FORGEDrill a hole in the centre of the plastic cap just big
enough for the skewer to go through, and slide the
cap onto the skewer, with its flat side against the
back of the last wing panel. Add a plastic washer and
secure with a glob of hot glue.
Glue the servo horn into the cap with a generous
layer of hot glue. You may need a lot of hot glue for
this step, and there are a couple of things to watch
out for. Use enough hot glue to securely attach the
servo horn, but do not let the glue rise past the horn
into the spindle of the servo or its movement will
be inhibited. It can also take quite a while for a thick
layer of hot glue to dry, and you will need to keep
the motor upright in place until the glue is solid. Do
not move the wing or actuate the motor until the
glue is completely cool and dry.
MOUNT EVERYTHING ON THE PAULDRON
While the glue is cooling, we can work on the
shoulder pauldron, which is the base of the wing.
Use our shoulder pauldron template to cut the
cardboard out as before. To curve the pauldron over
your shoulder, roll it with a rolling pin while gently
forming it into a curve. Paint the cardboard to match
your wing. Remove the plastic GoPro mount from
the GoPro shoulder harness, and attach the harness
to the underside of the pauldron with hot glue.
The partial circle in our design makes a great area
for the capacitive touch ‘button’. Cut copper tape
to cover the circle, and press into place. Use more
copper tape to run a trace to the back of the pauldron,
where our electronics will be located behind the wing.
To mount the wing on the pauldron, run a bead
of hot glue along the bottom edge of the back wing
panel only, and press it in place on the pauldron.
The two front wings must not be connected to the
pauldron, only the back wing. Add another bead of
hot glue to the back of the join for good measure.
The servo must be held down securely, so that
its movement is transferred to the wing. Make a
platform out of cardboard layers and hot glue to
support the servo. Hot-glue the platform in place
under the servo, then glue the servo securely to
the platform.
Use foam tape to secure the ItsyBitsy M0, the
LiPoly backpack, and the on/off switch to the
pauldron behind the wing. Make sure none of the
electronic components touch the copper tape trace.
Shorten the trace if you need more room for your
components. Strip the end of the wire from A1 and
connect it to the copper tape trace with another
small piece of copper tape.
To secure the battery, use adhesive Velcro so
that it can be removed and replaced if needed. It’s
a good idea to wrap the battery in gaffer tape for
extra protection.SPREAD YOUR WINGS!
Your build is complete! Plug the battery into the
LiPoly backpack and turn on the switch. Touch the
copper circle to make your wing open – touch the
circle again to make it close. Very Valkyrie! For
a sleek look, you can hide the electronics with a
decorative panel, but make it removable for repairing
and recharging. With the LiPoly backpack installed,
the battery can be recharged in place, via the micro
USB port on the ItsyBitsy M0.
Of course, with all those leftover I/O pins on
the ItsyBitsy M0, you can add even more
functionality to your costume. Lights? Sounds?
What will you add? Show us your electronic cosplay
at [email protected]!Above Left
Wired up and ready
for flight
Above
Flight goggles
are optionalBelow
Copper tape is a
great material for
conductive wearables