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

May 4, 2007
Wheee! They're here - the new RW2!

We've just got in our newly-machined RW2 hubs & tires - and they're better! Instead of the old 1/8" axle hole that didn't quite fit the GM11a-14a series correctly (they were too loose), these new ones fit perfectly with their 3mm hole!

July 12, 2016
Fosshape and Wonderflex at Solarbotics

With our recent experiences with the costuming and cosplay communities, we've learned a lot about new materials that cosplayers use for making masks, props and armour. That added a few new words to our vocabulary and awesome new items to our inventory. First, Fosshape. It is a felt-like polyester fabric that can be stretched and […]

July 8, 2013
Project Monday: Gilroy's ErgoGP

Since we've been slacking for awhile on our Project Monday, I thought I'd share a project I've been working on the past couple of weeks. Being the office code monkey, I spend a lot of time in front of a keyboard. This has led to a fair amount of discomfort and sparked a quest for […]

September 21, 2016
Golem at Calgary Comic Expo

Solarbotics has worked on a good many interesting costuming projects, but few have been as unique as Shannon Chappell's Rock Golem. Shannon did a fabulous job repurposing electronics for the Golem, and if you're trying to do the same, be ready for some major dumpster-diving. Alternately, since we first worked on the Golem, we've been […]

1 85 86 87 88 89 253
Solarbotics Ltd Logo
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.