I made progress this week, but I still have a lot to do until I can remove the quotation marks from “everything” and “working”. The biggest items on my to-do list are:

• 3D print a holster for the battery and breadboard
• 3D print mounting hardware to attach paper mache diffuser to back board
• Add a lightswitch or button accessible from the outside
• Create some fun dangly bits out of the supplies I purchased

Electrical Progress

I purchased a 5V phone battery bank with a 15000 mAh capacity, which is much higher than I initially planned. Battery bank technology has advanced since the last time I purchased one (five years ago). I have sacrificed a micro-USB cable to connect the battery bank to my breadboard. I have not tested the LEDs running off of the battery bank, because I don’t have wire strippers and I keep forgetting to strip the cables when I’m on campus. However, I rewired my circuit so the LEDs and Arduino Nano can run off of an external power supply. I initially had the NeoPixels drawing 5V from the Nano, however I read that this can fry your microcontroller. I fixed my circuit so the LEDs are powered directly from the power supply.

The program is very simple, and I decided to simply modify one of the functions from the NeoPixel example to achieve some ambient color changes. It is very easy to change this program, so I may modify it once the mechanical aspects are complete. I am more concerned with the manufacturing process being completed on time than perfecting my LED sequence.

Mechanical Progress

I started this week by sanding down the foam parts of the mold that I cut on the router. This process went smoother than I expected, as the foam was very easy to shape with a rasp and sandpaper. After I sculpted the contours I wanted, I connected the two pieces using wooden skewers and some painters tape.

I then wrapped the mold in plastic wrap so the paper mache would not stick to the mold or pick up bits of insulation. I covered the mold with tissue paper and glue, but it was difficult to keep track of how many layers I was putting down. I decided to err on the side of caution and stop gluing in case I was making the diffuser too opaque. However, once I removed the mold and tested with the NeoPixels, I found it was too transparent.

Aside from a few holes in the diffuser, this iteration might have been fine. It seemed too transparent, but I tested it without the white backing. My apartment gets a lot of natural light, which also effected the appearance. I decided to glue a few more tissue paper layers on the thinnest sections. This process was difficult because white glue is water soluble, so every layer softens when more glue is applied.

I laser cut foamcore board into the animal shape, so I have a hard surface on which to mount the diffuser. This backing also helps reflect the light from the LEDs and enhance the glowing effect. When I tested the patched up diffuser on top of the board the light looked much closer to what I want. It also helped that the sun had gone down and my apartment was fairly dark. I don’t envision having this lamp on while the sun is out.