Update: Additional information from the Loveland Reporter Herald We've been big fans of Aleph Objects' 3D printers. They fit that sorta "Prosumer" niche. A bit better than kit-builds, not quite as expensive as the big professional units. We were disappointed we got the call a few months ago relating that Aleph was looking to shut […]
3D Printed Treetop Star
Solar botics
December 9, 2014
Initially inspired by the Moravian Star on Instructables and the fact that we now carry all kinds of 3D printing filament, we decided to make one of our own glowy holiday star. We have used this thing as source files to create a similar treetop decoration of our own.
After some trial and error (due to the Slicer not cooperating)...
...we printed a whole forest of perfect wintery spiky star-ends.
And, well, we just had to have someone live there for a bit. In this case, a snowman:
Our addressable 5mm LEDs were well suited to light this contraption. We drilled a hole in the bottom of each spike..
..to fit the LED's domed part:
And then wired everything up. It wasn't pretty but the WS2812 LED that we used made it much easier than a conventional RGB LED: rather than 3 separate channels, the WS2812 LED only has a data in and data out. Chain them all together and they work like a charm!
And here's the final product, ready to light up our office with wonderful glowing lights!
MORE POSTS
Frogbots! Solar-powered, at that!
I missed the full segment of this story last weeks on "Discovery Channel's @discovery.ca" program, but fortunately, the've put the segment online at their website. I seems that JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories - NASA essentially) is working on a solar-powered, single-footed robot frog. This seems like a GREAT idea for extra-terrestrial planet-surface locomotion. Check out […]
Mark Lecturing in Maryland, not Texas!
Whups! Sorry, we got a fact wrong listing Mark's lecture at the Goddard Space Flight Center. It's not in Houston, Texas - it's in Greenbelt, Maryland (March 23). Our apologies to Goddard Space Flight Center - I'm sure they weren't looking forward to a 1400 mile moveÂ…
Tuesday New Product: Batteries, Pi Wedge...
Lithium Ion (LiPoly) Battery - 110mAh 3.7V $8.34 Lithium polymer battery, but darn small! 3.7V 110mAh LiPoly battery for E-Textiles $8.34 What makes this battery special for E-textiles? Built-in current limiting for safety. SparkFun Pi Wedge B+ $9.55 A prototyping Wedge for Raspberry Pi B+ that allows you to use a shield and a protoboard […]
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!
Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.