Halloween Builds
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ights are an important part of the
Halloween festivities. The annual
holiday can be traced back to the
ancient Celtic festival of Samhain,
where people would light bonfires and
don costumes to ward off evil spirits
and ghosts.
Erin St. Blaine is a fashion and LED
artist and has combined the two to create glowing
mirror masks (hsmag.cc/wWAOsh). The tutorial
covers two designs, but Erin says the technique can
be used on masks of any shape and size. The mainelectronics behind the mask are the Adafruit HalloWing
and NeoPixel LED strips. The mask shines with the
help of a flexible one-way mirror film that you can buy
online. Erin also tells you how to make your own to
help keep the costs down. The best thing about the
project is that you can do it without any soldering. Erin
used a needle and thread to stitch the NeoPixels
around the outer edge of the mask. The HalloWing
adds another unique dimension to the mask, but you
can skip it to simplify the build.
If you want a mask that’s a bit more sinister, Noe
Ruiz has just the thing for you. His sci-fi inspired
3D-printed gas mask (hsmag.cc/YLpHdz) will surely
turn heads on Halloween. The project has three main
components: a mask, a respirator, and the goggles. As
you would have guessed, the respirator glows thanks
to a couple of NeoPixel LED rings that are wired to a
Gemma microcontroller. Noe recommends using
silicone-coated wires that are more flexible than
standard ones, and a good choice for all types of
wearables. The other components of the mask are
3D-printed, and if you use Noe’s design, you can just
snap the electronics in place. He’s also made some
changes to the standard costume goggles to match the
rest of the mask. Finally, an EL wire that’s strung
through the various components of the mask gives it a
more ominous appearance.
If a mask isn’t your thing, Nathan Dunbar has got
another type of headgear. He’s replicated the two
helmets worn by Daft Punk (hsmag.cc/0UuwLM).L
Erin says you can
optionally add a small
cabochon over the
HalloWing’s screen
to give the animation
some dimension
and shape