I made a mounting board from left over strips of cedar siding that I stained in various colors, for a rustic reclaimed-wood look. I glued the whole thing to a sheet of 1/4" birch plywood for stability.
I placed my dragon on the mounting board and marked where the Circuit Playground Express should be mounted, and also a good spot behind the dragon to thread the wires through so they don't show on the outside. I used a 1/2" drill bit to drill two holes, large enough for the JST connectors to fit through.
I drilled one more hole near the Circuit Playground's mounting spot large enough for the USB power cord to fit through.
Finally, I secured the Circuit Playground down to the mounting board with some hot glue. I also used copious amounts of hot glue to attach the dragon itself to the mounting board.
I connected all the connectors, threading the wires behind the mounting board, and threaded the power cord through as well, plugging it in to the Circuit Playground's USB connector.
At this point, I soldered a long wire onto pin A4 and threaded it through the power cord hole to the back of the mounting board. This wire connects the on/off switch to the Circuit Playground Express.
I used my vinyl cutter to cut a fancy rune out of copper tape. I left a long tail that wraps around the edge of the mounting board, and soldered the long wire from A4 to the copper tape tail. Then I firmly affixed the copper tape rune to the front of the board.
I plugged the power in and tested to be sure everything works. Once I was confident, I glued down the ostrich egg with hot glue.
She is beautiful. She sometimes turns herself on or off during thunderstorms. I wonder if someday she will hatch that egg and I will begin calling myself Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons.
Page last edited March 08, 2024
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