Back to the future mind reading helmet

cults3d

I'm stoked to share my Doc Brown's mind-reading helmet from 'Back to the Future' with you! I'm absolutely obsessed with this film and had a blast finding tons of props for 3D printing, but this helmet was the holy grail. So here it is! I won't sugarcoat it - this project was no cakewalk, but as a huge geek and movie buff like me, it was totally worth the challenge. On my 3D model, all the parts fit together seamlessly, but getting them to align symmetrically just right was a real puzzle. I ended up using my trusty hair dryer technique for a few connectors - basically, you heat up the plastic part with a hair dryer and then reshape it slightly. It's a game-changer for 3D printing newbies! Check out the pictures - one of them is color-coded, and the colors match the file names to make assembly a breeze. The main coils screw onto the headband, and I glued all the connectors between cylinders in this order: blue, yellow, pink, red, and green. Three red connectors needed some extra TLC with the hair dryer, but you might be a pro at it! You'll also find a file called perspex_tube.stl - print it out in clear PLA or use a clear perspex tube (I bought 10mm OD tubing and cut it into 90mm long cylinders). Clear perspex looks awesome, but it's definitely more involved. On the main coils, I wound a few turns of grey cable and glued it permanently. For the clear perspex, I used single-core red wire. Here's the assembly order: first, attach the main coil with grey cable, then glue in the 10mm perspex tube, followed by slotting in the clear cylinder (printed in clear PLA). The clear cylinder goes inside the inside_cylinder, which all fits snugly into the outside_cylinder. Finally, glue on all the connectors to the outside_cylinder. Electronics time! Solder 220 ohm resistors to the positive leg of a 5mm white LED (protective resistor), then connect cables to both legs of the LED. Slot the LED into the perspex tube and tidy up the wires with clear cable ties. Connect everything to an Arduino Nano and a 9V battery - it all fits neatly inside the Arduino_box, which you can clip onto your belt. There's a hole for a mini on/off rocker switch, and I've included a schematic for connections and Arduino code too. The code randomly switches the LEDs - my little addition to the project! This is a big project, but if you're up for it, I'd love to see pictures and hear any comments or suggestions! Here's a video of the finished helmet in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctzW8bP1KoY