Halloween Hat Project – Anne

Description

This project is organized around the character of the Sorting Hat from the first of the Harry Potter books and movies. The intent of the project is to amuse people and invoke nostalgia for those who have read the books. The hat can be worn. The light effects are controlled by two sets of button switches hidden in the tassels. I learned a lot doing this project including soldering in tight spaces–the neopixel jewels and soldering header pins in particular. The neopixels and sound board were all new to me as well. The project was more work than I anticipated and I don’t regret the time spent on it as I learned lots of new techniques. However, the scale of the project and the time to execute it were a real challenge. For the next iteration I would focus on reducing the footprint of the Uno to a smaller board to fit inside the hat and exploring the neopixel code for more effects. Additionally, the button switches are “clicks” and that combined with low volume on the hat’s “voice” needs more work.

In progress images and sketches:

Tinkercad Circuit

Here is the Tinkercad circuit for the lights. (Note: Not seen here is the power shield fitted on top of the Uno for the LiPo battery and the Lipo battery.)