Automata Fish​

This is a tutorial on how to build your own moving fish scene. In building this you will be able to make any fish you like come to life with a moving background.

Components

• 1/2" PVC Pipe
• 9 V battery to Arduino
• Dowel rod pack
• Wooden crate
• Arduino Uno
• Switch
• Shaft Coupler
• DC Motor
• 3' x 2' length of Cardboard
• Nails
• Breadboard
• Zip ties
• Hot Glue
• Pencil
• Plastic folder
• Wooden paint mixing stick

Required tools

• Drill
• 3/8", 15/32", and 1/4" drill bits
• Allen keys
• Hammer
• Saw
• Hot Glue Gun

1. Drill a 3/8" hole into the center of the side box.
2. Drill a 15/32" hole on the other side of the box in the center.
3. Drill two 1/4" holes in the back of the box to mount the motor using zipties.

1. Cut two pieces of PVC pipe to 4 inches in length.
2. Cut four round pieces of cardboard big enough to close the PVC pipes from the sides. 
3. Cut 3/8" holes in the middle of the round cardboard pieces to fit tightly over the dowel rod.
4. Glue the four pieces of round cardboard over each end of the two PVC pipes.
5. Two cardboard rails are cut to the dimensions of 12 inches by 2.5 inches to hold the shafts together and onto the frame.
6. Make two holes, one on each end, in each of the rails to freely move about the shafts that spin through.
7. Cut out a 5 inch by 5 inch square piece of cardboard to mount between rails for support.
8. Cut two 1.25 inch tall supports for the bottom of the moving background to keep it level.
9. The driver shaft will need to be cut from a dowel rod to be 8 inches long, while the the follower shaft will need to be cut to 6.5 inches long.
10. For the Belt, print 3 copies of any underwater background and glue 4 of them side-by-side. Cut the background into 30 x 4 inches to fit the PVC pipes. The file that was used for the background can be found here.

1. Push the motor in to the 15/32" hole in the frame housing.
2. Put the shaft coupler on the motor shaft and tighten the set screw.
3. Cut a section of dowel rod that is 10.5 inches long.
4. Hammer a nail halfway into the dowel rod 4 inches from the end of the box frame.
5. Hammer another nail going into the exact opposite direction another 3 inches from the first nail hammered in.
6. Insert the dowel rod in to the other end of the shaft coupler and tighten the set screw. Ensure the other end of the dowel is inside the 3/8" hole on the other end of the frame box.
7. Secure the second motor to the corner of the housing using a zip tie.

1. Cut a pencils to a length of 5 inches.
2. Craft the tooth by cutting two 3.5 X 1.5 inches rectangular piece of cardboard with a length of about 3.5 inches.
3. Glue the two pieces of cardboard to produce a triangular shaped tooth shown in the first picture.
4. Secure the pencil/color pencil on the vertex of the tip of the triangle with glue
5. Cut a section of PVC to be 3 inches long.
6. Wrap tape around the PCV pipe until it will fit the gap on the top of the box.
7. Slide the pencil into the PVC and make a mark on the pencil when it is is place. This mark will indicate how far the pencil goes through the plastic tube.
8. Secure the pencil by taping the marked area so it doesn’t slip through the tube.

1. Put vertical lines of glue every 1.5 inches along the 4 inch PVC pipes with round cardboard at the end to create friction to turn the belt.
2. Insert the driving shaft and follower shaft into each cylinder so the snuggly stay together.
3. Glue the square 5 inch by 5 inch square between the rails to provide support.
4. Insert the cylinders on each side of the rails to securely mount the tubes.
5. Glue the 1.25 inch tall supports at the bottom rail
6. Mount the driving shaft to the second motor coupler and glue the 1.25 inch supports to the frame to mount the moving background.
7. Wrap the printed background around the shafts and glue together.

1. Print a fish outline and glue it onto the wooden mixing stick. A link to the fish outline we used can be found here.
2. Cut out the outline of the fish.
3. Cut the fish into three parts.
4. Cut a 3" by 1/2" strip of the plastic folder.
5. Hot glue the strip of plastic over all three sections of the fish, connecting them.

1. Wire 5 Volts and ground from the Arduino Uno into a 5 volt line and ground line on a breadboard.
2. Put wires from the 5 volt line into the first two switches labeled “1” and “2” on the switch. 
3. Put the red wires of the motors into the output of the switches labeled “C1” and “C2”, respectively.
4. Put the black wires anywhere on the ground line.
5. To power the Arduino a 9 Volt battery will be attached to the battery converter and then plugged into the Arduino.

Enjoy your new fish! Switching the first and second switches controls weather the motors are on or not.

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