How to Craft an Electronic Model Crafting is an art. There are so many ways a good product can be improved, whether you add lights, camouflage paint, or just carve some wood. Materials that are accepted as easy to work with are: wood, water-based paints, and many plastics. Other materials that are more difficult to work with are: sheet metals, acrylic paints, paint thinners, and rubber. A crafter can look at any of these materials and know what to do. In crafting, a block of wood becomes a slot car track. Paint brings out the shine in a model race car. Plastic is melted down and reformed into a LEGO man. Crafting requires imagination and practice. The more you practice, the better you are at your craft. Many crafting projects include electronic circuits, carvings, moldings, inscriptions, and, of course, paint, lots of paint.
The creators of LEGO made this project possible. The plastic used to piece together this model are made from ABS plastic. ABS plastic is one of the most high-quality plastics on the market today. Ever since LEGO introduced the LEGO brick, the toy has been in high demand in toy stores across the United States. This model is a tribute to the LEGO company's beautiful Cinema Creator set.
Parts needed: LEGO kit (any kit with light fixtures will do), knife, Dremel carving kit, an Infrared sensor, remote control, two light-emitting diodes (LEDs), wires, and an Arduino Programmable Logic Computer (Arduino PLC)
Infrared Remote Control
The project works by clicking a button on a remote control that turns the LED lights on. Some other buttons on the remote control turn the red-green-blue LED inside of the spotlight different colors. This is a good intermediate project. The LEGO bricks are easy to carve out so that the wires slide through them. The coding involved with the RGB LED is a little complex, but, overall, the project is for those that have worked with Arduino for at least a little while.
Photo resistor control
Difficulty: Intermediate
A photo resistor is a device that changes the electronic circuit based on how much light touches the sensor. If this was used to control the circuit, instead of the remote control, the model could be set to only turn on at a certain time of day. Having a photo resistor in the circuit would eliminate the need for any kind of switch. However, this would run down the circuit's battery supply much quicker. Since the circuit would be on all the time, this method would be less economical. A new battery would have to be in place every few months or so, depending on the size of the 9 volt battery. The only exception would be if you found a way to put the Arduino PLC into an extremely low power state.
Coding
Difficulty: hard
Coding is an important part of crafting an electronic model. If a Programmable logic computer is present in the circuit, it is likely there will be some coding involved. Arduino IDE is a common software program to use for coding the Arduino PLC. IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment. This software environment, and the community surrounding Arduino are really what make the Arduino PLC such a helpful device. There is an entire website dedicated to teaching the Arduino IDE software language. The language is written in the C++ language. The coding that goes into the Arduino IDE software environment is very concise. There are two parts to the coding and they are: void setup() and void loop(). In order to write the code, you must setup the computer by turning on everything you want to use and importing any other codes you have already written. Then, the loop runs a sequence over and over again, until the battery dies or
something else trips up the circuit. The more codes you put into the Arduino PLC, the more space it takes up on its memory chip.
Lighting up an Original Xbox console
Difficulty: Advanced
In order to craft a customized Xbox (see pic. 3), it is necessary to have great hand-eye coordination. This project includes carving plastic with a Dremel and some Dremel bits, such as the ones made by Diamond (see pic.2). These bits can be bought at any hardware store. They are made of galvanized steel, and are able to cut through solid rock. In this project, they are used interchangeably. The Carved letters are free-handed with a larger Dremel bit, and the GOE is inscribed with a Yoshi blade. The Call of Duty lettering is also inscribed. Then, they were painted with acrylic paint. The first with gold and the second with a metallic gray. The Call of Duty logo was carved with many of the smaller Dremel bits for better accuracy. The entire housing of the console was, then, placed in a freezer for 4 hours to make the glue brittle. Then, the middle Xbox logo was knocked out with a hammer. The glue was scraped off
pic.2 Dremel bits made by Diamond
of the backside of the logo, and the resulting logo was see-through for the LEDs to shine through.
Parts needed: Dremel kit, Yoshi Ceramic blade, LEDs, wires, Potentiometer, hammer, freezer, Acrylic paint, scissors, and a wire stripper gauge 13 tool
pic. 3 Customized Xbox Mod Console
Potentiometers
The potentiometer was included in the XBox build so that the light emitting diodes brighness could adjusted according to preference. The picture of the XBox above has a lower brightness so the internal wiring is visible. A potentiometer is an electronic component that limits the amount of electricity getting through to the light emitting diodes. Below is the internal mechanics of a potentiameter, depending on the position of the "wiper", the resistance can be increased or decreased.
Image of potentiometer operation from inside.
Creating a slot tank
Difficulty: Hard
A slot tank(pic.4) is an electronic model that uses the same wiring that would power a classic slot car, except the body is that of a tank. The slot tank is, generally, slower than an original slot car because of the sheer weight of the tank. Tank treads are attached to spiked wheels on the body to give the slot tank better traction on a slot car track. This particular slot tank can be adjusted to meet the correct width of any slot car track. The slot tank is composed of three main parts: the frame, the axels, wheels and treads, and the gears. All of this is powered by two bipolar motors. The motors can be powered in either direction, so the tank can, theoretically, move in reverse. The treads on a slot tank can be arranged into a full tread or smaller wheel treads depending on preference. The wires that attach to the motors and come to the front power the slot tank. The tank is very fun to use on a slot track because it has an advantage over other slot cars. If the axels are adjusted to be wider than the slot car track, the tank will knock other slot cars off of the track completely. The combined weight of the tank and its new width would make it more of a crash-derby slot tank. Unfortunately, this would, also, make the tank more susceptible to sliding off of the track. More control would be needed to prevent the tank from spinning off of the metal track underneath. The body, also known as the chassis, is made out of bent sheet metal in this example. Other materials, such as plastic or wood, would be lighter alternatives.
pic.4 Unfinished Slot tank body with treads
Summary
Each of these projects took plenty of time and research. The art of crafting an electronic model is centered around using your imagination to make something better. Everything can be improved. With the right tools, circuitry, and materials, anything can be customized into the model you were looking for. Be calm and craft on.
Crafting is an art. There are so many ways a good product can be improved, whether you add lights, camouflage paint, or just carve some wood. Materials that are accepted as easy to work with are: wood, water-based paints, and many plastics. Other materials that are more difficult to work with are: sheet metals, acrylic paints, paint thinners, and rubber. A crafter can look at any of these materials and know what to do. In crafting, a block of wood becomes a slot car track. Paint brings out the shine in a model race car. Plastic is melted down and reformed into a LEGO man. Crafting requires imagination and practice. The more you practice, the better you are at your craft. Many crafting projects include electronic circuits, carvings, moldings, inscriptions, and, of course, paint, lots of paint.
Lighting up a LEGO house
Difficulty: Intermediate
The creators of LEGO made this project possible. The plastic used to piece together this model are made from ABS plastic. ABS plastic is one of the most high-quality plastics on the market today. Ever since LEGO introduced the LEGO brick, the toy has been in high demand in toy stores across the United States. This model is a tribute to the LEGO company's beautiful Cinema Creator set.
Parts needed: LEGO kit (any kit with light fixtures will do), knife, Dremel carving kit, an Infrared sensor, remote control, two light-emitting diodes (LEDs), wires, and an Arduino Programmable Logic Computer (Arduino PLC)
Infrared Remote Control
The project works by clicking a button on a remote control that turns the LED lights on. Some other buttons on the remote control turn the red-green-blue LED inside of the spotlight different colors. This is a good intermediate project. The LEGO bricks are easy to carve out so that the wires slide through them. The coding involved with the RGB LED is a little complex, but, overall, the project is for those that have worked with Arduino for at least a little while.
Photo resistor control
Difficulty: IntermediateA photo resistor is a device that changes the electronic circuit based on how much light touches the sensor. If this was used to control the circuit, instead of the remote control, the model could be set to only turn on at a certain time of day. Having a photo resistor in the circuit would eliminate the need for any kind of switch. However, this would run down the circuit's battery supply much quicker. Since the circuit would be on all the time, this method would be less economical. A new battery would have to be in place every few months or so, depending on the size of the 9 volt battery. The only exception would be if you found a way to put the Arduino PLC into an extremely low power state.
Coding
Difficulty: hardCoding is an important part of crafting an electronic model. If a Programmable logic computer is present in the circuit, it is likely there will be some coding involved. Arduino IDE is a common software program to use for coding the Arduino PLC. IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment. This software environment, and the community surrounding Arduino are really what make the Arduino PLC such a helpful device. There is an entire website dedicated to teaching the Arduino IDE software language. The language is written in the C++ language. The coding that goes into the Arduino IDE software environment is very concise. There are two parts to the coding and they are: void setup() and void loop(). In order to write the code, you must setup the computer by turning on everything you want to use and importing any other codes you have already written. Then, the loop runs a sequence over and over again, until the battery dies or
something else trips up the circuit. The more codes you put into the Arduino PLC, the more space it takes up on its memory chip.
Lighting up an Original Xbox console
Difficulty: Advanced
In order to craft a customized Xbox (see pic. 3), it is necessary to have great hand-eye coordination. This project includes carving plastic with a Dremel and some Dremel bits, such as the ones made by Diamond (see pic.2). These bits can be bought at any hardware store. They are made of galvanized steel, and are able to cut through solid rock. In this project, they are used interchangeably. The Carved letters are free-handed with a larger Dremel bit, and the GOE is inscribed with a Yoshi blade. The Call of Duty lettering is also inscribed. Then, they were painted with acrylic paint. The first with gold and the second with a metallic gray. The Call of Duty logo was carved with many of the smaller Dremel bits for better accuracy. The entire housing of the console was, then, placed in a freezer for 4 hours to make the glue brittle. Then, the middle Xbox logo was knocked out with a hammer. The glue was scraped off
of the backside of the logo, and the resulting logo was see-through for the LEDs to shine through.
Parts needed: Dremel kit, Yoshi Ceramic blade, LEDs, wires, Potentiometer, hammer, freezer, Acrylic paint, scissors, and a wire stripper gauge 13 tool
Potentiometers
The potentiometer was included in the XBox build so that the light emitting diodes brighness could adjusted according to preference. The picture of the XBox above has a lower brightness so the internal wiring is visible. A potentiometer is an electronic component that limits the amount of electricity getting through to the light emitting diodes. Below is the internal mechanics of a potentiameter, depending on the position of the "wiper", the resistance can be increased or decreased.Creating a slot tank
Difficulty: HardA slot tank(pic.4) is an electronic model that uses the same wiring that would power a classic slot car, except the body is that of a tank. The slot tank is, generally, slower than an original slot car because of the sheer weight of the tank. Tank treads are attached to spiked wheels on the body to give the slot tank better traction on a slot car track. This particular slot tank can be adjusted to meet the correct width of any slot car track. The slot tank is composed of three main parts: the frame, the axels, wheels and treads, and the gears. All of this is powered by two bipolar motors. The motors can be powered in either direction, so the tank can, theoretically, move in reverse. The treads on a slot tank can be arranged into a full tread or smaller wheel treads depending on preference. The wires that attach to the motors and come to the front power the slot tank. The tank is very fun to use on a slot track because it has an advantage over other slot cars. If the axels are adjusted to be wider than the slot car track, the tank will knock other slot cars off of the track completely. The combined weight of the tank and its new width would make it more of a crash-derby slot tank. Unfortunately, this would, also, make the tank more susceptible to sliding off of the track. More control would be needed to prevent the tank from spinning off of the metal track underneath. The body, also known as the chassis, is made out of bent sheet metal in this example. Other materials, such as plastic or wood, would be lighter alternatives.
Summary
Each of these projects took plenty of time and research. The art of crafting an electronic model is centered around using your imagination to make something better. Everything can be improved. With the right tools, circuitry, and materials, anything can be customized into the model you were looking for. Be calm and craft on.