Magic 8 Box

This is a Magic 8 Box, similar to a Magic 8 Ball, made from 3D printed parts, laser-cut acrylic and wood, and has an Adafruit Playground that is running CircuitPython controlling it.

You will need:

• Adafruit Circuit Playground
• NeoPixel Light Strip
• 3D Printed Parts
• Laser-cut acrylic for the faces of the cube
• Laser-cut wooden box to hold hardware
• Battery pack
• Spaker
• Wires

The first thing that I did was organize and print all the STL files that are needed for this project. I printed the external shape of the box on a PURSA Mini+. For the box structure I used black PLA filament. The links to download the structure of the box are below. Then I laser cut 1/8" clear acrylic to use as the faces of the cube.

I began by placing a couple dots of glue on the corners of the frame to create ensure all parts of the frame would stay together. Next, I stripped the NeoPixel strip from the plastic coding that was surrounding the lights. I proceeded to glue in the strip to the frame of the box. I then glued on the faces of the box using the clear acrylic squares. The dimensions of the acrylic squares are 89mm by 89mm.

Next you are going to want to design your circuit and connect all the components. I connected the NeoPixel light strip to the board. It has three wires on the end of it: red, black, and white. The red goes to VOUT, black goes to GND, and white is the signal which I put at A1. Next, I ground the speaker and connected it to the AUDIO output on the board. The speaker I am using has a battery of it's own so I did not need to provide it with a power source. After all these are connected, we have finished out circuit.

I have attached the code that I wrote for the Magic 8 Box to function properly. You will want to make sure that you have put the sounds below into a folder named "magic_box" and put these on your CPB for the code to run correctly.

Now it is time to put the Magic 8 Box together. First, I laser cut a box from 1/8" birch wood so that my components (the CPB, speaker, and battery pack) would have a place to sit. Second, I assembled the wooden box using glue and proceeded to glue that to the Magic 8 Box. Next, I drilled four holes in the wooden box and threaded yarn through the holes to create a hinge for the box so that I would be able to open and close it to get the hardware components out. Lastly, I wired up the components to the CPB and tied the wooden box shut. Now you are ready to ask your Magic 8 Box a question, give it a shake, and listen/ watch for the response!