Introduction: Tree in a Universe
This project is designed to be able to be enjoyed by all. It is meant to be an educational art piece that shows the combination of engineering, nature, and space. Places that could showcase this project could include anywhere from a classroom to a home. There are two mains target audience for the “Tree in a Universe.” The first would be people interested in art based around nature and science fiction or space. The second being anyone interested in science and engineering, as this project combines electrical, robotics, and mechanical engineering. The main goal for the outcome of this project is that it will inspire students to add elements of creativity to their STEM careers/projects. This project will have three main projects that will come together to make the entire building. These three parts are the tree, the base/PVC, and the wiring.
Supplies
One of the benefits of this project is the ability to customize to the user’s wants. The items listed below are for the complete project described below.
Tools Required:
· Hot glue gun
· Sandpaper
· Scissors
· Wire cutters
· Paintbrush
Materials Required:
o Leaves
o 3.00
o Paint (brown)
o 6.19
o Colored markers
o 6.00
o Wooden rods (20”)
o 9.99
o Foam balls
o 8.99
o Stepper Motor
o 6.00
o Clay bucket
o 5.00
o Twinkle lights
o 10.99
o Bearing
o 5.00
o PVC pipe
o 8
o 16 Gauge Jewlery Wire
o 11.99
Step 1: Base Construction
1.) PVC pipe prep:
Using sandpaper, sand down the edges of the PVC piping. Doing so will help allow the bearings to fit on/in the PVC piping.
2.) Bearing Assembly:
The 2-inch ID PVC pipe and both bearings will be needed for the bearing assembly. Both bearings will need to be inserted into the PVC pipe until they are flush with the edges of the pipe. With the bearing assembly completed, the 1-inch OD PVC pipe will need to be inserted through the bearing assembly. There should be a three-inch gap from the end of the 1-inch OD PVC pipe and the edge of the bearing assembly.
3.) Base:
There will need to be a 1-inch diameter hole at the top-center of the Tupperware to allow the PVC pipe to be inserted. To do this, draw an outline of the 1-inch hole and use a 1-inch drill bit to drill the hole. Insert the PVC pipe approximately two inches into the hole made in the Tupperware. Once the PVC pipe is inserted, hot glue four of the wooden sticks to each side of the Tupperware, to the PVC pipe, for support. For additional support, hot glue where the PVC pipe has been inserted through the Tupperware.
Step 2: Ring Construction
1) Using a large piece of carboard, cut a 12” diameter circle using the scissors
2) Use a ruler to find the center of the cardboard and cut a 1.5” hole in the center
3) Cut the cardboard circle in half and color the cardboard to mimic a universe
4) Cut two wooden rods to 12” and lay them on either side of the bearing housing
5) Fit the cardboard universe to the wooden rods and hot glue both sides together, making sure the bearing is still able to spin
6) Color the Styrofoam balls different colors and cut the wooden rods to a small length with the scissors then stick the rod into ball with some hot glue at the end to hold in in place
7) Make a hot glue pile on the universe ring where you would like to place the planet and stick the rod end of the planet into the glue pile. Hold this in place until the hot glue dries
8) Repeat this process for however many planets you would like. Make sure the ring can spin and nothing is blocking the path as you go
Step 3: Wiring
1) Positioning the Drivers/Motors
The First thing to understand about the stepper motors that were bought is that there are two sections of the object: driver and motor. Neither of these objects will be able to fit through the tube in the base, however, we won't need it to. The way that this will work is that the drivers will already be at the bottom of the base. Before doing that, you will need to disconnect the motor. Refer to Picture 1 and Picture 2 to distinguish between the two. The motor will be placed that the top of the tube, with about 2-3 inches of slack, and the wiring with feed through to the bottom of the base. Once at the bottom, re-attach the motor to the driver.
2) Wiring the Stepper
Now we will have to interact with the Arduino. The good news is there are only six wires that we will need to connect and two of them are labeled. The first two are power and ground and they are located at the bottom of your driver board if you are holding it with the LEDs on the right side. If you look at the very bottom, below the pins, you will see a minus and a plus sign. The minus sign goes to ground which there are multiple of on the Arduino board labeled ‘Gnd.’ Any of them will work. There will also be plenty of labels that say 5V, meaning five volts, and that will go to the positive. Now, at the top left side of the board there are four pins: IN0, IN1, IN2, and IN3. We will be using PORTA on the Arduino, and we will be using PINA0, PINA1, PINA2, and PINA3. Refer the Picture 3 to find where PORTA is, and which pins are 0-3. Connect the pins in the order in which they are listed.
3) Lights
The lights will be powered by a USB connection. They will be premade; therefore, they will be controlled by a remote and plugged into a wall or battery.
Step 4: Forming the Tree
With the base of the tree and the ring completed, the branches can now be formed. Use jewelry wire to form the skeleton of the branches. This can be done in any shape the user sees fit. Form the wire around the pipe and snip it with the wire cutters into shape. Decide where you would like to place the motors and create “nests” to support the motors. Do this by wrapping two of the wires around each other then bunching them at the end
2) The clay can now be formed around pipe and over the base in the form of a tree trunk and roots. It can also be shaped over the jewelry wire branches. Be careful not to bury the wires in the clay or cover the top of the pipe where the wires come out. Leave it out in the air overnight to harden
3) The skeleton of the tree is now completed. Use brown spray paint to color the clay. Once this is dry use a paintbrush and black paint to add details.
4) Carefully wrap the wires and motors from in the pipe around the branches and use a hot glue gun to secure the motors to the branches. Repeat this for all the motors spread randomly throughout the branches. Be careful not to put too many motors on a singular branch so as not to exceed the weight limit.
5) Next weave the leaves into and throughout the branches to mimic a real tree. With the excess leaves, cut some of the leaves off the vine and glue them onto the wiper of the motors.
Step 5: Arduino Code
1) Installing the software
The next step is to install the Arduino program to run the program of the product. The installation method is as follows.
1. Go to the Arduino website at https://www.arduino.cc/en/software
2. Select the appropriate version of the Arduino Software (IDE) for your operating system (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux).
3. Download and run the installer.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
2) Uploading the Code
Copy the following code into Arduino IDE:
Make a new item and call it ‘stepper.c’ – copy this code:
Upload the code by connecting your computer to the Arduino and selecting the correct COM port (the higher number). Once the code has been uploaded the Arduino will remember the upload whenever it turns on and will work indefinitely.
