diy-blinky-bot

Blinky Bot Circuit Assembly

«kit» BLINKY-BOT INSTRUCTABLE


Finished «kit»

WESTERN CANADIAN ROBOTICS SOCIETY

Get the Supplies

Supplies to build the «kit»

Note: A template for the «kit» body can be found here: «kit»-template.pdf

Assemble the Tools

Assembly tools

Getting Started

The body of the Blinky-bot

Install the LEDs

Blinky-bot with LEDs

Assemble the Switch

paper clip switch

joined black wires

creating loop

2 wires soldered to switch

switch with all wires soldered

Soldering Hints: When soldering, remember to heat the soldering point with the soldering iron before bringing in the solder. Hold the soldering iron at a low angle to the soldering point to provide sufficient contact for good heat transfer. Keep the soldering iron in place when you bring the solder in to the soldering point. Always return the soldering iron to its holder; never lay a soldering iron down on a worktable.

Assemble the Battery Holder

battery holder with red wires

Wire-wrapping Hints: When loading the wire-wrapping tool, try to avoid bending and kinking the wire. Do not feed the insulated part of the wire into the tool. When spinning the tool, place a finger over the wire near the tool to keep the insulated part of the wire from being caught up in the wrapped wire. If the tool does not spin freely, it probably means that you have set the tool down on the outside hole, rather than the centre hole; lift the tool and try again.

Connect the Switch

battery holder and switch

Connect the LEDs

wires to LEDs

Test it out!

powered for testing

Solder the LED leads

shortened LED leads

Finishing

final result: back

final result: front

Note: The switch can be closed more securely by sliding the paperclip under the edge of the head of the brass brad.

business card with contact information


IDEA:

Build the Blinky Bot

  1. Cut out and assemble the body of the Blinky Bot from the supplied card stock pieces

  2. Using the straight pin, punch two holes in the body for each LED. Look at an LED to see how far apart the holes should be. One wire of the LED needs to go through each hole.

  3. Insert the wire leads of the LEDs through the holes from the front side of the body. Push the LEDs all of the way down to the body (all of the wire legs should be sticking out the back).

Switch assembly front view

  1. Assemble the switch from the corrugated rectangle, the two brads, and the paperclip according to the above picture.
    • put one brad through the small end of the paper clip
    • put the brad through one of the holes in the rectangle
    • bend the legs of the brad over on the back to hold it in place.
    • put the other brad through the second hole in the rectangle, and bend the legs over on the back.

Switch assembly back view

  1. On the bottom of the switch, attach two black wires to one brad, and one black wire to the other bard. Solder in place.
    • hold two of the black wires parallel, and twist the uninsulated (silver) ends at one end together.
    • three black wires for the Ladybug * bend a loop in the uninsulated (silver) part of the wire. Slide the loop over one leg of a brad, and flatten is down on top of the leg. * Solder the wire to the leg of the brad. * do the same with the remaining black wire on one leg of the other brad. * Solder the wire to the leg of the brad.

Battery holder positive end

  1. Using the wire wrap tool, attach two (three for ladybug) red wires to the positive (larger) end of the battery holder. Add the wires one at a time, on top of each other, then solder all of them one time only.

Battery holder negative

  1. Using the wire wrap tool, attach the second end of the single black wire to the negative (smaller) post on the battery holder. Solder in place.

Battery holder to switch

  1. Put some hot glue on the top of the switch rectangle, on a corner of the end away from the paperclip and brads. Press the back of the battery holder down into the glue, so that the two soldered pins go past the side and end of the rectangle (diagonal across the corner). Do not worry if glue gets on the wires.

  2. Using the wire wrap tool, attach each red wire to the longest leg of an LED. A different LED for each red wire. Be sure to insert the LED leg all the way in the centre tube of the wire wrap tool, so that the attached wire will wrap right against the body of the bot.

  3. Using the wire wrap tool, attach each of the black wires to the shortest leg of an LED. A different LED for each black wire.

  4. Test the circuit before soldering. Insert the battery in the holder with the positive (+) side up. Close the switch. All of the LEDs should blink. Open the switch, remove the battery.
    • To remove the battery, squeeze the metal tab at the positive end. Needle nose pliers can help with that, if fingers do not work.
  5. Solder each of the previously wrapped wires on each leg of each LED. Be careful not to solder the legs of an LED together.

  6. Test the circuit again.

  7. Hot glue the switch and battery holder assembly to the back of of the Blinky Bot. Before gluing, figure out where you want to position it. It is fine to glue it down on top of wires, but normally want to stay away from edges of the bot, so that the switch will not be visible from the front. The corners of the corrugated rectangle can be trimmed, either before of after it is hot glued down, if that is needed.

  8. While wearing the safety glasses (spectators too), trim the legs of the LEDs. These can be shortened to just above where the black and red wires are soldered. Just do not cut the black or red wires, and do not cut them off of the LED leg. When cutting the LED wires, cut them one at a time, and hold on to the end of the wire being cut. This prevents the cut end from being thrown, where it could hurt somebody.

  9. Finishing touches. The remaining ends of the LEDs can be bent over flat to the body of the Blinky bot, so that the sharp ends do not stick up. Just be careful not to bend the legs so that they touch each other, or the legs of the other LED.

  10. Insert the battery in the holder a final time, close the switch, and verify that all of the LEDs blink.

Optional extra customization and decoration of your Blinky Bot.