The next image shows the placement of the 3D printed kaleidoscope body parts and the clear acrylic lenses. Follow the steps outlined below the image to put them all together.
Gather the kaleidoscope body, one eyepiece, the eyepiece cover, and one 3" clear acrylic lens for this step.
Insert one end of the triangular body into the triangular hole in the eyepiece. The three small bumps on the end of the triangular body fit inside corresponding notches in the eyepiece, and a bit of gentle pressure will help slide it into place.
Once the body and eyepiece click together, set the eyepiece cover on a flat surface with its screw threads pointed upwards. Remove any protective paper from one of the 3" clear acrylic lenses, and place it inside the eyepiece cover.
Gently insert the eyepiece into the cover, and, using the kaleidoscope body for leverage, rotate the eyepiece until the threads mesh and the eyepiece slides downwards into the cover. Stop when the eyepiece just touches the lens. Do NOT overtighten the eyepiece.
The method you use to attach the mirrors will depend on whether you have the stiffer acrylic mirrors cut from 1/16" acrylic or the flexible mirror sheet with adhesive backing. Follow the steps below which correspond to your particular mirrored material.
Acrylic Mirrors
If you are using acrylic mirrors, remove any protective covering from the cut mirror pieces. One at a time, take each mirror slide it carefully down into the open side of the triangular kaleidoscope body until the mirror is fully inserted and comes to rest against the lens. Each mirror should fit snugly and rest flush against one of the triangular body's interior sides.
Once all three mirrors are in place, they should push against each other just enough to keep them in place. If the mirrors are too tight to slide in, you will have to trim them down until they fit. If they are slightly too small, and slide around, you can place a drop or two of glue between the back of the mirrors and the 3D printed interior to keep them in place.
Flexible Adhesive Mirrors
If you are cutting your mirrors from flexible mirrored sheet, follow the steps below.
Leave the protective cover on the mirror material until just before you insert the mirrors into the kaleidoscope body. With a ruler, mark the 160mm x 55mm rectangles to be cut on the matte adhesive size, and cut them out using scissors.
Peel the protective covering from the shiny side of the mirror. After this point, try avoid touching the mirror surface, instead, hold the mirror pieces by their edges. Next, peel the paper covering the adhesive back surface of the mirror, and gently slide it inside the kaleidoscope body until it fits fully inside.
Using a spatula or ruler, press gently down on the surface of the mirror to help it lie flat against the inner surface of the kaleidoscope. Repeat the previous steps until all three mirrors are in place.
Gather the 3D printed LED Compartment and Coil Holder, along with the wireless transmitter coil and power connectors and cables.
To make the power transmitter fit inside the holder, you must gently bend the power wires back underneath the coil as shown. Don't crease the wires sharply and keep about 1 cm separation between the two wires leading from the coil.
Place the coil inside the coil holder compartment as shown as left. The coil should rest inside the elevated ring, and both the black and red power wires should run through a hole in one of the interior rails to protect the electronics from strain on the wires. The ends of the wires should extend outside the compartment through the hole in the side opposite to the small exterior knob.
Place the LED compartment over the coil holder. Push down the bezel so that it extends past the bottom of the LED compartment, and orient the bezel so that the notch aligns with the knob on the coil holder. Be sure the power wires extend out of the hole in the side of the coil holder.
Press the bezel down over the coil holder so that the bumps in the holder slip into the small notches on the bezel interior. The knob in the coil holder will fit into the large notch in the bottom of the bezel. You may need to push the two pieces together incrementally, working your way around the circle as you go.
Once they have fully snapped together, you should be able to slide the bezel and coil holder together so that they rotate around the LED compartment freely.
Insert the red and black power wires into the + and - terminals of the screw terminal connector respectively, and tighten the screws with a small Phillips-head screwdriver until they are firmly secured.
Insert the barrel jack end of the DC jack to USB cable into the screw terminal connector. Finally connect the USB end of the cable to a 5V power source, such as a wall adapter or portable phone charger.
After connecting the electronics to power, place the wireless LEDs inside the LED compartment, with LEDs oriented upwards and watch them glow!
Place a 3D printed cover over each of the wireless LEDs, making sure that the LED itself remains pointing upwards.
Once you've covered all of the LEDs, place the second acrylic lens over the top of the LED compartment. The small clearance between the lens and the LED covers will let them slide around while still maintaining the orientation of the LED coils parallel to the transmitting coil.
Carefully place the kaleidoscope body next to the covered LED compartment and slowly tilt it over the lens until the kaleidoscope body is vertical and the eyepiece rests on top of the acrylic lens. The mirrors may slide out a bit, but will be pushed back into place by the lens.
Gently rotate the body of the kaleidoscope until the eyepiece and LED container threads mesh, and the eyepiece moves down into the container. Stop turning just when the eyepiece touches the lens. Do not overtighten.
Once you screw the second eyepiece in place, you be able to look through the top of the kaleidoscope and see the illuminated shapes along with their reflections. Tilt the kaleidoscope a bit away from vertical, then, holding it by the coil compartment so the power wires remain stationary, rotate the body of the kaleidoscope so the shapes slide around inside. You will see the shapes regroup to form dynamic colorful arrangements as they move around.
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