GHOST PARADE, a tribute to Gzumwalt and Ruby Bot

myminifactory

Inspired by Gzumwalt's carousel and Ruby Bot's ghost emoji. I started working on a toy that brings the two together seamlessly. Kids really love ghosts that glow in the dark, especially when they're dancing with excitement. The carousel has a motor base that houses a small geared motor, sourced from AliExpress, which offers an option with a 3mm shaft. Two or more cylindrical neodymium magnets, measuring 4x24 mm, are mounted on either side of the motor. The rotating platform is directly connected to the motor shaft and features five ghosts, printed at 50% of their actual size. Each ghost is attached to a cylinder using a joint that houses an M3 bolt and a small cubical neodymium magnet measuring 5x5x5 mm. The M3 bolts can rotate freely, while the magnets are glued to both the joint and the back of the ghosts. To ensure proper adhesion, use sandpaper to roughen the surfaces before applying glue. Be cautious not to get any glue into the M3 bolt area. A marked cylindrical magnet is used to determine the correct position of the cubical magnets before applying adhesive. For ease, apply a small drop of adhesive only at the back of the ghost just before positioning the joint. The same marked magnet is employed to find the right spot for the cylindrical magnets before pushing them into place. The attracted end should face downwards. A tiny amount of glue prevents them from being pulled out. Since the magnets can be accessed from the bottom, it's easy to get them in the correct position. Use the lowest voltage at which the motor runs smoothly. As each rotation occurs, the ghosts are charged by a light source that illuminates them through the window on the backside of the motor unit. Any light source, such as a simple torch, can be used for this purpose. A small panel featuring 42 white 3mm LEDs was created to charge the ghosts efficiently. These LEDs can be found on AliExpress at incredibly low prices. A hundred were purchased for just $1.37, with free shipping! To assemble the panel, put three LEDs in series with a 120 Ohm resistor and repeat this process 14 times. Essentially, you only need two magnets: one at the back side to keep the ghosts aligned during charging and another at the front side to make them dance. You're free to use other positions as well. If you don't have a roof, why not place a wobbly ghost in the center? This intriguing design idea was contributed by muzz64. If you still want a roof, two options are included as STL-files for your convenience.