Special Gift Ocarina Box

Dilan Tuff-Overes
January 10, 2018

Now that the season of mass gift giving is (temporarily) over, publishing the details on this special gift for a wedding anniversary will not ruin a surprise. So I figured I'd share this personal project that uses simple but smart electronics.

First I soldered an interrupter switch to the SuperFlex LED Strand with Battery Pack in color purple.

 

 

I wanted the drawer that houses the ocarina to be rectangular in shape but also wanted the overall box to be circular. I compromised between the two requirements by making the box a semicircle that looked like a capital "D". 

This shape also allowed me to hide the battery pack behind the drawer which was quite convenient!

I attached two laser cut tabs with #4-40 screws to the inside of the box.

They are serving as a stopper to the small lid that will host our battery pack.

Inside view of a battery pack platform.

Another set of #4-40 screws holds the cutout lid on the outside. The battery pack is glued onto it and can be easily accessed for changing batteries or troubleshooting. 

Looks neat and concealed.

I attached the interrupter switch right with some #2 thread forming screws at the point where the drawer will sit when fully closed.

This way the LED string will only light up when the drawer opens, releasing the switch, and lighting up the contents of the gift box.

Here is the switch installed in a small cutout in the drawer's containing walls.

The LED string is threaded through a small hole in the back wall of the drawer. A small amount of extra length is stuffed between the containing wall and the back of the drawer so that when the drawer is opened, it does not pull on the LED string.

Now to the decorative part. For the lattice cutout I Google-searched and downloaded a nice vine pattern that I auto-traced in CorelDraw to make it a vector. I tweaked it by bringing the design elements closer together to increase stability, since the pattern is quite delicate. For the final design of the top lid I added a solid circle with text on it (a small quote from our wedding vows). I then laser cut out the vine design and lightly vector-engraved the text in the circle.

To complete the lid top I attached heavy purple card stock from a craft store underneath using a bit of white glue.

The kerf pattern that covers the semi-circular portion of the box was also found online. Every sixth point is slot-and-tab'ed into the top and bottom lids to ensure smooth curvature while maintaining stability.

The whole assembly is done using predominantly white glue - here are the lid layers stacked and pressed together for drying.

The front of the drawer repeats the same pattern as the top, but this time engraved instead of cut through. The crystal knob was found at a local craft store.

And here is the finished product, the intricate vine pattern adds complexity and dimensionality, the light golden wood grain stands out great against the opulent purple backdrop, and the LEDs inside illuminate and highlight the gift. 

P.S. The final version added paper straw stuffing that helped to diffuse the light and provide extra cushioning for the fragile ceramic ocarina.

 

 

MORE POSTS

December 16, 2011
Shipping Dates & Pre-Holiday Megapo...

Ok, we won't lie - we have a lot of content to show you today, so we're going to jump right in, starting with... Shipping Cutoff Dates It's getting down to the wire if you want to get a few last-minute gifts for Christmas. Here are our cutoff dates for submitting an order and still […]

August 9, 2006
Another New Gearmotor - The GM19!

Here's a funky motor for you - the GM19! Slightly larger than the other metal gearhead series (GM11-14), and with a larger motor, this 35:1 beasty looks like a good contender for building mini-sumos or other small, speed-hungry robots! But be warned: It is a bit strange. The gearhead is mounted askew to the motor, […]

January 8, 2016
Vintage AMPEX VR1200B 2" Quadruplex VTR ...

I occupy a studio space in a building that is a former movie shooting facility turned into an artist hovel. The building itself is wonderfully old but the hallways are also full of ancient audio and video equipment from the movie days. One of the things that got the attention of our RnD and tech […]

May 20, 2010
Maker Faire, Closed Mon. May 24th

Hey look, we're at Maker Faire! Hey look, we're at the Solarbotics Office! ... Hey look, we're like an  amoeba, splitting in half to be in two places at once. Ok, here's the skinny -  Right now, most of our staff is US-bound to attend the previously mentioned MakerFaire in the San Mateo/Bay Area in […]

1 33 34 35 36 37 253
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.

cart