# Halo Energy Sword by Mattel NeoPixel Upgrade
## Overview
https://youtu.be/2dx6YcRh5io
## Halo Energy Sword by Mattel
This cosplay prop is made by Mattel and officially licensed by Microsoft. You can find these [exclusively at GameStop](http://www.gamestop.com/collectibles/toys/halo-energy-sword-only-at-gamestop/128701). It features two modes: Trigger mode use's a button to trigger sound effects and lights. The other mode uses a tilt switch to activate the sound effects and lighting. It has a sturdy construction and features details like weathering and edge lit texture in the blades.
## MOAR LEDs!!
This cosplay prop only features 11 LEDs, leaving a lot to be desired. The stock lighting is underwhelming but we can easily modify it with lots of NeoPixel LEDs. In this project, we'll tear it down and replace the LEDs with NeoPixel LED strips. We'll wire up an Adafruit Trinket and power everything with the built in 3x AAA battery power supply.
## Prerequisite Guides
We recommend walking through the following tutorial to get familiar with the components used in this project.
- [Collin's Lab: Soldering](../../../collins-lab-soldering/video?view=all)
- [Collin's Lab: Multimeters](../../../../collins-lab-multimeters)
- [Introducing Trinket](../../../../introducing-trinket/downloads?view=all#introduction)
## Parts
You'll need the following parts to build this project.
- [Halo Energy Sword by Mattel](http://www.gamestop.com/collectibles/toys/halo-energy-sword-only-at-gamestop/128701)
- [Adafruit 5V Trinket](https://www.adafruit.com/products/1501)
- [Adafruit Flex Perma-Proto](https://www.adafruit.com/products/1518)
- 2x [Adafruit Mini Skinny NeoPixel LED Strip (60m)](https://www.adafruit.com/products/2959)
## Tools & Supplies
The following tools and supplies will help you complete this project.
- [30AWG Silicone cover stranded wires](https://www.adafruit.com/products/2051)
- [Flush diagonal cutters](https://www.adafruit.com/products/152)
- [Wire Cutters](https://www.adafruit.com/products/527)
- [Panavise Jr.](https://www.adafruit.com/products/151)
- [Helping Third Hand](https://www.adafruit.com/products/291)
- [Pocket Multimeter](https://www.adafruit.com/products/850)
- [Heat Shrink Tubing](https://www.adafruit.com/products/1649)
- Tape
## Project Expectations
If you attempt this project, we aren't liable for any damage made to your product. This will most likely void any warranty (if any). This project requires a bit of soldering experience – If you're new to soldering, this might a bit involved. If you have any technical issues with this project, please post them up on [https://forums.adafruit.com/](https://forums.adafruit.com/)
- [Next Page](https://learn.adafruit.com/halo-energy-sword-by-mattel-neopixel-upgrade/software.md)
## Featured Products
### Adafruit Mini Skinny NeoPixel Digital RGB LED Strip - 60 LED/m
[Adafruit Mini Skinny NeoPixel Digital RGB LED Strip - 60 LED/m](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2959)
So thin. So mini. So teeeeeeny-tiny. It's the 'skinny' version of our classic NeoPixel strips!
These NeoPixel strips have 60 digitally-addressable pixel Mini LEDs per meter and are very affordable and are only 7.5 mm wide, 5 mm if you remove the strip from the...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2959)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/2959/guides)
### Adafruit Trinket - Mini Microcontroller - 5V Logic
[Adafruit Trinket - Mini Microcontroller - 5V Logic](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1501)
**Deprecation Warning: The Trinket bit-bang USB technique it uses doesn't work as well as it did in 2014, many modern computers won't work well. So while we still carry the Trinket so that people can maintain some older projects, we no longer recommend it.**
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1501)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1501/guides)
### Flush diagonal cutters
[Flush diagonal cutters](https://www.adafruit.com/product/152)
These are the best diagonal cutters, large super-comfortable grip to use and have strong nippers for perfect trimming of wires and leads. I've used my pair every day for years.
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/152)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/152/guides)
### Hakko Professional Quality 20-30 AWG Wire Strippers
[Hakko Professional Quality 20-30 AWG Wire Strippers](https://www.adafruit.com/product/527)
These are the finest wire strippers we have used, and if you have to do a lot of wiring, you will agree! They have soft rounded grips - very comfortable to use, and precision ground notches that do a perfect job every time. No more yanking or twisting to strip wires cleanly and quickly.
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/527)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/527/guides)
### Adafruit Flex Perma-Proto - Half-sized Breadboard Flex-PCB
[Adafruit Flex Perma-Proto - Half-sized Breadboard Flex-PCB](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1518)
Make your next project super-flexy with a prototyping board that can twist and bend. We took our lovely classic perma-proto design and had it made from incredibly thin polyamide film. It's extremely bendable, and you can cut it easily with scissors. It has a bend radius of 1cm or better...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1518)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1518/guides)
### Silicone Cover Stranded-Core Wire - 30AWG in Various Colors
[Silicone Cover Stranded-Core Wire - 30AWG in Various Colors](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2051)
Silicone-sheathing wire is super-flexible and soft, and its also strong! Able to handle up to 200°C and up to 600V, it will do when PVC covered wire wimps out. We like this wire for being extremely supple and flexible, so it is great for wearables or projects where the wire-harness has to...
Out of Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2051)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/2051/guides)
### Pocket Autoranging Digital Multimeter
[Pocket Autoranging Digital Multimeter](https://www.adafruit.com/product/850)
When we're on the go, we like to keep a multimeter in our purse and this model is by far the best pocket meter we've found. It's so good you'll end up using it as your main multimeter!
First up, this meter can measure nearly everything: it's got DC and AC...
In Stock
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/850)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/850/guides)
### Panavise Jr.
[Panavise Jr.](https://www.adafruit.com/product/151)
The best mini-vise for working on smaller PCBs (2.875" or less in one dimension)! The jaws are strong plastic that wont damage the PCB and doesn't mind if you hit it with the soldering iron by accident. Made in the USA.
- The easy-to-use single knob controls head movement...
No Longer Stocked
[Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/151)
[Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/151/guides)
## Related Guides
- [Camera LED Ring Light](https://learn.adafruit.com/camera-ring-led-light.md)
- [Mindfulness Clock OF DOOM](https://learn.adafruit.com/mindfulness-clock-of-doom.md)
- [Free-Wired 3x3x3 NeoPixel Cube](https://learn.adafruit.com/free-wire-3x3x3-neopixel-cube.md)
- [UFO Drone](https://learn.adafruit.com/ufo-drone.md)
- [NeoPixel Badge Lanyard with Bluetooth LE](https://learn.adafruit.com/bluetooth-neopixel-badge-lanyard.md)
- [NeoPixel 60 Ring Wall Clock](https://learn.adafruit.com/neopixel-60-ring-clock.md)
- [3D Printed Daft Punk Helmet with Bluetooth ](https://learn.adafruit.com/3d-printed-daft-punk-helmet-with-bluetooth.md)
- [Trinket (& Gemma) Servo Control](https://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-gemma-servo-control.md)
- [Trinket NeoPixel LED Longboard](https://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-neopixel-led-longboard.md)
- [Trinket USB Volume Knob](https://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-usb-volume-knob.md)
- [Bluetooth LE MIDI Controller](https://learn.adafruit.com/bluetooth-le-midi-controller.md)
- [3D Printed LED Knuckle Jewelry ](https://learn.adafruit.com/3d-printed-led-knuckle-jewelry.md)
- [Halo Energy Sword RP2040](https://learn.adafruit.com/halo-energy-sword-rp2040.md)
- [Kaleidoscope Eyes (Trinket-Powered NeoPixel LED Ring Goggles)](https://learn.adafruit.com/kaleidoscope-eyes-neopixel-led-goggles-trinket-gemma.md)
- [Trinket RGB Shield Clock](https://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-rgb-shield-clock.md)