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Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Making a Nightlight #MakerEd #Makerspaces

As a Dremel Idea Builder Ambassador, I wanted to share a fun and easy project that would be great in any Makerspace or home.
Supplies:

Arduino Nano
3D Printed Box - I used my Dremel 3D40
LED Lights (2)
Wire
220 ohm Resistor
Soldering Iron
Yoda Bust
Micro USB Charger
Crazy Glue
Drill

The first thing you want to do is get your box ready. I designed a box where the lid will snap into place. Take a look at the Tinkercad file. I was able to take the file and drop it into the Dremel printing software by Autodesk, Print Studio.


This works really well because you can actually size the box however you want with the software. If you decide that you want a larger box or a smaller box, you can just adjust the size.

After you have the box, you will need to print your Yoda Bust. You can actually use any bust that you want as long as you adjust the size to match the size of the box. It is also important to print the bust using a translucent filament so the light can glow properly.

Next, you need to use program the Arduino. Make sure you have downloaded the Arduino IDE so that you can upload the Blink sketch. Follow these directions on how to wire the LED to the Arduino and upload the sketch. To make sure the LED does not blink, you need to change the number 1000 to 10. This actually makes it blink so fast that it appears on to the naked eye.

It shows you how to connect just one LED, but you can always add more LEDs if you want by adding pins to the code or connecting another LED to the one wire.

Once you have the Arduino wired, you will need to create holes in the box and hollow out the bust. You can create the holes and hollow out the bust with a drill. Make sure that you drill deep and wide enough in the bust so that you can fit the LEDs.

Once you have everything wired and the holes created, you can assemble the project. I used Crazy Glue to keep the bust on the lid and then around the edges of the lid so it will stay closed. You can plug the micro USB into the computer or you can use any wall charger and plug it into the wall. Here is a shot of my completed project.

As someone who has been doing lots of Making, I had all of these supplies around the house. If you are brand new to Making, this is a great entry project to get you started.

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