LED Santa Hat

12/19/2019

We came up with a simple idea to make a light up Santa hat using an Arduino board and an LED strip.

We hooked up the LED strip to the board using jumper cables and alligator clips. No soldering! We downloaded the Neopixel library and used a sample script to program the lights. https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_NeoPixel

The hat had a fold in it that we could put all the equipment in, but it wouldn't stay in place and the wires were showing. That's why we had to use a needle and thread and stitch the fold shut. It holds everything nicely!

Now we are showing our Christmas spirit with lights! Happy holidays and a happy new year!

We decided to beat the summer heat in Goleta with a water balloon cannon.

Designing

In July, we started off thinking about the design to use and drew some sketches. We looked online for inspiration and found a design for an air-powered PVC cannon on Make.com. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXkYxFYX4a8

Revising

After testing it we wanted to fix the leak. ​We cut off the broken cap and replaced it. We also added some color to it with spray paint.

We have been busy working on light-up props for the Nuestra Voz theater camp plays next week. So far we have a light up cane made from EL wire, and light up glasses we learned how to do from this Adafruit tutorial: ​https://learn.adafruit.com/kaleidoscope-eyes-neopixel-led-goggles-trinket-gemma/overview

We learned how to plan out the circuit and prepare for soldering with the breadboard and wires and then how to solder on the board and wires together. Check out the video below for more lessons learned!  

Testing

We waited for the glue to dry and then it was time to test it!
We used a bike pump to put air in the chamber. The pressure builds up and we release the air by twisting the valve, which launches the balloon!
Unfortunately, we dropped it and one of the PVC caps cracked and so there was a big leak. We tried to patch it with duct tape and make the seal tighter with out hands to keep the pressure up.
Even with the crack, it shot over the fence and into the road! We were wondering how far went and although we didn't measure it we estimated it to be over 100ft. Each balloon weighed probably around 3-6 oz. 
We didn't have any pictures of water balloons on this day so for fun here is a simulated version of the events that occurred:

This weekend we went to New York, flying for the first time and attending and presenting a conference for the first time! For Kelly it was her first time leaving the state too. 

Our favorite thing about New York was walking around and trying all the food: pizza, bagels, burgers, coffee, Carlo's Bake Shop, and the M&M Store. We also stopped at Planet Hollywood and got a birthday sundae for Kelly.

We enjoyed walking 10 miles mostly around Central Park on Friday. In the park we visited the zoo, we all enjoyed the penguins and the peacock, that would walk in the walkways since it is an open aviary. When we were worn out, we tried out the subway and surprisingly we were able to understand the announcements being said by the conductor, but unfortunately we had trouble using our metro passes at the turnstiles. ​To end the night, we liked visiting MOMA and seeing the Retrospective Bust of a Woman by Salvador Dali. 

​Saturday was the day of the FabLearn International Maker Conference. On Saturday waking up at seven was a struggle since it was 4am back home. We took a while getting up but we made it to Columbia on time. The first couple keynote speakers and panel were really interesting. One of our favorite presenters was Edna Tan. She helps refugee children make toys and decorations to make their community center feel more like home. We also really enjoyed Joanna Weidler-Lewis and Cynthia Graville's poster on working with incarcerated women and their families. They help create maker activities for women to do during visitation with their children. 

Check out our newest instructable: https://www.instructables.com/id/Encyclopedia-Table/

Encyclopedia TableBy sgfycmaker in WorkshopFurniture
Supplies
Table parts

• 23 encyclopedias

• metal rod and bolt

• encyclopedia pages

• old table base

• round wooden tabletop

Tools

• electric drill and wood drill bit

• hot glue gun and glue sticks

• ratchet wrench

• screwdriver and screws

Craft supplies

• mod podge

• epoxy resin

• glue sticks

• wood glue

• rulers

• markers

• scissors

• construction paper

Step 1: Finding Your Table Parts
We found a piece of scrap wood at our local hardware Habitat for Humanity Re-Store store. We also got a base for the bottom from an old restaurant table. Someone donated the encyclopedias.

Step 2: Getting the Base Ready
We used 23 encyclopedia books, you can use any books you'd like!
Measure and mark the center of each book, mark it with a red sharpie so it is easy to see. Once all the books are marked you can start drilling a hole through each one. We drilled the books using a wood drill bit and on a hard surface. Remember that the hole has to be big enough so the support rod can fit through it, so that is the size of the drill bit.

Step 3: Building the Base
Put each book on the the rod on the base.
We used hot glue in the center and wood glue on the edges to make it stick right away and stay together for a long time. Turn each book at the angle you want for the book stack which is building the base.
Put the metal support part on top of rod and use a ratchet wrench to make the bolt tight. We had to keep adding books until we reached the top of the rod.

Step 4: Cover and Design (design Is Optional)
We ripped pages out of encyclopedia books and used mod podge to hold and seal the papers.
We cut out fish shapes out of construction paper to design the table (you can cut out any designs you like).

Step 5: Final Touches
Measure and mark with marker where the screws go to attach the top, and drill holes in these spots. Attach the round top of the table to the support rod connected to the base. We used screws in the metal support that went into the top of the table.
We used epoxy resin for the top coat. Please follow the instructions on the box and wait a day. Now the top is hard and can be used to play cards or do homework!

At the showcase, R. and Kay both pressed the remote to make Fernando sing while Shelly danced. Then they put on the music and they started to dance together. Dee's favorite part was when they both danced together, and then left off the stage. R.'s favorite dance move was when Shelly went backward quickly and would spin. Especially fun was when they spun together at the same time or when Shelly kept spinning. We also liked how Fernando sang by playing each note. Shelly also played the notes to the part, "My Girl! MY GIRL!" at the very end. Take it away mbots! 

--Change makers group

Next we did some practice drilling outside. Then we drilled a small hole in each book. 

We drilled a larger hole in each book with huge wood drill bits and the vaccuum to clean

up sawdust. 

Last week we sanded the covers and stacked the books on the metal rod to support the

table 'leg'. We used wood glue and hot glue. We're not done yet, but we're close!

We still need to paint and attach the table top. More photos to come! 

We then coded them on mblock to create dance moves and the song. We programmed the notes, whether they were half or quarter notes (the rhythm), and the tone (C, D, E, F, G, A, B). We used the song of My Girl with do, re, mi and translated it to the musical alphabet that mblock understands. After the song was done, we wanted Shelly to dance while Fernando played the notes. At first Dee was programming random dance "moves" by making the mbot go forward and spin. But then Dee wanted the mbots to do a wheely. Dee said she learned how to do that by making them go backward first and then forward really fast. There were also spins, by turning right or left. The mbot shook by going right then left then right again really fast. It looked like it was glitching when it was too fast, so we slowed down the turning. Dee spent a few hours trying to figure out how to make Fernando and Shelly sing and dance at the same time. It was nice when everything actually worked. We also learned that when the battery is running low it slowed down the bot and made Fernando sing weird like glitchy.