Colour Stealing+ Cyberpunk Headpiece
2018-Sep-05, Wednesday 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chebeSomehow, while making my Colour Stealing Skirt, I got the idea that I would like a headpiece to go with it. I mean, it's for EMFcamp, so go big or stay home, right? (Not at all, but I wanted to so I made excuses.) I wandered down a path of cybergoth falls for a little, but wanted something a bit more cyberpunk, and what is more punk than outrageous mohawks? But I don't have a 3D printer, or laser cutter, or CNC. How was I going to get something strong enough to stand upright, but translucent enough to light up nicely? I had an idea in my head of circles, inspired by CDs and hair rollers, but nothing else. So I took myself on a tour of hardware shops and wandered aimlessly. Eventually I found these. They come in different diameters and different heights, but these seemed just right for me.
Next step; how do I affix these plastic circles to my head? I wandered around youtube until I found people who use garden wire (for trailing vines and such) to make frames for costume headpieces. The idea is to shape a double-sided U-shape (one for each side of the head) out of the wire. You make the join with duct tape. I added extra supports to the top, by bending the ends to sit along existing wires, and duct tape them together.
Then I continued in the same way down the back of my head. Aiming for a secure fit. I also wrapped the wire with ribbon (secured with super glue), not just to make it nicer, but because the duct tape glue was coming undone and the ribbon keeps pressure on all the joins.
Okay, it's time to admit, this whole thing to held together with hot glue. (Hot glue is amazing.) I attached each pair of coasters together with short lengths of the wire and hot glue. The gap is left as the place the Neopixels will go.
In order to keep the coaster pairs from slipping side-ways, and in an attempt at making it a bit prettier, I added spiral braces to each point I'm going to place a coaster pair. They are close enough together to lightly pinch the coasters. And reinforced each of the joints with hot glue.
Next I hot glued in the Neopixel strand. It works out about three pixels per coaster pair (only covering the bottom havles). With an 11 pixel long tail left over.
Then placed, and hot glued in, the coaster pairs.
I couldn't wait any longer, I needed to test the Neopixels and check the light transmission. Pretty good, but a little subtle. Perhaps interrupting the light more would be more effective.
I gently stuffed some white organza (with holographic dots) scraps into the coaster pairs, very loosely. Too densely packed and you'll loose light transmission. Better, has much more impact.
The colour stealing circuit, and code, is the same as for the skirt.
But all the connecting wires are much shorter. I sat the microcontroller into another coaster, and left the components just hanging over the edge. (All the points where wire meets board hot glued for some extra strength.)
I fit all the components into, and around, the coaster. Arranged some white and silver wide crinoline tubing (also known as cyberlox) around the coaster pairs, hot glued in place. I also placed some crinoline tubing over the tail of Neopixels, hot glued in place.
Check how it's all looking. Pretty!
The components coaster needed to be attached to the rest of the head piece. I put it right at the front so I can access the controls easily. Hot glue on some wire struts.
Bend the wires and hot glue onto the headband. I ended up crushing some of my crinoline tubing, should probably have done this step before attaching the crin.
Curl the excess wires down as neatly as possible. This is where I was finished. I tied a little black ribbon around the crin tails to keep them together, and I went off to EMF. On the first night it was suggested that making the headpiece sound reactive would be good. I had an electret microphone with me and one IO pin left, so I did.
I soldered a 3-pin JST cable to the microcontroller so I could plug the electret microphone (which already had a header soldered onto it) into the circuit easily. The code is adapted from Sound Reactive Drums.
And then I went exploring. It is decently stable, and not at all heavy, to wear, especially for my first headpiece. People seemed to enjoy it (and many had a go wearing it). There are some extensions I'm thinking about adding, but for now this tale comes to an end.
Parts;
Galvanised Coated Garden Wire, 2mm / 12 Gauge / 5/64"
Ribbon
62mm plastic furniture leg/wheel coasters (floor protectors)
Organza scraps
Wide crinoline tubing
Potentiometer
Adafruit Flora
Adafruit Neopixel strand
3-pin JST SM Plug + Receptacle Cable Set
Adafruit Colour Sensor
LilyPad Button Board
SparkFun Microphone
Plastic furniture leg/wheel coasters, or floor protectors
Photo by chebe
Next step; how do I affix these plastic circles to my head? I wandered around youtube until I found people who use garden wire (for trailing vines and such) to make frames for costume headpieces. The idea is to shape a double-sided U-shape (one for each side of the head) out of the wire. You make the join with duct tape. I added extra supports to the top, by bending the ends to sit along existing wires, and duct tape them together.
Wire frame base
Photo by chebe
Then I continued in the same way down the back of my head. Aiming for a secure fit. I also wrapped the wire with ribbon (secured with super glue), not just to make it nicer, but because the duct tape glue was coming undone and the ribbon keeps pressure on all the joins.
Add supports, wrap in ribbon
Photo by chebe
Okay, it's time to admit, this whole thing to held together with hot glue. (Hot glue is amazing.) I attached each pair of coasters together with short lengths of the wire and hot glue. The gap is left as the place the Neopixels will go.
Hot glue wire struts
Photo by chebe
In order to keep the coaster pairs from slipping side-ways, and in an attempt at making it a bit prettier, I added spiral braces to each point I'm going to place a coaster pair. They are close enough together to lightly pinch the coasters. And reinforced each of the joints with hot glue.
Add wire supports
Photo by chebe
Next I hot glued in the Neopixel strand. It works out about three pixels per coaster pair (only covering the bottom havles). With an 11 pixel long tail left over.
Hot glue Neopixels
Photo by chebe
Then placed, and hot glued in, the coaster pairs.
Place plastic circles
Photo by chebe
I couldn't wait any longer, I needed to test the Neopixels and check the light transmission. Pretty good, but a little subtle. Perhaps interrupting the light more would be more effective.
Test
Photo by chebe
I gently stuffed some white organza (with holographic dots) scraps into the coaster pairs, very loosely. Too densely packed and you'll loose light transmission. Better, has much more impact.
Test with organza
Photo by chebe
The colour stealing circuit, and code, is the same as for the skirt.
Colour Stealing Circuit
Made with Fritzing
But all the connecting wires are much shorter. I sat the microcontroller into another coaster, and left the components just hanging over the edge. (All the points where wire meets board hot glued for some extra strength.)
Solder up microcontroller and components
Photo by chebe
I fit all the components into, and around, the coaster. Arranged some white and silver wide crinoline tubing (also known as cyberlox) around the coaster pairs, hot glued in place. I also placed some crinoline tubing over the tail of Neopixels, hot glued in place.
Fit microcontroller and components into a plastic circle
Photo by chebe
Check how it's all looking. Pretty!
Test with crinoline tubing
Photo by chebe
The components coaster needed to be attached to the rest of the head piece. I put it right at the front so I can access the controls easily. Hot glue on some wire struts.
Add wire supports to microcontroller circle
Photo by chebe
Bend the wires and hot glue onto the headband. I ended up crushing some of my crinoline tubing, should probably have done this step before attaching the crin.
Attach to headpiece
Photo by chebe
Curl the excess wires down as neatly as possible. This is where I was finished. I tied a little black ribbon around the crin tails to keep them together, and I went off to EMF. On the first night it was suggested that making the headpiece sound reactive would be good. I had an electret microphone with me and one IO pin left, so I did.
Sound Reactive and Colour Stealing Circuit
Made with Fritzing
I soldered a 3-pin JST cable to the microcontroller so I could plug the electret microphone (which already had a header soldered onto it) into the circuit easily. The code is adapted from Sound Reactive Drums.
Add microphone
Photo by chebe
And then I went exploring. It is decently stable, and not at all heavy, to wear, especially for my first headpiece. People seemed to enjoy it (and many had a go wearing it). There are some extensions I'm thinking about adding, but for now this tale comes to an end.
Wear
Photo by Jeffrey_Roe
Parts;
Galvanised Coated Garden Wire, 2mm / 12 Gauge / 5/64"
Ribbon
62mm plastic furniture leg/wheel coasters (floor protectors)
Organza scraps
Wide crinoline tubing
Potentiometer
Adafruit Flora
Adafruit Neopixel strand
3-pin JST SM Plug + Receptacle Cable Set
Adafruit Colour Sensor
LilyPad Button Board
SparkFun Microphone
Tags:
no subject
Date: 2018-11-11 07:30 pm (UTC)