to create the outline of the bridge of a nose, and I decided to used the circuit playground to represent the nose on my figure.

Step 3: Face Setup

For my face setup, I added in pieces of paper to create facial features like the eyebrows and the mouth. I had originally wanted the mouth to be the switch, but my professor helped me better understand how a switch worked and I ended up using a paper mustache as my switch instead. I used a piece of fabric to represent a beauty mark and to also act as an insulator on the ground thread. I would connect conductive thread to the magnet holding the beauty mark in place to help produce my switch on the mustache (as can be seen in the next step).

Step 4: Final Product

For my final product I was able to get my mustache to act as a switch and light up the eyes as I wanted. Due to some of the limits of using conductive thread, a threadboard, and magnets my mustache did not line up on the face as I wanted, so I had to try to realign the mouth to match the mustache. Overall, I really enjoyed creating this project because I have not really had an experience with creating a switch within a circuit. This project helped me gain a much better understanding of what it means to create a switch; the physical application also helped me understand how switches can make a piece much more interactive!