The Animated Ghost kit is a great way to learn more about electronics and soldering. It’s really easy to put together and the end result is a great addition to your Halloween decorations. Let’s get started.
The things you need:
- Animated Ghost Kit – Available in the Maker SHED
- Soldering Iron
- File
- Rosin core solder
The things you don’t need, but are great to have:
- Arms of Assistance – Make you own
- Fume extractor – Make your own
Step 1 : Take inventory
Spread out all the parts and take a look through the instructions. It’s always a good idea to check out all the steps prior to starting.
Step 2 : Add the resistors
I added all the resistors at once. The board is so big, you can really add a lot of parts and solder them all at once.
Now that’s a dirty soldering iron! Remember to wipe your soldering iron often.Step 3 : Connect the motor
This small part of the circuit board gets snapped off and is soldered to the motor’s axle. It’s what makes the ghost move.
Start by roughening up the motor’s axle with a file.
Next, roughen up the sides of the motor. This helps the solder stick a lot better.
Finally, heat up the motor and the circuit board with your soldering iron and then add a lot of solder. More is better!
Step 4 : Add some more components
Next, I added the LEDs, capacitors, microphone, and transistors as described in the instructions. Again, I combined steps and soldered it all in at once.
Step 5 : Add some power
The battery pack is attached using the supplied nut and bolt. After attaching the battery holder, solder the red and black wires to the board. Easy!
Step 6 : Add bar to motor
Remember that little piece of circuit board you snapped off. Well, now it’s time to attach it to the motor. First add the supplied nut & bolt to one end and solder the other end to the motor’s axle.
Step 7 : Prep, solder, and glue the speaker
The kit comes with (2) wires that need to be soldered to the speaker. After soldering the wires to the speaker go ahead and solder them to the circuit board. Finally place the speaker in the hole on the board.
I used hot glue to mount the speaker. You can use almost any glue that bonds metal.
Step 8 : Enjoy
The kit took less than an hour to complete and the included instructions were easy to follow. It’s a fun little project, and a great way to get into soldering. Make sure to stop by the Maker SHED at Maker Faire and check it out in person.
One last thing! The kit comes with a piece of fabric to make your project look like a ghost. [I prefer the look of the bare circuit board]
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